Refuting the Religious Arguments for Allowing the Marriage of Underage Girls

Despite a proposed law in Yemen in 2014 to set the minimum age of marriage at 18, the law remains to be ratified, and the country is home today to 4 million child brides. Supporters and opponents of child marriage have put forth varying interpretations of what is permissible in the name of tradition and religion. Drawing upon hadith, interpretation, and jurisprudence, Dr. Yasmin Amin will discuss the religious arguments that permit the marriage of minors in our first Saturday Lecture of 2023. Join us in the debate on 18 March (Saturday) at 14GMT.

Dr. Amin is Representative of the Orient-Institut Beirut (Max-Weber-Stiftung) in Cairo and received her Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from Exeter University’s Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies. Her research covers gender issues, early Muslim society and culture, and the original texts of Islamic history, law, and hadith.