Zainabiyat: Temporary marriage for Houthi militia members

Ahmed Adel

The Iranian-backed Houthi militia uses the weapon of fatwas to justify its actions and mobilize its followers in accordance with the political and sectarian agenda of Tehran, with the aim of spreading the mullahs’ ideas, which are forbidden by the Islamic religion and all Arab peoples.

These fatwas have varied in recent years, either in order to achieve political goals or to justify the appropriation of citizens’ money for the purpose of armament, in addition to tempting young people who join militias into temporary marriage.

Recently, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the pro-Iranian Lebanese Hezbollah, called on the Shiite religious authorities in Lebanon to urge the Lebanese Zainabiyat (Shiite women’s militias) to accept temporary marriage from the militants of the Houthi militia in Yemen, dissolving their presence in Lebanon.

According to the Yemeni Scene website, quoting the Lebanese media, Maria Maalouf, who tweeted on Thursday, November 4, that Nasrallah “switched to permitting temporary marriage.”

Maalouf’s tweet included an attached document issued by Hezbollah urging religious authorities in Lebanon to invite Zainabiyat to marry Yemeni Houthis and encouraging them to do so.

The document, which is considered a Shiite religious fatwa, included an increase in the amount of the marriage subsidy provided by Hezbollah by 300% to Lebanese women wishing to obtain Yemeni citizenship.

According to the fatwa, signed officially under the name of Hassan Nasrallah, the subsidy for temporary marriage requires that the duration of the contract of enjoyment should not be less than 14 days.

This fatwa was preceded by a Houthi fatwa issued by Badreddin al-Houthi calling on Yemeni women to enter into tempory marriages with the Houthi militia, and it was widely circulated. The militia did not deny or confirm the fatwa for fear of a popular backlash in a conservative society.

In a number of governorates under their control, the Houthi authorities have sponsored dozens of special operations by issuing official documents that facilitate temporary marriage.

According to legal and human rights sources, the Houthis’ sponsorship of the signing of the so-called “facilitating marriage” documents that establish temporary marriage, which is forbidden in Islamic Sharia and man-made laws.

The sources considered that these documents bear a veiled injustice to women and allow honor and dignity to be violated.

They noted that although these documents appear to facilitate marriage for young people, they eventually cause later problems, some of which may lead to divorce.

Temporary marriage is a contract between a man and a woman in return for a specified dowry and for a specific period, and there is no requirement to have witnesses or publicity for this type of marriage.