The substance of the complaint related to two comments E.S. made in the course of a discussion about Muhammad’s marriage to Aisha. He “liked to do it with children,” she asserted, adding, “A 56-year-old and a six-year-old? What do we call it, if it is not pedophilia?”

Now, in a historic move, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has waded into this inflammatory controversy, ruling, in effect, that no, he wasn’t a pedophile and no, you can’t publicly refer to him as such.

Beyond its religious implications, I think this ruling is horrible for children throughout the EU. Child marriage is a big enough problem without nonsense like this to promote the idea.

Unlikely to be accurate
[google.com]

I don't believe there is a lot of truth in what is claimed anyhow but it is wildly believed that she was married at six and consummated at nine. Everyone I know of would consider that pedophilia. Giving a few years to her age doesn't change that.

From [muslim.org]

It is believed on the authority of some Hadith reports that the marriage ceremony (known as nikah, amounting to betrothal) of Aisha with the Holy Prophet Muhammad took place when she was six years of age, and that she joined the Holy Prophet as his wife three years later at the age of nine. We quote below from two such reports in Bukhari.

“It is reported from Aisha that she said: The Prophet entered into marriage with me when I was a girl of six … and at the time [of joining his household] I was a girl of nine years of age.”

“Khadija died three years before the Prophet departed to Medina. He stayed [alone] for two years or so. He married Aisha when she was a girl of six years of age, and he consummated that marriage when she was nine years old.”

I don't much care if a pedophile made a law protecting pedophiles. By the stories told about him Muhammad was a pedophile and I would make that same statement about anyone in the Vatican that promoted or had sex with pre-teens.

@maturin1919 No, you consider the ways people lived in the past. And to defend Mohammad a bit more, nobody knows much about this child marriage except it consolidated the prophet's political relationship with Aisha's father, Abu Bakr. Aisha as an adult was a force to be reckoned with and fought, even lead an army, to protect what she believed were the wishes of her dead husband.

@maturin1919 I don't think so. Unless we are willing to say that some customs are very wrong by today's standards but were completely acceptable in the past.

@maturin1919 It does. It means the concept was unknown. Paedophilia today has nothing to do with arranged marriages. It is the random attacks by adults on children.

@maturin1919 Again, no. Marriage arrangements were political and had to do with social status. No thought was given to the wishes of the individuals involved. Let's not forget Mohammad and Abu Bakr needed to consolidate their political relationship. As for sexual relationship between Mohammad and Aisha, nobody has a clue. It's just the imposition of anti-Islamic 21st century views on a 7th century custom.

@maturin1919 No. A rose, yes. Human behaviour is a very different kettle of fish. I propose that Mohammad may well have been an absolute gentleman in his treatment of young Aisha. But the proposition that modern-day adults abusing young children is morally unacceptable is beyond question.

@maturin1919 And yet is wasn't. That's the key to understanding what's going on here.

@maturin1919 Getting back to the topic, nobody knows what went on between Mohammad and Aisha. It's just a religious/political football.

@maturin1919 But like I said, nobody knows what went on in the marriage between Mohammad and Aisha. You would have to imagine it.

@maturin1919 I think taking your cues from 21st century religious folk is one thing but best not to impose that thinking on a world 1500 years older.

@maturin1919 Well go ahead if it suits you but just remember that information is written long after the event and has an agenda.

@Shouldbefishing That's probably Bukhari. What on earth did he know? He might have had no other agenda than making the marriage official through consummation.

@maturin1919 No indeed. The 7th century Arabic world was barbaric. Survival was probably such an issue that marriage arrangements were considered absolutely indispensable. But in this savage world, Mohammad preached a message that he thought lightened the load on women.

@maturin1919 Yes, unless you think very unusual people don't arise in certain times and cultures and attempt to move things forward. Nonetheless, keep in mind we know nothing about the relationship between Mohammad and Aisha.

@maturin1919 Well I think that's a good place to agree to disagree.