A friend of mine passed to me a very interesting letter that was allegedly written by Muqtada Al-Sadr. The letter added puzzlement to my confusion about this very controversial figure. First, the young Mullah who rationally is supposed to back the US forces as they get rid of Saddam Hussein; the man who killed brutally his father and Aunt many years ago chose instead and immediately to fight the U.S. and Iraqi forces demanding an immediate withdraw of all US led coalition forces; the same forces who gave him a voice and brought him to power. However this is not what I want to write about today because I was puzzled and distressed by this letter(to your left) which was written from the young mullah and addressed to a woman about the "Mutah marriage".
For those who do not speak Arabic, The document showed two letters( click on it read it clearly). The first from a woman asking Al Muqtada to give his opinion about group sex party(Mutah marriage sttle) between women and male members of his Mahdi Army. The alleged letter from Al muqtada answered the woman request by allowing these parties as long as these parties are exclusive to his men. The letter also demands that one fourth of the financial compensation that these women will get from his men should be given back directly to the Al mahdi Army(basically to him) to help in buying weapons and other needed items for those men.
First, I am not sure how authentic is this letter. It has the official signature of Al-muqtada. It cites other Islamic scholars who oppose this practice, however I am going to discuss this new old matter in our world. First, Mut'ah is an Arabic word that means "enjoyment." Actually, it has a deep religious connotation and draws a line of demarcation between the Shi'ahs and the rest of the Muslim Ummah, According to Dr. Ahmad 'Abdullah Salamah: "The books of Hadith and Fiqh written by Shi'ah scholars define mut'ah as "a temporary marriage contracted for a fixed period in return for a compensation." The belief in the sanctity and virtues of mut'ah is an integral part of the Shi'ah faith." In contrast, the rest of the Muslim Ummah considers mut’ah as prostitution, however another type of marriage "Al misyar" is gaining popularity among Sunnis in countries such as Saudi Arabia.
So what do I think of these so called marriages? I believe that marriage is a legal and spiritual contract that was established by God himself. It should be built on commitment, intimacy(sexual and intellectual) and passion. Therefore these forms of so called marriages not really but a legal form of prostitution and form of abuse toward a vulnerable population in our part of the world. Clearly this abuse is allowed within our culture which is heavily dominated by men making the rules for everybody else is often one of the only options for older spinsters, divorcees and widows who often struggle to find husbands in a society where they are stigmatised.
Should the Government intervene with these practises if there was a consent of both parties, the blessing of the woman's guardian, the presence of witnesses and a state marriage official? I think they should. As a centrist, I typically believe that any government should generally stay away from the bed room and the board room, however I believe that it is the duty of the government to protect all of its citizens equally and prevent any form of abuse. In order to do so, I think that governments, social services and media agencies should join hands together to change the real roots of these practices which emerge from the cultural stigma of being a woman and single in the Arab World. How about billboards diplaying messages such as "I am a single woman and I am okay"?
