Somalia Rejects Child Marriage Ban, Because It's "Anti Islamic"
Mogadishu, Somalia - Somalia's government has rejected provisions in the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child that would ban marriage under age 18, citing conflicts with Islamic law and the Somali constitution. The decision came shortly after the parliament initially ratified the charter on October 1, 2025, with 130 votes in favor, 10 against, and 5 abstentions.
According to reports from multiple sources, the reversal occurred within approximately 24 hours after public protests led primarily by Islamic clerics and male demonstrators who accused lawmakers of "defying Sharia" and "importing Western values."
On October 4, 2025, the Ministry of Family and Human Rights Development issued a clarification statement declaring that Islamic teachings and the national constitution take precedence over international commitments. The ministry stated, "Our religion and constitution are the foundations of all laws in Somalia. Clauses that contradict Islamic teachings cannot be implemented."
The government specifically rejected Article 21a of the charter, which sets the minimum marriage age at 18, stating that this
"conflicts with Islamic law, which permits marriage based on religious criteria rather than age."
The ministry clarified that Somalia will apply "Islamic definitions of maturity" rather than chronological age when determining marriage eligibility.
Additional rejected provisions include Article 9 on freedom of religion, with the government stating "Somali children are Muslims, and the right to change religion will not be recognized," and Article 10 on privacy of the child, with officials declaring that "parental authority remains paramount, and no external body can override it."
The parliament had earlier attempted to pass a Child Protection Bill that would have banned marriages under 18 and criminalized clerics who officiate such ceremonies. However, when sermons and social media campaigns accused members of parliament of "destroying Islam," the government withdrew the bill. One lawmaker told Horn Daily, "The problem is not Islam. The problem is fear; no one dares challenge the preachers."
THE TRUTH
We, disagree and will tell you very directly, that Islam IS indeed the problem.
Quran 65:4 - As for your women past the age of menstruation, in case you do not know, their waiting period is three months, and THOSE WHO HAVE NOT MENSTRUATED ASWELL. As for those who are pregnant, their waiting period ends with delivery.1 And whoever is mindful of Allah, He will make their matters easy for them.
This verse is speaking about the “iddah” or waiting period of a woman after her husband dies or divorces her before being able to see other men.
What are the prerequisites for an iddah?
Sexual intercourse is one of them.
So, Islam is permitting the marriage, and sex, of girls who "have not yet mensturated" meaning, PRE PUBECENT girls.
International organizations estimate that over one in three Somali girls marry before age 18. According to a 2020 joint report by the UN Population Fund and the Somali government, 35 percent of Somali women aged 20 to 24 were married before 18, down from 45 percent in 2017.
In March 2025, public outrage erupted when an eight-year-old girl who had been missing for six months was found living with a man in Carmo who claimed to be her husband. The girl had been taken from her home in Bosaso in September 2024, allegedly with her father's consent for marriage to Sheikh Mahmoud. Puntland authorities intervened and returned the child to her family on March 25, 2025.
Human Rights Watch has documented that Al-Shabaab, an Islamist insurgent group based in Somalia, uses child marriage as a tactic to impose harsh interpretations of Sharia law. The organization reports that one girl was decapitated because she resisted forced marriage.
Girls living in internally displaced people's camps are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence and forced marriage. The UN documented over 100 cases of conflict-related sexual violence against girls in 2020.
The decision has sparked international condemnation, with activists describing it as men protesting for the right to "rape children." Online movements using the hashtag #AbooweLetHerGrow ("Brother, let her grow") have emerged calling for legal reform and public debate.
THE CRUSADERS OPINION
Somalia just proved what the West refuses to acknowledge: Sharia law is fundamentally incompatible with human rights.
Men literally took to the streets demanding the right to marry children, and their government surrendered within 24 hours.
This is Islam in practice.
While Christian missionaries build hospitals and schools across Africa, Islamic clerics fight for the legal right to rape eight-year-old girls.
Al-Shabaab forces girls into marriage, kills and beheads those who resist recruitment, and commits unspeakable violence against children.
These evil men who force children into sexual slavery deserve the severest earthly punishment and await hellfire for their wickedness.
Imagine if Christians in any Western nation protested for child marriage; they would be immediately imprisoned.
But Somalia's Islamic authorities call it "religious freedom." This depravity masquerading as piety exposes the moral bankruptcy at Islam's core.
Take Action: Demand Protection for Somali Children
Girls Not Brides - End Child Marriage Campaign: https://www.girlsnotbrides.org/take-action/
Human Rights Watch - Protect Children in Somalia: https://www.hrw.org/africa/somalia
Contact your representatives to pressure Somalia on child protection and condition aid on ending child marriage.
