‘As a Sunni, I Naturally Cannot Understand Anything Like Temporary Marriage’

What is it about?

The protracted conflicts in Syria and Iraq have sparked growing concerns about the spread of Sunni-Shi‘a hostilities. Social media is a key arena in which such hostilities occur. However, the Internet provides a platform not only for strife and conflict but also for dialogue. This study investigates online communication between Sunni and Shi‘a from a social psychological perspective, focusing especially on the role that mut'a marriage plays in such communications. Mut'a is a temporary form of marriage that is recognised by Shi‘a Islam but generally rejected by the Sunni. When a man and a woman enter a mut'a marriage, they agree on a period of time after which the marriage will automatically end. This study utilised discussion forum posts that were written by Finnish Muslims concerning mut'a marriage. The study shows that views regarding mut'a depend on both theology and beliefs about human nature: the forum users disagreed both on the theological legitimacy of temporary marriage and on the underlying motives of people entering such marriage. Opponents of mut'a perceived the practice basically as a form of prostitution, whereas the proponents of mut'a portrayed it as a halal version of dating. No forum user admitted to being in a temporary marriage themselves, so the question about mut'a was for them a theoretical one. However, the question was important because it in part determined the boundaries of acceptable Islam.

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