Barbaric Treatment of Women by 'Our Friends'

(CNN) -- A Saudi judge has refused for a second time to annul a marriage between an 8-year-old girl and a 47-year-old man, a relative of the girl told CNN.

The most recent ruling, in which the judge upheld his original verdict, was handed down Saturday in the Saudi city of Onaiza, where late last year the same judge rejected a petition from the girl's mother, who was seeking a divorce for her daughter.

The relative said the judge, Sheikh Habib Al-Habib, "stuck by his earlier verdict and insisted that the girl could petition the court for a divorce once she reached puberty." The family member, who requested anonymity, added that the mother will continue to pursue a divorce for her daughter.

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Saudi Arabia. "Our friends, The Saudi King."

Then there is that new fundamentalist law in Afghanistan which allows a man to rape his wife. "Our Afghan friend, Hamid Karzai."

Strange 'friends' that we keep. Karzai appeared as a showpiece 'guest' of President Bush in one of those State of the Union speeches and the Saudi King walked hand in hand with Bush on several occasions.

Apparent our own 'beacon of democracy' doesn't shine bright enough to inspire 'our friends' to respect women. Rather, 'our friends' continue to embrace their Middle Ages view of women in their society, treating them with disrespect and abuse while we continue to 'deal' with them.

What does this say about us as a society?