Its often used as a cover to legitimize prostitution or rape although it can be innocent, allowing an man and woman who arent related to spend time togehter free from veils and without chapperones. Married men who look for an extramarital relationship. In iran, a man bachelor or married, and a woman virgin, divorced, or widowed, can, at any time enter into a temporary marriage contract, commonly known as sigheh or nekahemonghatee. In her early 30s, author jennifer klinec heads to iran to learn everything she can about persian food. The couple agrees on the time period of the marriage, which in iran is usually between three and six months. During my stay in iran in 2005, i carried out a fieldwork on shii temporary marriage. Anonymous in the west, temporary marriage is, basically, a contractual deal between a man and a woman who decide to be married for an agreed period of time varying from one hour to 99 years. I was a temporary bride life and style the guardian. My favourite kind of writing, beautiful detailed and evocative descriptions of places, people and food. Misyar temporary marriage in sunni islam daniel pipes. Whereas most first dates maybe end with an awkward peck on the lips and vague plans to call each other in a few days time, this one was different. A few days later i was standing on the roadside with esme preparing for a month of hitchhiking around iran. Muta, sex customs iran, temporary marriage iran publisher syracuse, n. May 29, 2015 white marriage a growing trend for young couples in iran iran has a dress code for women, and rules about conduct in public are strict.
Two decades later, irans shiite clerics continue to endorse temporary marriage as a sexual escape valve. Proposing a methodology that brings feminist theories of embodiment to bear on the iranian literary and cinematic tradition, this study examines temporary marriage in iran, not just as an institution but also as a set of practices, identities and meanings that have transformed over the course of the. Mutta marriage or temporary marriage contract in shia. Bbc news middle east iran talks up temporary marriages. It was a decade ago in graduate school when i read shahla haeris magnificent book, law of desire, for the first time. In the islamic republic of iran, sex outside of marriage is a crime, punishable by up to 100 lashes or. Religiously speaking, marriage is a fundamental aspect of islam, the dominant religion in. White marriage a growing trend for young couples in iran iran has a dress code for women, and rules about conduct in public are strict. In an unusual tradition, in iran you can specify the length of your marriage, from a few minutes to 99 years. Will the author of this book please kindly tell me how i can convince myself to embrace islam and the iranian traditions and thinking if many put justice to polygamy. This is the edition of the best selling the law of desire. One proclaimed that because god banned alcohol, he allowed temporary marriage.
Sep 05, 20 temporary marriage, muta marriage, mutah marriage, muta, mota, mutah, mot3a, nikah mutah, misyar, sunni, shia, seegheh, sigheh, halal, hallal, relationship. As an iranian muslim woman and a granddaughter of a wellknown ayatollah, shahla haeri was accepted into the communities where she conducted her fieldwork onmuta, temporary marriage. Gender and body politics in modern iranian film and literature emerged out of my desire to give voice to the underdog. Child marriage in iran is a legal crime endorsed by. Temporary marriage in iran facts culture same sex people. Originally, sighe in iran was geared toward widows.
The idea is that rather than having an affair, a man who wants to be sexually involved. Some possible applications of muta marriage temporary marriage. He told me that it was a type of temporary marriage, which was halal even in sunni books. Temporary marriage in shii iran nutzerbericht lauren goodreads. Permanent marriage muta marriage or temporary marriage a shia of the male sex may contract a muta marriage with a woman professing the muslim, christian or jewish religion, or even with a woman who is a fireworshiper. Though they are yet to become legal, chastity or morality houses are religiously sanctioned establishments that enable couples to engage in intimate relationships by performing sigheh temporary. At first i didn t believe him, but he used sources such as bukhari and muslim. Muta marriage is valid type of marriage in shia jurisprudence. Cambridge core middle east studies temporary marriage in iran by claudia yaghoobi. I took his word for it, and before i realized, i was into a lot of trouble.
Shahrams gripping debut novel, about the shia muslim practice of temporary marriage in which the duration and dowry are arranged in advance, is more powerful for being based on reallife experiences, working as an engrossing fictional story and an expose of gender discrimination in iran. This article was first published on the alborz website on january 9, 2010 in iran, temporary marriage, which was. The woman has to be either muslim or from the people of the book christian or jew. The practice of temporary marriage has long been common in shiite muslim communities, especially in iran. Jun 02, 2007 iran s interior minister, mostafa pourmohammadi, has started promoting temporary marriage as a solution to the countrys social problems. A temporary marriage makes more sense than marriage for. Temporary marriage in shii iran contemporary issues in the middle east 9780815624837. Select a visa category below to find the visa issuance fee, number of entries, and validity period for visas issued to applicants from this countryarea of authority. Temporary marriage in shiite islam marginal revolution. However, since the establishment of the islamic republic and, in particular, since public advocacy for temporary marriage in the 1980s and 1990s to deal with widowhood and other consequences of the iran iraq war, feminist social science discourse on the origin, interpretation, and social consequence of temporary marriage has increased 8 haeri. This book is interesting and is about law and custom, religion and morality, public and private contracts, eroticism and desire. Shia islam allows a man and woman to marry for a fixed period of time, ranging from an hour to a century. As an iranian muslim woman and a granddaughter of a wellknown ayatollah, shahla haeri was accepted into the communities where she conducted her fieldwork on muta, temporary marriage. Temporary marriage in shii iran, nika mutah is a preislamic tradition of arabia still practiced by a minority.
A memoir of love and food in iran by jennifer klinec is published by virago. The temporary bride by jennifer klinec was wonderful. Sunni variations on the theme are also on the rise throughout the middle east. Jun 22, 2003 the shiite institution of muta or sighe temporary marriage is quite well known, being the subject of an 1989 englishlanguage book by shahla haeri, law of desire. No, a preislamic form of temporary marriage, muta, that has been enjoying a revival, according to shahla haeri, among the followers of twelver shiism, the dominant religion of iran. Claudia yaghoobi in iran, marriage has been crucial to the establishment of the family as a fundamental unit of society. Evidences from the sunni historyfiqhmiscellanea books. Some girls quit school, turn to a life of crime, or even commit suicide. The focus is not just on women but on the perception of the institution by some iranian men and women whose lives have been tied together by a contract of temporary marriage. The marriage of mutah from the book questions on jurisprudence masail fiqhiyya by abd alhusayn.
Mutah or temporary marriageappendix from the book shia by allamah tabatabai and sayyed hossein nasr. Therefore, the existence of the childrens total personality is a hoax. Recent trends of marriage in iran the open family studies journal. Mar 06, 2012 discrimination in iran s temporary marriage law goes unchecked iran s sigheh law gives men right to have as many sexual partners as they wish but discriminates against women fazel hawramy. But in the book law of desire, shahla haeri, a boston university cultural anthropologist and granddaughter of an ayatollah, cited interviews with clerics.
While prostitution is illegal in iran, the shiah institution of nikah mutah temporary marriage, usually called sigheh in iran allows contractual shortterm relations between both sexes. Children main victims of irans temporary marriages. By shokouh mirzadegi there have been news reports about the mushrooming of chastity houses, particularly in holy cities, and their increasing popularity with male foreign tourists visiting iran. I use the word sigheh rather than ezdevaje movaqat in this book in order. It is allowed to conclude a temporary marriage with a virgin if she is an adult, since she has the right to wed herself without the permission of her guardian, but other considerations should be taken into account like bad reputation the girl might acquire. Sigheh can last from 3days to 99 years although some islamic scholars mujtahids, say that it is impossible to marry a person, as temporary marriage, for. Oct 04, 2000 temporary marriage is one of oddest loopholes in islamic system in iran, where people of all classes and degrees of religiosity pride selves on finding loopholes. But temporary marriages have actually been successfully practised for centuries, among peruvian indians in the andes, in 15thcentury indonesia, in ancient japan and the islamic world, and elsewhere. The only anthropological book on the topic is law of. The shiite institution of muta or sighe temporary marriage is quite well known, being the subject of an 1989 englishlanguage book by shahla haeri, law of desire. Temporary marriage in shii iran, revised edition on. The phenomenon of temporary marriage in the islamic republic of iran is explored in the documentary in the bazaar of sexes. Oct 19, 2010 the practice of temporary marriage has long been common in shiite muslim communities, especially in iran.
Mar 12, 2018 a house on the water, which looks at temporary marriage in iran, is the latest study by kameel ahmadi, an iranianbritish sociologist who lives in iran persian pdf. White marriage a growing trend for young couples in iran. This custom is practiced among the shiites of iran and iraq, although not a part of quranic teachings. Mut a is legally sanctioned among the twelver shiites who live predominantly in iran. Search for library items search for lists search for. Sigheh marriages in modern iran chapter 1 temporary marriage. An islamic discourse on female sexuality in iran, haeri says the response to muta is classbased lower middle class women support it while urban middle class women. Four companions chaar yaar urdu book difference between zina and mutah marriage.
Gender and body politics in modern iranian film and literature the global middle east book 12 ebook. This book is a study of the institution of temporary marriage, muta, and its practice, popularly known as sigheh, in contemporary iran. Temporary marriage a euphemism for religiously sanctioned prostitution is an islamic custom that unites a man and an unmarried woman as husband and wife for a limited period of time. Haeris book became the inspiration for a series of papers, conference presentations, and ultimately this book. They prefer to be punished by the authorities for having a sexual relationship outside of marriage, rather than hiding behind a hypocritical sigheh agreement. A unique aspect of the iranian revolution was the dramatic presence of women. How temporary marriage, or sigheh, is spreading in iran. It is an exploration of the culture of a place that most of us will know very, very little about iran. Temporary marriage and the economy of pleasure tehran. Muta is legally sanctioned among the twelver shiites who live predominantly in iran. Mar 20, 20 according to boston university professor shala haeri, in her book law of desire.
Temporary marriage in shii iran by shahla haeri 1994 business laws of iran by habib shirazi 1993 marriage on trial. Kameel has published extensive research on sexual inequality and marriage in iran, including a study of early child marriage entitled an echo of silence pdf. Temporary marriage in shii iran, which is based on a field research made by shahla haeri, an iranian. Although frowned upon by society, it today constitutes a loophole in the often rigid law, which young people often take advantage of. Feminist political scientist condemns temporary marriage as exploitation. Temporary marriage in islam part 1 a shiite encyclopedia. Gender and body politics in modern iranian film and literature cambridge university press 2020 examines the representation of sigheh temporary marriage in three novels and two short stories from the pahlavi era 19241979 and two cinematic works produced after the islamic revolution 1979. The films female director, sudabeh morterzai, gives viewers a rare insight into a very complex society. The type of nonimmigrant visa you are applying for. Temporary marriage is hence practised today only in shia communities, mainly in iran and occasionally also in iraq.
Shahla haeri this book is a study of the institution of temporary marriage, muta, and its practice, popularly known as sigheh, in contemporary iran. The focus of the book is on the perception of the institution by some iranian men and women whose lives have been tied together by a contract of fixed term marriage. Based on analysis of novels and short stories from the. Shahla haeri revised edition includes new postscript invitation to proper sex. In tehran, you can choose a marriage that lasts for three. This book teaches reader with a focus on real projects. Proposing a methodology that brings feminist theories of embodiment to bear on the iranian literary and cinematic tradition, this study examines temporary marriage in iran, not just as an institution but also as a set of practices, identities and meanings that have transformed over the course of the twentieth and twentyfirst centuries. Travel to iran hitchhiking, tinder and a 30day marriage. In presentday iran, a significant number of divorces involve underage children. Cohabitation, temporary marriage, remarriage, polygamy, iran. The shrine, id been told, is a hangout for women seeking temporary marriage, an intriguing mechanism in shiite islam for relieving sexual frustration.
The temporary marriage is literally translated as pleasure marriage nikah mutaa and is for a limited amount of time. In the case of iranian women, according to soraya tremayne, marriage. But many fewer are aware of its rough equivalent in the sunni world, namely the misyar, or travelers marriage with increasing frankness, however, the englishlanguage press is taking up the issue. Discrimination in iran s temporary marriage law goes unchecked iran s sigheh law gives men right to have as many sexual partners as they wish but discriminates against women fazel hawramy. Urdu book august 108 july 54 june 2 may 6 april 6 march 7 february 29 january 3. Therefore, sigheh temporary marriages are mainly encouraged for. If a marriage is temporary therefore the family this kind of marriage upholds is also temporary. Children main victims of irans temporary marriages track. The descriptions of the dishes were mouthwatering, i only wish they had included some recipes. A man can also have any number of temporary marriages or sigheh, as they are known.
Temporary marriage in iran, 2nd edition is a straightforward introduction to the core of programming. The couple agrees on the time period of the marriage, which in iran. According to some reports, 14,000 widowed girls in iran are younger than 18 years old. But many fewer are aware of its rough equivalent in the sunni world, namely the misyar, or travelers marriage. The report warned about the spread of homosexuality among high school students because, it said, their chances of a permanent marriage are very low. A single mother turned prostitutes incredibly heart breaking story of her life and others in modern iran where she exposes corruption high up and. Explains the practice of temporary marriage, mostly in iran. Drawing on rich interviews that would have been denied a western anthropologist, the author describes the concept of a temporarymarriage contract, in which a man and an unmarried woman virgin, widow, or divorcee decide how long they want to stay. In 2014, iranian parliaments research center published its own reportabout temporary marriage, describing it as a cure for reducing illicit sexual relations in iran persian link. The four pillars of muta muta, temporary marriage in. They describe their loving and civil partnership as a white marriage. The temporary bride is half food memoir and half romance with a bit of adventure travel thrown in. Try searching on jstor for other items related to this book. Temporary marriage in iran by claudia yaghoobi january 2020.
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