I really wish I was kidding about that. There are times when Yemen can be a peculiar place. Actually, that would be most of the time. However, this particular case highlights how tragic and absurd life in Yemen can be. Here is the story. An
eight year old girl showed up at court one fine spring day to ask the court to prosecute her father for marrying her off to a much older man. By much older, I mean he was 30. The girl also asked for a divorce since her husband liked to beat her, among other things. Her husband didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with the fact that he was forcing an eight year old to have sex with him. We have words for people like that over here. *sigh* Her story is will probably have a better outcome than most of the other girls stuck in that sort of situation. As the newspaper reports, this isn't the first time this has happened. What is remarkable to me is that the court is taking it seriously; I would have (regrettably) expected the judge to just send her back home. Maybe there is hope for that country.