Iran's Parliament writing "temporary marriages" into law
During deliberations on the "Family Protection" Bill, Iranian Parliament has added registration of "temporary marriage" into the Act. The practice of "temporary marriage" refers to a short term Agreement between a man and a woman to become intimate like a married couple for a "defined" timeline. The man can be already married but the woman has to be single. The practice is controversial among Islamic scholars. Some critics equate it to prostitution, and Sunni scholars call this a non-Islamic invention of the Shia scholars. Shia scholars, mostly in Iran, however, believe the practice will help the society "regulate" dating and "define" otherwise nonchalant casual relationships and moral vice.
Women's Rights advocates criticize the new Act as not protecting basic women's rights. Iranian Parliament is consisted mostly of men. During debates on the topic of "temporary marriage," Koochakzadeh (name means born small in Persian), a congressman from Tehran, said on the floor of Iranian Congress: "I am not ashamed to accept that the temporary marriage is designed for sexual pleasure by men."
The Parliament will resume discussions on this Bill on Tuesday to decide whether all temporary marriages should be registered or only those leading to pregnancy of the woman. On the other hand, some members are against mandating "any" registration of temporary marriages. Ali Larijani, the moderate Head of Iranian Parliament has warned members not to worry too much about the "temporary marriage" and instead focus on the spirit of the new Bill which is to protect the Family unit in the society and rights of Women and Children against abusive men.
