Zaid Alsalami, Shaykh Dr Zaid Alsalami is an Iraqi born scholar, raised in Australia. He obtained a BA from Al-Mustafa University, Qom, and an MA from the Islamic College in London. He also obtained a PhD from... Answered 3 years ago
Bismihi ta'ala
A female must have consent of her shar'i guardian (her father / her paternal grandfather) for her to get married.
The exemption for this is if she is a divorcee, widow, (in other words not a virgin), or is completely independent in all her decisions (rashidah).
This is the shar'i ruling, and of course, we must look at the social factors for marriage, within our Islamic teachings, that marriage is not just an individual decision, but also crucial to involve those around you.
Yes, should the shar'i guardian refuse in every way to grant consent, the girl can refer to her Marja' taqleed or an Islamic judge to solve her issue.
And Allah knows best.