The BBC reports of a child bride in Yemen bleeding to death.

BBC: Yemen Child Bride "Bleeds to Death"

"A 13-year-old Yemeni girl has died of internal bleeding three days after being married, rights groups say." ... The report comes amid ongoing debate on setting a minimum age for brides in Yemen, where more than a quarter of girls are married before the age of 15.

The story also reports that, "A 2009 law setting the minimum age at 17 was repealed after some lawmakers said it was un-Islamic. A final decision is due this month."

Why is it always reported like this? "Some lawmakers said it was un-Islamic" makes it sound questionable. It is un-Islamic to set a minimum age for a girl to be married... well, one could argue for maybe 6 years old or 9 years old as the minimum, but not older than that. They are right it is un-Islamic -- which gives us another example of why we should oppose Islam.

In Islam, Mohammad’s life is the best example of how to lead a virtuous life. How he lived his life is to be emulated by faithful Muslims. It is blasphemous to suggest that Mohammad’s moral example could be improved upon.

Relevant verse from the Koran:

Surah Al-Ahzab 33:21

Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of Allah.

The Sahih al-Bukhari is the most trusted Sunni collection of Hadiths which records the life of Mohammad. It has passages like the following (the link is to the specific quote in the USC-MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts):

HADITH: Sahih al-Bukari — Volume 7, Book 62, Number 88: Narrated ‘Ursa:

The Prophet wrote the (marriage contract) with ‘Aisha while she was six years old and consummated his marriage with her while she was nine years old and she remained with him for nine years (i.e. till his death).

Mohammad consummated his marriage with a nine year old. The consequences of his actions have tragic consequences for people alive today. More than a quarter of girls are married before they are 15...

The situation in Yemen is bad and Islam is directly standing in the way of progress. The law-makers who oppose minimum age laws for marriage do so on sound Islamic reasoning. It does no good to paper over this fact when reporting on the situation. These stories should go in the back of the minds of my fellow non-believers who have to repeatedly argue with their fellow non-believers that it matters what people believe.