Controversial marriage proves convenient option.Byline: Ramadan Al Sherbini, Correspondent Cairo: Hameeda, 43, is one of very few women in this conservative Muslim country who are ready to think of getting married the misyar (travellers') way. "My father died more than 20 years ago and I had to support my six-member family. So I forgot about myself. Now it may be the time to get married before the train of age reaches its final station," she said. In a society where unmarried women are underestimated and even socially stigmatised, the misyar marriage may be the solution available to people in my circumstances, added Hameeda, who declined to give her full name for fear of being disgraced for approving this controversial marriage. The Islamic Research Centre, an influential arm of Al Azhar (a prestigious institution of Sunni Islam Noun 1. Sunni Islam - one of the two main branches of orthodox Islam Sunni Islam, Muslimism - the civilization of Muslims collectively which is governed by the Muslim religion; "Islam is predominant in northern Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan, and ) has decreed that misyar marriage is halal ha·lal Islam n. Meat that has been slaughtered in the manner prescribed by the shari'a. adj. 1. Of or being meat slaughtered in the prescribed way: a halal butcher; a halal label. . In a misyar marriage, the wife willingly waives the rights to live with her husband in a house provided by him and to get alimony alimony, in law, allowance for support that an individual pays to his or her former spouse, usually as part of a divorce settlement. It is based on the common law right of a wife to be supported by her husband, but in the United States, the Supreme Court in 1979 when they are divorced. This marriage complies with the basic pillars of marriage in Sharia, said Mahmoud Ashour, a Muslim cleric at Al Azhar. Ashour contends that the fatwa fat·wa n. A legal opinion or ruling issued by an Islamic scholar. [Arabic fatw (a religious edict A decree or law of major import promulgated by a king, queen, or other sovereign of a government. An edict can be distinguished from a public proclamation in that an edict puts a new statute into effect whereas a public proclamation is no more than a declaration of a law ) legalising misyar does not glorify or encourage it. Historically, misyar was adopted as an option for men who travelled extensively. There are around nine million unmarried women over 30 in Egypt, according to official statistics. High costs of marriage, compounded by economic woes, are blamed for aborting many marriage plans. This type of marriage may be halal, but it is not the best solution to marriage-related problems in our society, said Amna Noseir, a professor of Islamic philosophy at Al Azhar University in Cairo. It encourages men to shirk shirk In Islam, idolatry and polytheism, both of which are regarded as heretical. The Qu'ran stresses that God does not share his powers with any partner (sharik) and warns that those who believe in idols will be harshly dealt with on the Day of Judgment. responsibility for building and supporting a family permeated by warm feelings. Instead of creating a new problem from this marriage, families should cut marriage costs, Noseir told Gulf News. The fatwa licensing misyar, meanwhile, drew an angry response from pro-women groups in Egypt. Misyar undermines family values by encouraging depravity and facilitates multiple marriages, said the Egyptian Centre for Womens Rights, a non-governmental group. This marriage also strips women of their rights and reduces this sacred bond to a mere sex-based liaison. Al Nisr Publishing Al Nisr Publishing is a company based in Dubai, UAE. The company is a part of Al Tayer Group. It was established in 1985 by Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, Abdullah Al Rostamani and Juma Al Majid. It employs 1,050 people and has branches in Manilla, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. LLC (Logical Link Control) See "LANs" under data link protocol. LLC - Logical Link Control 2009. All rights reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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