Contact Admin. According to women's NGOs in the south of the country, more than temporary marriages occur daily in Kerbala, Najaf and Basra, Iraq's three main Shi'ite cities. According to Shi'ite religious law, unmarried women may enter into temporary marriages for periods ranging from hours to an entire lifetime. The practice, known as Muta'a, was banned during the Saddam Hussein regime, but has re-emerged since Rules governing temporary marriages differ from those of normal unions in that only men are permitted to dissolve them.
Men may also marry more than once and can have several Muta'a arrangements simultaneously. Marriage ceremonies are officiated by a sheikh and must have a witness, but -- in contrast to typical marriages -- do not require the presence of family.
The new Iraqi constitution, which guarantees freedom of marriage according to religious beliefs, has been criticized by women's activists who want equal treatment for men and women independent of religion, ethnicity or origin. News and Press Release Language: ReliefWeb has been the leading online source for reliable and timely humanitarian information on global crises and disasters since Learn more about ReliefWeb.
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