Comments on Phem: Web | Blog | Magazine: A 10 year old girl from Yemen gets a divorce

This discussion reminds me about that scene in "Th...

2009-02-18T13:41:00.000-08:00

This discussion reminds me about that scene in "The Joy Luck Club" when the mother left her daughter with her husband's family and ran away crying. The mother loved her daughter and didn't want to see her go, but she had to because that's the way things were. I don't think that the little girl's family doesn't love her but are bound by the tradition of their country.

In a lot of places,

I think this reflects a difference in how we defin...

2009-02-17T11:40:00.000-08:00

I think this reflects a difference in how we define love, Heather.
I define love not by the feeling of love, but by the loving actions that it motivates. For instance, an abusive husband can assert that he loves his wife, but if he abuses his wife then as far as I am concerned, he does not love his wife. The same goes for any other non-loving actions.

Perhaps love means something

Christopher,You wonder whether the large number of...

2009-02-17T10:53:00.000-08:00

Christopher,

You wonder whether the large number of Nujood's siblings makes her parents love her any less. I don't believe that is so in any society. I think these lines from the original article are telling: "According to tribal customs, the girls are no longer viewed as a financial or moral burden to their parents [once they are married]." The financial part is self-explanatory, but

When I heard about this I was very surprised that ...

2009-02-16T08:17:00.000-08:00

When I heard about this I was very surprised that the judge granted the divorce. I recall reading many stories of women being denied justice by judges in the Middle East.

Nujood is my hero for seeking a divorce, despite all the forces against her. I am so glad that she was rewarded for her efforts. I'm also glad that she wasn't forced to resort to violence to protect herself. This is