Manaj 1 Bei Manaj English 1 Knowles 1 April 2014 Arranged Marriage Arranged marriage is an issue in the Islam and

d Hindu religion. Muslims and Hindus dont think its an issue, though. They believe that its a good thing; to make your daughter marry a man she barely knows just because his family is a good family. Marrying your daughter off to a man who she barely knows is like judging a book by its cover. You buy the book because the cover makes it look interesting. You marry your daughter off because the man seems like he and his family are the right match for her. Just because they look like a good family doesnt mean they actually are. Some Hindus marry off their daughter when she is only in her pre-teens. I dont understand why, especially when they marry her off to a man in his twenties or thirties. Arranged marriage should be illegal because women should have the right to know whether or not theyre getting married and girls, as young as ten years old, are getting married. Women should have the right to know whether or not theyre getting married. Pinar Ilkkaracan states that, More than half of women (50.8 percent) were married without their consent and 45.7 percent were not even consulted about their partner or the marriage. Those who had not met the husband before the marriage constituted 51.6 percent of the participants (4). Ilkkaracans point is that a little less than half of women dont even know theyre going to get married, much less to who theyre going to marry. In the article, Islamic Restrictions on Turkish Womens Sexual Behavior Violate Their Rights, Ilkkaracan states, Under the Turkish Civil Code, the consent of both the woman and the man is a precondition for marriage, yet women

Manaj 2 living in the region often have no influence over the choice of their prospective partner and are frequently married against their will (4). In making this comment, Ilkkaracan shows that even though its a precondition for the consent of both the man and woman, most women who live in the region have no say in the marriage and are usually married against their will. I believe that arranged marriages should be illegal because women should not be forced into a marriage to a person they dont love, or even worse, dont know. Not only do women not know who they are marrying, most dont even know when they are getting married. Girls, as young as the age of ten years old, are getting married. In the article, Too Young To Wed, Cynthia Gorney explains that the story of Nujood Ali, the 10-year-old Yemeni girl who found her way alone to an urban courthouse to request a divorce from the man in his 30s her father forced her to marry generated worldwide headlines (3). In making this comment, Cynthia Gorney shows us that fathers of young girls are forcing them into marriages to men in their twenties, thirties, and maybe even older than that. This shouldnt be allowed to happen. I dont understand how a father could force his young daughter into a marriage. Cynthia Gorney tells the story of little Ayesha, who was ten years old, and how she was forced to marry a man who was fifty. According to Cynthia Gorney, Little Ayesha screamed when she saw the man she was to marry, said a young women named Fatima, who turned out to be Ayeshas older sister. Someone alerted the police, but Ayeshas father ordered her to put on high heels to look taller and a veil to hide her face. He warned that if he was sent to jail, he would kill Ayesha when he got out (4). Basically, Gorney is saying that Ayeshas father threatened her. Fathers who threaten their daughters should have their children taken away from them. It isnt right, in any way shape or form. Children shouldnt be forced into a marriage before theyve even gotten to high school; no one for that matter should be forced into a marriage.

Manaj 3 There are people that believe arranged marriage is a good thing. These people are usually the parents. They believe its a good thing because it keeps marriages within the same race, religion, etc. According to the parents, keeping marriages within the same race and religion is what keeps the peace. It doesnt cause conflict within the family. If there was conflict, the family would be falling apart. However, it shouldnt be up to the parents who their child is going to marry. Their child should be allowed to marry whoever they want. Race and religion shouldnt get in the way of how people feel towards others. In addition to this, parents shouldnt be forcing their children into a marriage when they are just in their pre-teens. Most people dont realize how bad having an arranged marriage really is. They dont know that children are being forced into marriages. I didnt even know they were until I actually researched the topic. I dont understand how parents can force their children to get married before theyve even turned eighteen. Arranged marriage can be a small issue if more people actually knew what was happening to the women who are forced into marriage. If they knew that women dont even know if they were getting married or not or that girls, only in their pre-teens, are forced into marriage, maybe they would feel differently about the subject. Hopefully, they would feel how I feel; that it should be illegal. It shouldnt be allowed what happens to Islamic and Hindu women and young girls.