Hizballah and sex and bad journalism
Foreign Policy has a new article online about Shi'a temporary marriage (mut'aa) in Lebanon. I read it last night in a tryptophan-induced haze and thought it was pretty silly. I read it again this morning and... well, it's not much better the next day.
Mut'aa, if you're unfamiliar with it, is a temporary marriage contract that automatically voids after an agreed-upon period of time. It's used, among other reasons, as a way around Islamic strictures on premarital sex. Foreign Policy reports that it's becoming popular in Lebanon -- and sanctioned by Hizballah:
Temporary marriage has long been practiced by Shiites around the world. However, it has recently become more commonplace in Lebanon, notably within Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut's southern suburbs and in southern Lebanon after the 2006 war with Israel.
Hezbollah's recent encouragement of this phenomenon highlights the compromises it had been required to make in order to remain the preeminent force among its domestic Shiite constituency.
To support this assertion, FP provides... anecdotes. No statistics, no research, just a handful of stories from people who say mut'aa is becoming commonplace in Shi'a south Beirut. The plural of "anecdote," as any journalist can tell you, is not "data."
The indispensable Angry Arab also points out that the article's author, Hanin Ghaddar, works for NOW Lebanon, a staunchly pro-Hariri (and thus anti-Hizballah) news outlet.
Ghaddar's article, like much of what's in FP these days, seems more interested in being cute -- the tagline is "Hizballah's halal hookups" -- than presenting a thoughtful story.
For updates throughout the day, follow us on 
Twitter, 
Facebook or 
RSS!
Categories: Lebanon, Life and Culture, Regional News, Religion
Tags: Foreign Policy, Hizballah, mut'aa, Shia
1 Comment
I have no idea how widely spread is Muta'a in the southern suburbs of Beirut but I hope that you do realize that the fact that the original source ,Foreign Policy, can be faulted for the lack of research to support its article does not necessarily mean that the practice of Muta'a has not become more widely spread. Lebanese TV has had a few programs that have had open discussions with a few of the females who have had such experiences and who claim that they have no regrets.
It is also interesting to note that the Egyptian press has reported during the summer months about major complaints about a practice that is closely related to Muta'a. Many of the older Saudi males arrange a marriage to young females; in their mid teens; by paying the father of the bride rather small sums of money. Most of these marriages end up in the male divorcing his young bride at the end of his vacation.
Post a Comment