Temporary Marriage in Iraq

[strita]

I wonder how many different ways marriage might be attacked. Here’s another:

The teenager who's been married too many times to count

How the ancient ritual of 'muta'a marriage' is being brutally misused to exploit vulnerable young women in Iraq.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Victoria33]

So that was the article, I did hear about this. Yes, it’s a great tragedy what is going on… and right now and probably will for decades to come.

 

[gam197]

Mutaa marriages are derived from pre-Islamic tradition in both Iran and Arabia. Today they are sanctioned by Shia clerics in Iraq and neighbouring Iran, where most Shia adhere to what is known as Twelver Shiism.

Experts say that under Shia Islam the object of such marriages is sexual enjoyment and not procreation, and that in previous centuries they took place mostly at pilgrimage sites and trade centres, where lonely men travelling long distances often sought company.

A mutaa marriage is subject to a contract that specifies its length and the amount of compensation given to the temporary wife. But the contract can just be verbal, and a cleric - though often present - is not necessary to validate it.

It can last from an hour to 99 years. The man is not obliged to provide daily maintenance and has the right to end the contract at any time.

So these young girls are prostituted by their own clerics.