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Last update - 16:56 16/04/2008 8-year-old Yemeni girl wants to divorce her 30-year-old husband By Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Yemen, marriage Nojoud Mohammed Nasser is probably the most famous Yemenite girl in the world. Last week, 8-year-old Nasser went alone to the court of justice in Sanaa, Yemen's capital city, to find a judge who would agree to accept her claim against her father for compelling her to marry a 30-year-old man. She also insisted that the judge force her husband to divorce her. Yemenite law states that 15 is the minimum legal age for marriage, but does permit girls younger than that to marry on condition that the couple "does not engage in intimate relations." Advertisement Nasser told journalists that every time she wanted to play outside, her husband demanded that she return home to sleep with him. The court on Tuesday annulled the marriage and ordered the girl's family to pay compensation to the husband. According to Yemenite journalists, this story reflects the massive gap between a seemingly reformed republic and the reality on the ground. In Yemen, there are in fact, two "law books": the first is official and the second is based on traditional Yemeni customs. When these two legal systems collide, the traditional law wins. It is not just the law books that suffer double meaning. Yemen's image as a united state is also misleading. The government for example, drafts youth from all over the country to serve in the security forces, but it appears the main focus of these recruitment efforts is on northern residents. Southerners are still perceived as "suspicious" - better to be kept at arm's length. It was against this divisive background that violent riots took place this month in the country's southern cities, after officers in charge of army recruitment in the north refused to accept two southern youths who had asked to sign up. Eleven people were killed in those clashes, scores more were injured and hundreds arrested. Consequently, the divide between the north and the south has widened even further. A powerless government In a country considered the poorest of Arab states, the gap is not just between the north and the south, but also between the central government and the tribes that control the peripheries of the state's major cities. In this instance, there is no difference between the north and south - the government's powerlessness is felt everywhere. Thus for example, tribal leaders encourage abduction of tourists and, as part of the negotiation process, demand local government help in obtaining cars, paving roads and building schools in exchange for the release of the hostages. The security services, who in the past have tried to free hostages using force, have begun absorbing their losses, leaving management of "abduction deals" to the tribes. Foreign tourism agencies now understand that it is preferable to discuss the release of the captive tourists with tribal leaders instead of with the security services. This way, all sides benefit from tourism. At present, the tribal leaders are being forced to "compete" with extremist factions, who have been linked to the organization, Al-Qaida. Tourism is considered to be an important part of Yemen's economy, though its revenue brings in only 2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. Still, the extremists seem unsatisfied with just abducting tourists - on certain occasions foreigners have been killed, and as a result, there has been a significant reduction in the number of tourists coming to Yemen. Last week, the government announced that its aim was to raise the number of tourists from this year's half a million to one million by 2010. Following the announcement, state representatives were asked how these aspirations could be reconciled with the extremist elements' control of foreign movement within the country. New state guidelines require tourists traveling outside of Sanaa to obtain a special permit from the Interior Ministry, in order to monitor their itinerary in the event of an abduction. Despite the schism between Yemeni and state law, Al-Qaida and the tribes, north and south, President Ali Abdullah Saleh is striving to maintain order in his country. He has won the support of the Bush administration by vowing to fight decisively against Al-Qaida. Still, Saleh has been forging close relations with Iran; Iran's Foreign Minister visited Saleh earlier this month. Saleh is also responsible for driving initiatives aimed at solving two of the Middle East's central crises - the political unrest in Lebanon and the bloody rivalry between Fatah and Hamas. His schemes have so far yielded no real results, but they bolstered Saleh's position at the recent Arab League summit in Damascus. That summit, like the Yemini initiatives, however, was just a lot of hot air. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Breaking with the ZOA Is Harvard University's Progressive Jewish Alliance inciting against Israel? Rising in the polls New survey finds Nasrallah is the most admired leader in the Arab world.   1.   The Wrong Enemy 14:37  |  Buzaglow 16/04/08   2.   Thank God, Jews are already out of such a state. 17:13  |  Fortuna Benmayor 16/04/08   3.   As a father of two little girls..... 19:29  |  arab-american 16/04/08   4.   DISGUSTING CULTURE!!! 19:35  |  free israel 16/04/08   5.   western interference 20:17  |  Nabil Fawzi 16/04/08   6.   The way of islam! 20:54  |  Avram 16/04/08   7.   Nabil Fawz, 20:59  |  Aram 16/04/08   8.   Latest on this story 21:25  |  leven5 16/04/08   9.   Comment from Nabil Fawzi 21:38  |  Natan Ami 16/04/08   10.   There must be more protection for children... 22:07  |  Deborah 16/04/08   11.   Arab humanism 22:08  |  PARIS 16/04/08   12.   #5 - the `prostitutes` are not 8 years old ! 22:21  |  redmike 16/04/08   13.   Children are gifts from G-D and MUST be protected! 22:45  |  Linda Rivera 16/04/08   14.   A much comprehensive article that Haartez canned can B found here 23:00  |  Genuine Tosefta 16/04/08   15.   no no no 23:53  |  baboush lacatoush 16/04/08   16.   divorce 23:53  |  kahan abas 16/04/08   17.   "Lolita from Yemen". Very sad indeed. 00:11  |  Stephen. 17/04/08   18.   to kahan abas el bessas 01:54  |  baboush lacatoush 17/04/08

Read & React Report: Assad says Syria preparing for possible war with Israel Responses: 28 Ari Shavit: Israel should offer Hamas Gaza Islamic state for demilitarization Responses: 17 IDF paratroopers kill two Jihad militants in raid near Jenin Responses: 19 Shmuel Rosner: The only goal of Carter's work is to undermine Israel Responses: 6 Rosner's Domain Let the debate begin: what's a "pro-Israeli" position? A lot more on the J Street project (WTR) Poll: Were you convinced that America should stay in Iraq? AIPAC trial is waiting for Mr. Leonard (WTR) More Headlines 12:02 Report: Assad says Syria preparing for possible war with Israel 12:14 IDF paratroopers kill two Jihad militants in raid near Jenin 11:39 Militants fire Katyusha, several Qassams at western Negev 12:25 Abbas: Mideast conference to be held in Moscow this summer 09:03 PM: Iran will not be nuclear 12:39 Peres to declare reconciliation between secular and Haredim 07:45 Home of Bedouin soldier killed in action slated for demolition 12:36 Israeli thriller explores how submarines could be used against Iran 07:32 China: Int'l talks on Iran end with 'some' agreement on incentives 07:58 Suspicion: Rival cantor hatched scheme to seduce Great Synagogue colleague Previous Editions Select Day 16 apr 15 apr 14 apr 13 apr 11 apr 10 apr 09 apr 08 apr 07 apr 06 apr 04 apr 03 apr

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