Afghanistan: Divorced child brides compelled to return to their former husbands

Image: Jihad Watch

The Taliban is attempting to force divorced child brides to return to their adult former husbands, even after the Afghan government granted them divorces, according to a report by the BBC on Sunday, which highlighted the case of Bibi Nazdana.

Nazdana, who has now fled Afghanistan with her brother, spent two years seeking a divorce, which the Taliban claimed was invalid under their interpretation of Sharia law. Her case is reportedly one among tens of thousands.

At the age of seven, Nazdana was promised to a farmer to resolve a family feud. She petitioned Afghan courts and eventually obtained a divorce, the BBC reported.

However, in 2021, her former husband appealed the court's decision, demanding that the divorce be revoked. The Taliban prohibited Nazdana from representing herself, insisting it violated their interpretation of Sharia law. Instead, they appointed her brother Shams to represent her in court, as reported by the BBC.

“They told us if we didn’t comply,” Shams told the BBC, “they would hand my sister over to him (Hekmatullah) by force.”

Despite her brother's representation, the Taliban-led court ruled in favor of Nazdana’s former husband, a registered member of the group.

“I have knocked on many doors asking for help, including the UN, but no one has heard my voice,” Nazdana told the BBC. “Where is the support? Don’t I deserve freedom as a woman?”

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)