Thursday, June 7, 2012

Research Paper: Government and Politics


iran and Temporary Marriage
Exploring the Different Aspects of Temporary Marriage in Iran

Bidushi
5/29/2012


On my honor, I pledge that I have neither given nor taken improper assistance in completing this task. Bidushi Adhikari

Embarrassed to the bone, the woman refuses to give her name to the curious interviewer. A mother of three, she was hopelessly abandoned by her gay husband. Then, one day, a Shiite religious cleric working in Najaf, Iran, who had promised to help her with her financial crisis, brings her home, has sex with her behind a locked door, and gives her $15. She leaves, eyes flooding with tears, her heart contracting in her chest, clutching the money in her hands, the money that is so necessary for her survival in a tough world.  What was this about? Well, a temporary marriage.
We have heard it many times: marriage is a bond of love. It is a very special bond that ties two people together for as long as they live, or at least it’s supposed to. Marriage is a treaty between two people to love and cherish each other with every fibre of ones body. Therefore, when one hears of temporary marriage, as is this case in Iran, certain questions start to arise. First of all, it is worth knowing what temporary marriage is. The Qur’an refers to muta’ah in Arabic or sigheh in Farsi in these words: “And you are allowed to seek out wives with your wealth in decorous conduct, but not in fornication, but give them their reward for what you have enjoyed of them in keeping with your promise (4:24).” It began when Muhammad, the prophet in the Muslim culture, gave permission to men who travel far from home to rent out women and use them to fulfill the men’s sexual needs while they were away from their wives back home. This was a way for the men to avoid fornication. They had to “purchase” the women and the days they wished to hire these women.  And as for the present, temporary marriage still exists as a contract between a man and an unmarried woman, bonus if she is a virgin, who agree to marry each other for as long as they want, which can range from a few minutes to many years, and decide how much money should be given to the temporary wife; the woman is being rented out by a man without being legally convicted for it by law, where the penalty of having sex outside of marriage is a 100 lashes.  The marriage need not be officially registered and is wholly permitted in accordance to the Shiria law. It gives men a chance “to do it entirely on their own if they felt shy about going to a mullah to register the Union,” as stated by President Hashemi Rafsanjani in 1990. Additionally, the “husband” has the power to call off the arrangement whenever and under whatever circumstances he pleases.
All in all, it seems to be an advantageous agreement. The man gets out of being in a relationship that he could not afford. He does not have to commit to anything and can have multiple sex partners simultaneously if he pleases. For divorcees, it is a legal way to fulfil the passion that seemed to be dying out without a partner. For couples who are discovering the magic of the bond between a man and a woman, it is a way to get a preview of a permanent marriage.
However, there is a constant debate in between believers of Islam about the legitimacy of mut’a. Shiite and Sunnis, the two different branches of Islam, have opposing views regarding the subject. Twelver Shi’ite Islam, the dominant religion in Iran, supports the fact that, since the Quran permits it, mut’ah should not be banned or opposed. However, Sunni Muslims see mut’ah as a form of prostitution. Sunnis do believe that, originally, Muhammad did allow temporary marriages to make place for Muslim men who were either travelling, who couldn’t settle down just yet, or “military campaign or commercial journeys,” as stated by Malcolm Clark in the book Islam for Dummies[1]. They admit that it proved to be better than adultery, but they strongly claim that Muhammad later took back his words about temporary marriage, comparing it to other situations like drinking alcohol, which was previously banned but later allowed by Muhammad himself. However, as Clark further points out, Shi’ites stay firm about their beliefs and claim that Umar, the second successor of Muhammad, was the one who spoke about banning temporary marriage. Because believers of Shi’ites are not obliged to his words, they believe that the prohibition does not apply to them.
There is an important reason why Twelver Shiite support temporary marriage. Firstly, it is crucial to note that the women involved with these marriages are usually in a deep financial crisis. Nagham Kadhim, who runs a women’s rights group in Nafaq, says, “’The muta’ah marriage happens when there is an economic factor, like when the woman is poor and [does] not have money[2].’” Massoumeh Pareesh, a researcher in temporary marriages and Women’s Affairs, adds that “’ Usually women who submitted to temporary marriages had experienced some kind of family trauma or had gone through serious divorce and domestic problems[3].’” In the eyes of a judgemental Islamic society, these women have lost all their virtue and honour because they have lost the status as the “ideal Muslim women,” which refer to the society’s expected norm of an average Muslim woman. They have fallen to the very pits of the sexually-orientated hierarchy, which associates virgins with honour, class, and considers them an eligible marriage candidate, who may receive a grateful amount, is mahr, or the mandatory gift a husband offers his newlywed wife, often in the form of money, and non-virgins with dishonour and disgust. Therefore, Iranian clerics believed that temporary marriage “provides [these women] with a relief, or an escape[4].”
However, to many activists, this proves to be a very controversial decision because temporary marriage is strictly temporary and mainly revolves around the man’s pleasure and pleasing. It has shown to be very disadvantageous to women involved in such relationships. The woman has absolutely no say in the relationship, like wishing to terminate the agreement, and is used as an object to derive pleasure from. Because the marriage is not registered, it may also be hard for her children from a permanent marriage to receive an education because she is not able to prove paternity, and her temporary marriage relationship becomes, ultimately, useless in such cases. Additionally, children that may have been products of a temporary marriage are immediately handed over to the care of the father, with full legitimacy. Women’s rights are further abused because, as a first spouse, she may be completely unaware of the fact that her husband is involved in many other sexual relationships with other women. MP Sattar Hedayatkhak quotes in a reformist newspaper Etemaad, saying that “From tomorrow, no woman can be sure that her husband is not in a sexual relationship with another woman. Therefore, there is now no difference between here and the west. Anyone can have a sexual relationship with someone without the need to prove that there has been a temporary marriage agreement.” He compares the situation to the West, saying that now, there is no way to keep track of the sexual partners of a man, just like how it is in the West. Additionally, to engage in a permanent relationship with other women, the man first had to be permitted by his first spouse. However, in temporary marriages, that need not be done. Furthermore, since men have to pay their temporary wives, the first spouse of their marriages may have to deal with an unfair financial crisis. Aside from these disadvantages, temporary marriages “have been used as loopholes for ... human trafficking,” as Shoshi Shmuluvitz talks about in her article “Temporary Marriage in Iran: Exploitative or Liberating?” She adds that “poor families effectively sell their daughters to wealthy visiting foreign men in order to obtain the mahr[5]” and deal with their financial crisis.   
These are not the only abuses women face because of temporary marriage. Ayatollah Khatami, former leader of Iran, himself said that “a woman who has been temporarily married in exchange for a previsouly established dowry ahas no right to demand that her daily expenses be ppaid by her husband, even when she becomes pregnant.” The woman is left to fend for herself. Men, who are in the highest of positions, abuse these rights and buy little girls under the “Marriage for Minutes” contract, using them for sexual pleasures.
After a Bill was passed by the Legal and Judicial Commission of Parliament of Iran in August 2007 encouraging polygamy, making it easier for men to engage in temporary marriages, and degrading women’s rights, many women activists labelled the bill as an “anti-family Bill” for obvious reasons and rebelled against the promotion of temporary marriages. Questions were raised about how such a bond manages to provide women with happiness when they are being used as objects of pleasure without any commitment. Feminists have called this practice “legalized prostitution” which works grandly in favour for the men involved in such relationships. Supporters of temporary marriage, however, argue back, claiming that temporary marriage is an “alternative to the ‘free love’ of the West” and explain that it is much easier to control because it is legalized[6].  
As Shmuluvitz talked about in her article, temporary marriage has left several loopholes for girls to be trafficked for sexual exploitation. Iran Rooyan, a non-political NGO, reports that experts from Iran claim that “the primary cover used for the sale of many of these girls into prostitution by their own family is temporary marriage[7].” These girls, who range from early adolescents to women past their 30s, are trafficked “for the purposes of forced prostitution and forced marriage” to places like Pakistan, Turkey, Qatar, the United Kingdom, France and Germany amongst many others. Additionally, the exact number of girls and women involved in temporary marriages are not certain because in March, 2012, MPs passed a law which dictates that unless under special circumstances, like the production of a child, temporary marriages need not be reported to the government or formally be registered. Therefore, it is hard for agencies in Iran to give a close approximation of the number of couples engaged in temporary marriages.
Not only human trafficking, but temporary marriages have led way to the establishment of brothels in various parts of the country and especially in the capital, Tehran. In June 2010, the government of Iran granted permission to create one-day, temporary marriages in certain places to “eliminate the problem of rape and sexual repression suffered by the Iranian youth[8].’” This license allows any Iranian or foreigner to retire to a house and hire a girl to have sex with with when and if she agrees to temporarily marry him. The low prices for these nights spent together range from $20 to $50, making it even more affordable for various parties. Since these destinations are certainly popular amongst officials and Shiite clerics, brothels are being built near holy sites so that “male pilgrims can ‘relieve their urges’ while on a ‘religious’ pilgrimage[9].”
With all this injustice, however, resistance and protest against this law is still ongoing in Iran. Not everybody, especially the more educated ones, agrees with the concept of temporary marriages and some still fight against it. For example, Leila Asadi, a human rights professor at University of Mary Washington, is women’s rights activist. During the time she lived in Iran as an international-law professor and an activist, she felt threatened and was, like many other journalists and activists in Iran, incline to move to the United States. She was fighting for the extremely low age, 13, of marriage for young girls, the concept of polygamy being encouraged by the government, and the Family Protection Law supporting temporary marriages[10]. In 2011, in Iran, Asadi presented to the United Nations Commission papers on the Status of Women in Iran. She spoke of the large scales of violence that occur against child brides and was thrown into jail for doing so. Additionally, women who are in power in Iran strongly speak out against temporary marriages too. Rafat Bayat, a noted, fundamentalist female MP, questioned the minister in 2007, saying “’Do you accept, yourself, to tell to your daughter’s suitor that your daughter has already made temporary marriage several times?[11]’” She has raised the question regarding the future of a girl involved in temporary marriage, after which she no longer remains legitimate to marry permanently due to her loss of virginity.
Internationally renounced organizations, such as Amnesty International, are also trying their hardest to raise awareness about the Family Protection Bill being passed. In March 2012, Amnesty International released a detailed analysis of Iran’s human rights status. In the report, entitled “Iran: Submission To the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,” the report highlighted the fact that “there are no provisions in law to ensure that ‘temporary marriages’ ... are not sued to circumvent the prohibition on early and forced marriage.” For example, in 2010, many women who opposed the articles of the bill went on a journey around Iran, talking to women who had been severely affected by their husbands marrying for the second time, and many a times, engaging in a temporary marriage. These stories of women were written down on pieces of cloth, which were then stitched up to form a big banner-like quilt that is now called “Chehel Tikeh” or “Forty Pieces.” Then, gathering another list of 15,000 signatures from women who opposed the law and alongside of the banner, these women went to the Parliament, asking it to remove the bill from the constitution that promoted polygamy. The parliament refused to accept the banner and, as of March 2012, it is still being discussed by the Parliament[12]. It has been harder for women to implement their biddings also because they are hardly being represented in the government. The women in the Parliament of Iran are almost as conservative as the men, and therefore, they support the legislation.
The media and film industry have also been part of the resistance against temporary marriage. Recently, Afghan actress Reha Zamani and Director Aisha K have joined forces to create a film, called Frishteh, that speaks about the controversial issue of temporary marriage in Muslim societies. Aisha K. believes that “through cinema, I am able to give a powerful voice to the marginalized communities of the world[13].”
Throughout Iran, temporary marriage has been an issue of great concern and debate. Many believe it to be the word of Muhammad while others argue that it is legal prostitution in disguise. Temporary marriage has promoted a lot of chaos in the country, from human trafficking to child abuse to opposition to the government. However, it must be pointed out that temporary marriage is just a fragment of the troubles that Iran currently faces regarding women’s rights. In general, the situation of human rights, and specifically women’s rights, in Iran is very weak and fragile. Women have, reportedly, lesser rights in Iran than men do, even in a 21st century world. Therefore, when groups of women come up and fight for the abolition of bills that encourage temporary marriage, they are, ultimately, fighting for the rights of women in Iran, for them to be more recognized and not be treated like second class citizens. The involvement of international organizations and communities will, hopefully, revive the outdated traditions of Iran and help it adapt to a modern life in this century, with a strong religious foundation that carries the modifications of a modern world.


Bibliography:
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[1] Clark, Malcolm. "Islam For Dummies." Google Books. 29 May 2012.
<http://books.google.com.au/books?id=zPXu561ZpvgC>.
[2] McEvers, Kelly. "Abuse Of Temporary Marriages Flourishes In Iraq." NPR. NPR, 19 Oct. 2010. 29 May 2012.
<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130350678>.
[3] "Temporary Marriage Has Turned into a Career and Source of Income in Iran." Planet Iran. Iran Press News, 9 Aug.
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[4] Shahla Haeri, op cit. Law of Desire, p.132-146.
[5] Shmuluvitz, Shoshi. "Temporary Marriage in Islam: Exploitative or Liberating?" Diwaniyya Dayan Center Podcast.
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islam.html>.
[6] Ramazani, Nesta. "The Girl Trade in Shia Iran : LAW OF DESIRE Temporary Marriage in Shi'i Iran by Shahla Haeri
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[8] "Iran Permits Brothels Through Temporary Marriages." Al Bawaba. 7 June 2010. Web. 29 May 2012. <http://www.albawaba.com/behind-news/iran-permits-brothels-through-temporary-marriages>.
[9] Choudhury, Salah. "Marriage for Minutes Forces Children into Prostitution in Iran." Weekly Blitz. 30 July 2010.
 29 May 2012. <http://www.weeklyblitz.net/910/marriage-for-minutes-forces-children-into>.
[10] Umble, Amy Flowers. "Her Fight for Rights Inspires Students - The News Desk."Fredericksburg.com. 10 Feb. 2012.
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[11] Tait, Robert. "Iranian Minister Backs Temporary Marriage to Relieve Lust of Youth." The Guardian. Guardian
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[13] "Los Angles Afghan Artists Tackle Controversial Issue of Temporary Marriage in Iran With Their Film Farishteh." Yahoo! News. Yahoo!, 03 May 2012. Web. 29 May 2012. <http://news.yahoo.com/los-angles-afghan-artists-tackle-controversial-issue-temporary-071528253.html>.