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[quote=jsteele][quote=Anonymous]You're right, I am a new poster. If it helps convince you I'm not one of the knee-jerk Islamaphobes on DCUM, let me say that I've studied many religions, including Islam with a prof who went on to head the American University in Beirut a while back. I entered this thread because I think some distinctions are getting muddled.

On the contrary, I think -- no, I know -- it is important to many Christians and Muslims to model themselves on their founders. This is why many pious Muslim men wear beards, for example. It's also the source of the sunnah--the sayings and doings of the Prophet that play such an important role in Islam. Sunnah, which means "path", is a way of life, based on Mohammad's own sayings and doings, that many pious Muslims try to follow.

I don't think we can compare the sunnah to Richard II's marital history, in terms of importance to these respective faiths. Nobody is imitating Richard II's life.

Re Mary and Joseph, I think conventional wisdom is that she was about 13 or so when she gave birth. We don't have a clue whether she was engaged or married at age 6 or later, so I don't think it serves much purpose to speculate on that.[/quote]

It is surprising that despite the academic qualifications you cite, you seem to lack common sense or understand basic logic. Explain this:

If Muhammad's marrying a young girl is something that Muslim males should emulate, why are the vast majority of Muslim males not marrying children? Compare this to the number of Muslim men with beards. There is no comparison. Simple common sense suggests that this is one action by Muhammad that Muslims generally do not try to emulate.

The bottom line is that Muslims who wish to find justification for child marriage in Islam can find it. Those who wish to find another interpretation can also find it. The exact same thing is true in Christianity. Christians don't find that justification in the life of Jesus, but in the bible and other teachings. The bible is full of old men marrying young girls. Warren Jeffs is one well-known Christian who found religious justification for child marriage. While he can be written off as crazy, child marriage does occur in many Christian communities around the world.

You, of course, don't want to delve too deeply into the age at which Mary was married. But, she may have been younger than 10. Joseph may have been 50 or older. So, a cradle-robber just like Muhammad.

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