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May 22, 2013

John Thorne: They launched the 'Arab Spring' but now yearn for the good old days of a strongman

John Rosemond: 'Disciplinary math' adds up to parental successl

Warren Richey: Are prayers before public meetings OK? Supreme Court to decide
Rick Montgomery: Use of ADHD drugs as study aid raises concern on campuses

Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D.: 6 convincing reasons you should keep carbs in your diet

Eoin O'Carroll: Scientists examine nothing, find something

The Kosher Gourmet by Carole Kotkin: This soup is made from one of the great pleasures of spring: A wonderful pairing of rosy color and earthy tang

May 20, 2013

Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?

Hannan Adely: Town raises Palestinian flag at City Hall

Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Morgan Housel: When smart investors do stupid things

Sharon Saloman, M.S., R.D.: Hunger games: Eat more, weigh less, without starving

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star

The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting

May 13, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Why the giving of the document that would permanently change the world could only be done in desolation

David G. Savage: Church-state, literally? Supreme Court weighing public school graduation in a church

Emily Alpert: Recession dragged down birth rates for less-educated women
Morgan Housel: The deep downside of home ownership

Peter Teffer: Will Dutch police soon be stalking cybercriminals on your computer?

Heidi McIndoo, M.S., R.D.: Meatless 'meat' can have its own set of problems

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Celebrate! This must-try appetizer is delicate yet has depth of flavor: Corn-Leek Cakes with Caviar, Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche

May 10, 2013

Rabbi Berel Wein: Be all that you should be

Caroline B. Glick: The dirty little secret about Israel's Arabs

Mona Charen: Hawking's Moral Calculus: The man and the movement he embraces
Morgan Housel: The biggest retirement myth ever told

Sandi Doughton: Eyes may provide new insight into brain problems

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : The Great Gatsby's Jewish Ties; Jews in the "Time 100 list" List; People's Most Beautiful Women

The Kosher Gourmet by Linda Gassenheimer: A sweet-hot meal: Pear salsa spices up salmon

May 8, 2013

Peter Ford: Why China is welcoming both Israel's Netanyahu and Palestinians' Abbas

Warren Richey: Obama administration quietly backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate

Fred Weir: At Kerry-Putin meeting, US-Russia relations thaw --- a tad
Amanda Paulson: Study reveals sad truths about community colleges

Harvard Health Letters: Evidence weak that zinc, echinacea are beneficial

The Kosher Gourmet by Leela Cyd Ross : Almost too pretty to eat, this colorful salad with Sicilian inspiration will tickle the taste buds and delight your visual sensibility

May 6, 2013

Edmund Sanders and Patrick J. McDonnell: Think Israel's objective in Syria is to weaken Assad or embolden the rebels? Think again

Brian Bennett: Israeli airstrikes may show weakness in Syrian defense

Michael Ollove: Millions of ex-felons, parolees and those on probation are about to be entitled to tax-payer paid health coverage
Karen Kaplan: Most men can skip PSA test for prostate cancer, urologists say

Kimberly Lankford: How to track down a lost life insurance policy

Dream of Mars exploration achievable, experts say

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan M. Selasky: EGGPLANT WRAPS are an easy, sumptuous and scrumptious meal

May 3, 2013

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo: Human Courage and the Unavoidable, Disturbing Text

Steven Emerson: Attorney General Fights CAIR in Court, Lauds it in Public

Mediterranean diet helps beat dementia: study
Harvard Health Letters: When to be screened for a hearing problem

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Iron Man's Jewish Connections; Marc Maron's New TV Show; Martin Landau Grows Up with Israel; Shalom, Allan Arbus

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: A sweet surprise for Mother's Day dessert

May 1, 2013

Jonathan Rosenblum: An Improbable Journey to Orthodoxy

Jonathan Tobin: Blame Obama, Not Israel for Syria Push

Kids, kittens the Same? With employee perks at struggling Internet pioneer Yahoo! it's hard to tell
Halena M. Gazelka, M.D.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: What you need to know about implanted pain relief devices

Sandy Kleffman: Artificial kidney offers hope to patients tethered to a dialysis machine

Jessica Shugart: When it comes to math, MRIs may be better than IQs

The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: The celebrated chef on how high-maintenance ASPARAGUS RISOTTO need not be

April 29, 2013

Roy Gutman: Poland's new Jewish museum celebrates life, doesn't revisit Holocaust

Mark Clayton: Terrorism in America: Is US missing a chance to learn from failed plots?

Kim Murphy: Boston Bomber's 'Svengali' Revealed
Morgan Housel: He's rich, smart and old: Listen to him

Thomas Salinas, D.D.S.: Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: The safety of amalgam fillings

Harvard Health Letters: Tomatoes and stroke protection

Pete Spotts: Tiny satellites + cellphones = cheaper 'eyes in the sky' for NASA

The Kosher Gourmet by Diane Rossen Worthington: Swing into spring with lemon cream pie

April 26, 2013

Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski: The world is a mirror

Caroline B. Glick: Time to confront Obama

Clifford D. May: Defense in the Age of Jihadist Terrorism
Kimberly Lankford: New strategies ease pain of paying for long-term care insurance

Howard LeWine, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Too much ibuprofen?

Sharon Palmer, R.D.: How to feel your best -- with plenty of energy, a healthy weight and optimal mental and physical function -- without driving yourself batty

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Jewish Major Leaguers, 2013; New Movies and Comedy Show; Shalom, 'Lumpy' (Leave it to Beaver)

The Kosher Gourmet by Emily Ho : A bright and cheerful salad to herald the warmer months ahead

April 24, 2013

Steven Emerson: Boston Bomber Exposes Islamist Secret

Morgan Housel Admit it: No one has any idea what's going on
Harvard Health Letters: Can you get headaches from headache medication?

Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.: How to easily get more Omega-3s in your diet

Melissa Healy: Pot in a pill: All the pain relief without the smoke

The Kosher Gourmet by Susan Russo: Chipotle Chili Butternut Squash Soup is bold, zesty, hot

April 22, 2013

Ken Dilanian: Counterterrorism's future is unclear

US man departing country arrested on terror charges
Barbara Williams: An unorthodox but growing treatment in a 9-year-old's battle against cancer

P.J. Skerrett, M.D.: How to recognize a good whole grain product

Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom: Teen actor Jonah Bobo in New Flick: Hunky James Wolk on Mad Men; Erich Segal's Daughter Writes Prize-Winning Jewish Novel


Jewish World Review April 14, 2009 / 20 Nissan 5769

Libs and Child Brides

By Mona Charen


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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | When I condemned President Barack Obama's deep bow to Saudi King Abdullah, I heard from many readers about President George W. Bush's hand-holding with the same personage. "What's the difference?" demanded one reader.


Well, hand-holding (while not exactly a welcome sight between the president of the United States and any ruler of a repressive state) is at least a gesture between equals. Bowing, on the other hand, suggests obeisance. It was a peculiar thing for the president to do. One understands that President Obama is all about respecting other cultures. He wants to listen. He wants to cooperate. He wants to convey his regrets for all of the mistakes America made before it had the wisdom to elect him. Fine.


But there are many societies on this earth — and Saudi Arabia is one of them — that have far more to learn from us than we from them. Consider some recent news from the kingdom.


There is a debate going on in the Saudi press about the practice of marrying off young girls to men who are decades older. In March, a Saudi judge declined to annul the marriage of 8-year-old girl who was married to a 47-year-old man. The child's mother had petitioned the court for redress, as she opposed the marriage. The girl's father, the wife alleged, had sold the third-grader to a close friend in payment of a debt. But the judge ruled that the mother had no standing since she, as a woman who lives separately from the father, was not the child's legal guardian under Saudi law. The marriage was valid, the judge ruled, though he added a request that the husband refrain from consummating the marriage until the girl reaches puberty.


Christoph Wilcke of Human Rights Watch told CNN that he hears of cases like this every few months — not because the practice is new but because Saudis are just beginning to feel able to protest it. MEMRI, the Middle East Media Research Institute, reports that in August 2008, a Saudi newspaper in the Uneizah district reported that another judge refused to annul the marriage of an 8-year-old to a man of 58. The judge asked the husband to divorce the child and return the dowry, but the husband declined, saying he had done nothing wrong.


According the U.S. Agency for International Development, "women who bear children at a young age may face serious health consequences. Young mothers experience higher rates of maternal mortality and higher risk of obstructed labor and pregnancy-induced hypertension because their bodies are unprepared for childbirth. … Girls between 10 and 14 are five times more likely than women ages 20 to 24 to die in pregnancy and childbirth … Girls ages 15 to 19 are twice as likely as older women to die from pregnancy and childbirth. …" Even the Saudi Health Ministry has agreed that child marriages are "one of the primary causes for the emergence of physical and psychological problems." Among the physical problems the ministry cited were "menstrual problems, infertility, and vaginal tearing." Among the psychological costs were "anxiety and marital problems" resulting from the "early withdrawal of maternal love" and the "sudden termination of childhood."


Saudi Arabia is in many respects a medieval society. But enlightenment is trickling in. The very fact that the nation now boasts a Saudi Society for the Defense of Women's Rights is notable. The group recently released a video titled "I am a Child, Not a Woman" and is campaigning to set the minimum age for marriage at 17 for girls and 18 for boys. Saudi newspaper columnists have been vehement. Writing in the daily Al-Jazirah, Jasser 'Abd Al-'Aziz called out the imams who permit the practice: "Everyone needs to … fight … this strange phenomenon … beginning with the mosque imams who must address this perversion. It is paramount that they address it in their Friday sermons which are supposed to deal with problems in the religious (and general) conduct of (Muslim) society … (When) a father (marries off his underage daughter), doesn't he realize that he is turning her into merchandise to be bought and sold, denying her humanity, and treating her like a lowly slave?"


Actually, it was only in 1962 that the Saudis outlawed slavery. But they did outlaw it because it made them feel so out of step with the rest of the world. Saudi Arabia is not the only nation in the world to oppress women, or even to practice child marriage — just the wealthiest.


The liberal belief that America has so much to apologize for and so little to teach was not in evidence when the foreign policy question was apartheid in South Africa — which presents the question: Why not the same urgency for child brides?

Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.


Comment on JWR contributor Mona Charen's column by clicking here.

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© 2006, Creators Syndicate

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