Temporary marriages.

[dogbone]

To me it just sounds like Iran coming up with a gimmick to pretend that they are still staying true to their extremist views while, cosying up to Western attitudes about the virtues of freedom.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6714885.stm

[miloblithe]

I don't think it has to do with the West. Sounds more like having to deal with the contradictions between religious codes of morality and reality.

This also is nothing new. This concept has been around in Islam for a long time--from the beginning actually.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigheh

[Thomas Veil]

Shia Islam allows a man and woman to marry for a fixed period of time, ranging from an hour to a century.

A man can also have any number of temporary marriages - or sigheh, as they are known.There's something fundamentally wrong with treating marriage as if you were leasing a car. :rolleyes:

[miloblithe]

I think people need to get over the idea that "marriage" has at all times in all cultures meant a life-long union between one man and one woman for the purposes of establishing a household and having children.

The problems that this may or may not entail have little to do with whether we decide to call this "marriage" or not.

[CanadaRAM]

There's something fundamentally wrong with treating marriage as if you were leasing a car. :rolleyes:

That's just it -- your fundamentals are not someone else's fundamentals.

[Thomas Veil]

That's just it -- your fundamentals are not someone else's fundamentals.First time anyone has used the word "fundamental" in connection with me. :p

Thing is, words are not infinitely elastic, either, otherwise they cease to mean anything.

[Xander562]

...or avoid arrest by the moral police...

The moral police? Isn't that kind of like the fashion police? :confused:


EDIT: Holy ****! It actually exists! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_police) -- Huh.... I never knew....

[Thomas Veil]

Shh....don't give Bush any ideas....

[CanadaRAM]

First time anyone has used the word "fundamental" in connection with me. :p

Thing is, words are not infinitely elastic, either, otherwise they cease to mean anything.

I'm willing to bet the word that the Iranians use is not spelled m-a-r-r-i-a-g-e either...

[Eraserhead]

There's something fundamentally wrong with treating marriage as if you were leasing a car. :rolleyes:

It just means like having a boyfriend/girlfriend (who you can sleep with) which makes it like Western Culture really, just with a different word.

Though I'm not sure of the cultural implications, it could be meant to be more serious than just sex.

[SMM]

Shh....don't give Bush any ideas....

Too late, unfortunately.