However, the practice is regarded as illicit sex by the majority Sunni
community.
Even in Iran, it has been considered socially taboo and uncommon, but now the
country's hardline interior minister has ignited controversy by promoting
temporary marriage as a way of countering a perceived increase in illegal
extra- and pre-marital sex.
Mostafa Pourmohammadi, a cleric, said: "We have to find a solution to meet the
sexual desire of the youth who have no possibility of marriage. Temporary
marriage is God's rule. We must encourage that."
Sexual frustration is acknowledged as a problem by the Islamic Republic of
Iran. Half the country's population of 70 million is aged under 30, there is
high unemployment and many young Iranians complain they cannot afford to get
married or buy a house.
For some, sigheh strikes a balance between the needs of the flesh and the legal
demands of marriage.
Gaining speedy conjugal rights simply requires registering the relationship
with a local notary or, more commonly, taking an oral vow before a cleric.
When the contract expires, there are no obligations on the man, unless the
marriage produces a child - under Shia religious law, children born of
temporary marriages must be recognised as legitimate and can claim a share of
inheritance.
Sigheh is seen as a way of channelling young people's sexual urges under Iran's
strict sexual segregation. "I have no money to set up a matrimonial life. I
don't want prostitutes. What should I do with my sexual needs?" asked Reza
Sarabi, 23, a taxi driver.
One of his colleagues joked: "It's like being able to change your old car."
Critics say temporary marriages are biased in favour of men and will exacerbate
prostitution, which is illegal in Iran but on the rise.
A married man can have as many temporary wives as he wants and break the
contract whenever he wants, while a woman cannot.
Once the contract is over, temporary wives cannot enter another relationship
for three months and ten days - to determine if there is a child and to
establish its paternity. There is no such restriction on men.
Supporters of women's rights are not the only ones opposed to the promotion of
temporary marriage. One hardline newspaper complained that a Tehran travel
agent was advertising seaside holidays for couples who want temporary
marriages. The accommodation comes with a cleric to register the union.
But supporters of temporary marriage argue that it allows divorced or widowed
women the chance of financial support if they are unable to find a permanent
marriage.
Some young women who want to travel with their partners and stay in the same
hotel room might enter a temporary marriage: unmarried couples who have sex can
be arrested, fined and even flogged.
Others see temporary marriage as a solution to prostitution - or even as an
opportunity to check out a partner before signing up for life.
