This is regarding “Delaying marriage gets passing grade; In rural Egypt, special program empowers girls to be students before brides” (“Tribune special report: From child to bride,” Page 1, Dec. 13).
In the poignant story, the role of the local imam caught my eye.
On one occasion this “tall and soft-spoken” man persuades “Nasra’s parents to give her more time.”
On another occasion he “spent days and hours discussing the Prophet Muhammad’s teachings with his brother. Nothing in the Koran prohibits women from school, and Islam celebrates educated women, he counseled. Um Kalthoum’s father agreed, with one caveat: Every night, the girl would teach her eight siblings.”
This imam clearly has an accurate understanding of Islam’s position on women, which is about gender justice, spiritual equality and respect, and is against their objectification and exploitation.
It is fascinating to see how religion, if used properly, can trump cultural taboos and ignorance.
