LA Times: Yemeni 10-year-old divorcee Nujood Ali goes back to school

Like children across the world, 10-year-old Nujood Ali went back to school this month after a lengthy break. But Nujood hadn’t been lazing about or playing hide-and-seek with her friends during the summer.

Instead, after she was pulled out of the second grade by her father earlier this year, she was married off to a man three times her age, who beat her and sexually abused her.

For many girls in this traditional society, where tribal custom and conservative interpretations of Islam dominate, that would have been the end of the story. But Nujood was outraged. She gathered up her courage and on the advice of an aunt went to court in April. She got the help of a lawyer and filed for divorce.

A judge quickly granted it.

And on Tuesday morning, the divorcee, possibly the world’s youngest, once again became a schoolgirl.

The story says that some schools rejected Nujood as a student because they were afraid she would tell the other students about her experience in a traditional Islamic marriage with a man three times her age, just like the one little Aisha had with the Prophet Mohammed. Gee, I wonder why they would have a problem with that? I mean, that would mean there’s something wrong with having sex with nine-year-old girls. But everyone knows that’s perfectly okay, right? The Koran says so and everything!

I’m so confused… :???:

(Yes, yes, I know. But I couldn’t resist the snark.)

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