Refuting the Claim that Prophet Muhammad was a Pedophile

[فداء الرسول]

Age of Marriage amongst Native Americans


The practice of marrying girls at a young age was prevalent amongst Native American
populations as well, as we read in an article entitled “Living Arrangements Among
Native American Elders”:
Marriage was considered essential among all Navajos with polygamy, divorce,
levirate and sorarate being practiced. Marriages were traditionally not based on
romance but were arranged with the girls being married soon after puberty.


(Living Arrangements Among Native American Elders,
http://www.pop.psu.edu/general/pubs/...pri/wp9605.pdf.)
We read further:


A Delaware Native American girl who reached puberty may have had her
[marriage] union prearranged by her parents.
(WeddingDetails.com, http://www.weddingdetails.com/lore/native.cfm)
The first menstrual cycle was seen by the Native Americans as the coming of age, and
after a ceremony, the young girl was ready for marriage:


This following are accounts for the coming of age rituals of first young women
followed by that of the young men. The first occurred when the girl had her first
menstrual cycle… When this celebration [i.e. the coming of age] was complete,
joy of being accepted as a woman remained with the young girl as well as five
vertical red and black stripes painted onto her cheek. These strips would be
eventually removed and when the last of them was gone the young girl would be
ready for marriage.


(Native Americans,
http://edf3.gallaudet.edu/diversity/...e_american.htm)

The Aztecs married their daughters off “well before the age of puberty”:
“Most [Aztec] girls were married (cohabiting) well before the age of puberty”
(McCaa, 2003)[3]. Girls among the ancient Aztec (Nahua) married before age 15,
and in many cases before 12 (McCaa, 1997; cf. 1996, 1994)[4]: “Children became
adults upon marriage, and most children above the age of 10 years were married
(or widowed, separated or abandoned)”. Females married very young, according
to the narrative evidence from the Book of Tributes (Cline, 1993:p31-2)[5].
Quantitative analysis of these data places the average for females below the age of
thirteen
(G.U.S.: A World Atlas, http://www2.huberlin.
de/sexology/GESUND/ARCHIV/GUS/AZTEC.HTM)
The various South American tribes practiced early marriage, and this practice continued
well into the 1500s. It is sometimes referred to as a “rearing marriage”, i.e. the husband
raises his wife from childhood. We read:
Sumner (1906:p382) [29] cited reports that of child marriage where “girls of ten
are mothers”[30]. Child betrothal is reported among the Guaranي of the Paranل
River. “In some cases little girls were given to grown men, who lived with their
child wives, probably in the house of their future parents-in-law” (Métraux,
1948)[31]. Child betrothal is also reported among the Cainguل, but the girls were
said to remain with their parents, who receive presents from their prospective
sons-in-law (ibid.)…
For the Samaraka, “[i]n the past, girls were formally betrothed (kiiل) well before
puberty, and “betrothal in the womb” was an accepted practice, while today mean
age at betrothal is only a year or two below age at marriage and child betrothal is
unknown” (Price, 1975)[33]. Among the Warao, “[t]here were boys who were
betrothed to little girls who had not yet reached puberty” (Heinen, [1988])[34].
Among the Brazilian Yanomamo, “[p]arents may also betroth their children
while they are still infants” (Early & Peters, 1990)[35]. Among the Cuna, the
premarital four-day debut ceremony is even sometimes given before puberty in
the parents’ zeal to insure their daughter’s having it (Stout, 1947:p34). As for the
Asang, “[a] girl at a very early age, between eight and nine, is betrothed to a
young man, who at once takes up residence in the house of her parents, whom he
assists until […] [she] is old enough to be married, when, without ceremony, they
are recognized as man and wife (Pim and Seeman, 1869:p306-7)[36]…
The Aikanل practiced betrothal in childhood, marriage took place after menarche
(Becker-Donner, ?:p280)[38]. The same was formerly so in the Makurap (p290).


The Bororo practised rearing marriage (Levak, 1973:p77-8)[39].
(G.U.S.: A World Atlas, http://www2.huberlin.
de/sexology/GESUND/ARCHIV/GUS/SOUTHAMERICA.HTM)