Iraq child trafficking case study: 'He handed the boy over for £300'

[AbuUsama]

Iraq child trafficking case study: 'He handed the boy over for £300'

The Guardian, Monday 6 April 2009
Article history

When Mariam Muhammad got home from work to find that her husband had sold her baby, she finally gave in. The family had already lost most of what they owned - driven from their home during the sectarian violence of 2006, robbed of what little money they had by insurgents.

Her husband had lost his job as a salesman; what little income they had depended on her work as a housekeeper in Baghdad.

They argued long and hard about selling their youngest to put food on the table for their other two children - Mariam objected, threatened divorce; he was undeterred and while she was out, he handed the nine-month-old boy over to traffickers for a fee of £300. Mariam swallowed a bottle of pesticide and died.

"She was a very dedicated mother to her children but couldn't stand the idea of having a child gone because of her husband's inability to get a job," said a close friend.

"During the three days since her son Adel was sold to a trafficking gang, she didn't eat or talk with anybody and the only thing we found was a picture of her kids beside her bed where she also drank all the pesticide."

Source : Case study: Child trafficking in Iraq | World news | The Guardian

[godf]

Aren't parents allowed to sell their children under Sharia?

[IbnShaykh]

Aren't parents allowed to sell their children under Sharia?

God sake, where did you find that from?

Either you are a wind up merchant or just make stupid assumptions about Islaam in your ignorance.

No you cannot.

Note the .<<<< full stop there also known as 'end of this discussion as it is stupid'.

[godf]

As part of the discussion about Islam allowing slaves, one of the justifications used was that it made sense for some very poor families to sell their children for money. Which seems to have been what's happened here. I'm only going by people's posts though, and my own reading on the subject did not mention it.

[Layth]

Aren't parents allowed to sell their children under Sharia?

What a stupid question.

Anyway back to the story, were they rafidha or something? This is just crazy, selling your child.

[Layth]

As part of the discussion about Islam allowing slaves, one of the justifications used was that it made sense for some very poor families to sell their children for money. Which seems to have been what's happened here. I'm only going by people's posts though, and my own reading on the subject did not mention it.

Can you link us to the post where it was said?

[IbnShaykh]

As part of the discussion about Islam allowing slaves, one of the justifications used was that it made sense for some very poor families to sell their children for money. Which seems to have been what's happened here. I'm only going by people's posts though, and my own reading on the subject did not mention it.

What? From selling slaves to selling your own kids?

[godf]

I think there were a few different posts. It's a long thread though.

It's mentioned here:

Forced marital sex in Islam?

You could see how the discussion develops on.

[Umm Ahmed]

Aren't parents allowed to sell their children under Sharia?

I gave an example of how people can become slaves through poverty, which happens in poor country's in order to eat.
I do not know if it's allowed Islamicly.
If someone becomes a slave they can buy their freedom if their master allows it. And Abu Bakr bought and freed slaves.
In no way does what I mentioned that happened in countries where they were poor, equate with what's happening in Iraq

[nomad]

the story was in the guardian, so we dont assume its true, there were thousands of children kidnapped in the war, so presumably excuses from poor orphan child on the roadside, to nasty father sells his son stories will appear to cover up the kidnapping and child trafikers hayday.