Is banning marriage to children "un-Islamic?"?

An eight year old bride in Yemen died from internal injuries on her wedding night, bleeding to death after deep vaginal tearing caused by sex with her 40 year old husband.

The girl, identified only by the name Rawan, died in Hardh in the governorate of Hajjah in northwestern Yemen, according to a report issued by UPI on Sunday, Sept. 8.

Activists in the region want to put an end to the practice of marrying young girls, and have called for police to arrest the girl's husband and family. Nevertheless, the forced marriage of child brides in Yemen remains a socially accepted custom in many rural areas.

Indeed, the practice has deep cultural and religious roots, and is widespread in Yemen. A February 2009 law set the minimum age for marriage at 17, but it was repealed after some conservative lawmakers called it un-Islamic.

http://edition.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201309/1...

Reposted in Ramadan section.

@Jonathan - read the article. Those who opposed the law in Yemen were cast as "apostates" by a religious leader. The question stands.

I'll remind the board that the age of consent in many US states is 16.