Minors’ Forced Marriages Lead to 3 Arrests
An Iraqi refugee accused of forcing his 13- and 14-year-old daughters to marry men twice their age in an Islamic ceremony was jailed on child abuse charges, and the alleged husbands were charged with rape.
A university professor from Iraq and a lawyer for the so-called husbands said the three men were following Islamic tradition and did not intend to violate state law.
“It is a clash between cultural mores and U.S. law,” said Terry Cannon, a lawyer for the alleged husbands, Latif Al-Hussani, 34, and Majed Al-Tamimy, 28. The two recent immigrants were jailed on $50,000 bail each and could get up to 50 years in prison.
The father, Salem Al-Saidy, a school janitor on disability, was jailed on $10,000 bail. He faces up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Police said Hussani and the 13-year-old were married Nov. 9 against the girl’s will at her father’s home. The 14-year-old daughter claimed she was forced to marry Tamimy.
Nebraska requires people to be 17 or older to marry.
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