Sociology

I do not believe that the intentions of the family were morally wrong because they were just following their culture and their religion. Because they were in the United States while the parents married their 13- and 14-year-old daughters, it was against the law. Some can argue that it is their culture and they did not have the slightest of clues that girls have to be at least 17 years of age to marry. Others may think that because they live in the United States that they have to follow the laws of the United States, which is true, they have to abide. I personally believe that it was not morally wrong, because they are following what are the social norms back in their own country. But because they are in a different world with different laws, they should be punished for what they have done.

I agree with Jacqueline Bhabba and that "culture should be taken into account when meting out criminal sanctions". I do not think that people from other countries should get full immunity for what they have done, but should somewhat be judged a bit let harsh when culture is taken into account. Because like Jodi Nelson said, "you live in our state, you live by our laws". When you visit another country or move to another country, you have to abide to their laws and not the laws you're used to, which is why immigrants should still get the punishment that they deserve but when they have recently moved here, culture should be taken seriously when sentencing them.

I do believe that these individuals should be punished for the crimes they have committed even though they did not know what they were doing. They may have been following their culture and the societal norms that they are accustomed to, but "In Nebraska, the law is clear. People must be at least 17 to marry, and it is illegal for anyone 18 and older to have sex with someone who is under 18, even if the child consents". These Iraqi's are now in a different country with which they have to respect the laws here and follow them, which they did not. Because the girls were only 13 and 14, and the guys were 34 and 28, they broke the law of having to be 17 to marry. Because they broke the law, they should be punished for what they have done. They broke the law of underage marriage and are thought to have raped the girls because they are minors. Ergo, they should be punished and should learn to follow the laws of the country that they are residing in at the time.

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