Judge Blocks Arranged Marriage

Well, it's happening in the West now. A 14 year old girl (13 when marriage was arranged) has been spared from a forced marriage (all emphasis mine):

The Melbourne teenager is one of a number of Australian girls forced into arranged marriages overseas each year.

Her plight came to light when child protection officers received a report in June that the then-13-year-old had been taken out of school ahead of her intended marriage.

In a landmark decision published on Monday, the Family Court barred the girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, from travelling abroad until she turns 18.

Federal Police were ordered to place the girl's name alongside the names of accused serious criminals and tax cheats on the official Watch List at departure points around the nation.

Her family, who are believed to be Muslims from the former Yugolsav Republic of Macedonia, has had to surrender the girl's passport and cannot apply for a new one.

The money quote:

"According to Islamic law a woman must give her consent to marriage without any form of collusion," [Islamic Council of Victoria vice-president Sherene Hassan] said yesterday.

"Sadly there are some Muslims that fail to discern [the difference] between culture and religion."

Failed to 'discern' between culture and religion? Gee, forced marriages to underage, non-consenting girls wouldn't have anything to do with THIS, would it?

Narrated Aisha:
The Prophet engaged me when I was a girl of six (years). We went to Medina and stayed at the home of Bani-al-Harith bin Khazraj. Then I got ill and my hair fell down. Later on my hair grew (again) and my mother, Um Ruman, came to me while I was playing in a swing with some of my girl friends. She called me, and I went to her, not knowing what she wanted to do to me. She caught me by the hand and made me stand at the door of the house. I was breathless then, and when my breathing became Allright, she took some water and rubbed my face and head with it. Then she took me into the house. There in the house I saw some Ansari women who said, "Best wishes and Allah's Blessing and a good luck." Then she entrusted me to them and they prepared me (for the marriage). Unexpectedly Allah's Apostle came to me in the forenoon and my mother handed me over to him, and at that time I was a girl of nine years of age.

[Sahih Bukhari 5.234]

Apparently, 'culture' only influences Muslims when it is a backward, 7th century culture. Anything more modern or humane would be un-Islamic.

(Cross-posted at SnappedShot.com)