You Know What's Wild? Afghanistan's Child Marriage Law is Actually Stricter Than Many U.S. States

I stumbled upon some info that's really eye-opening about child marriage laws. The main focus here is on U.S. laws. In Afghanistan, the Taliban still has a law based on the Ottoman Mecelle of Hanafiyah (actually, many Islamic nation laws are rooted in that). Enforcement is a separate issue, though. According to Islamic law, the requirements for a valid marriage include rushd and buluq-that means mental and physical maturity, having the ability to tell right from wrong, not being easily deceived, and being able to handle finances. Urf, which are cultural and local norms, are also taken into account, along with other factors. Critics have highlighted that U.S. laws on child marriage don't stack up well compared to some other countries. For example, back in 2017, Human Rights Watch noted that Afghanistan had stricter rules than parts of the U.S. In Afghanistan, the minimum marriage age is 15, but only with permission from a father or a judge; otherwise, it's 16. At that time, 25 U.S. states had no set minimum age for marriage if certain exceptions applied, and that number has been dropping since.