Muslim Tries to Apply for Spousal Benefits for 12-Year-Old Wife… in Australia

They met at the local Mosque.

From Daniel Greenfield at Front Page:

An alleged underage marriage was uncovered this week when a 12-year-old child bride and her 26-year-old husband tried to apply for spousal benefits, according to government sources.

Centrelink sources say the girl was removed from the home she shared with her 26-year-old “husband” hours after enquiring about what support would be available to a spousal visa holder on Wednesday morning.

The man was arrested by detectives from the Child Abuse Squad and charged with 25 counts of sexual intercourse with a child.

Newcastle Muslim Association president Bikash “Shahriar” Paul said the accused man was an “occasional” worshipper at a mosque in the Hunter Valley region north of Sydney, where he met the girl.

The girl’s father — who converted to Islam about 18 years ago following a battle with drugs, gambling and alcohol abuse

Detectives investigating the case said the father was ”shocked” that his daughter’s 26-year-old husband was arrested and charged with more than two dozen child sex offences last week.

Police will allege the girl was married to the accused during an Islamic ceremony in her father’s backyard. But detectives say their union was not official.