Pakistan: The position of the Hazara community regarding the "muttah"
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa |
| Publication Date | 19 November 2007 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | PAK102630.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Pakistan: The position of the Hazara community regarding the "muttah", 19 November 2007, PAK102630.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/47d6547028.html [accessed 3 November 2019] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Several sources, including a professor at the Ahmad Ibrahim Kullyyyah of Laws (Faculty of Law) of the International Islamic University in Kuala Lampur, indicated that muttah, also spelled mut'a (Encyclopaedia of the Orient n.d.), mutaa (Dawn 17 Jan. 2006) and muta (Nasir 1990, 16), is a temporary marriage practised among Shia Muslims that is for a determined period of time (Professor, International Islamic University 14 Oct. 2007; Encyclopaedia of the Orient n.d.; Nasir 1990, 17).
A professor of Anthropology at Boston University who specializes in religion, law and gender dynamics in Iran, India and Pakistan and who has published a book on muttah, stated in a telephone interview with the Research Directorate that she was not aware of the position of the Hazara community towards muttah (12 Oct. 2007). She stated that, in general, Shias do practice muttah marriages; however, cultural values do not condone such marriages, that they are culturally stigmatized and that most communities will keep such marriages secret (Professor, Boston University 12 Oct. 2007).
A professor of International Studies at the University of Oregon specializing in comparative Muslim societies in Pakistan and in South Asia, stated in a telephone interview with the Research Directorate that because members of the Hazara community are Shia muslims, she believed that they would probably conduct muttah marriages; however, she had not specifically come across instances of muttahs between Hazaras (18 Oct. 2007).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Dawn [Karachi]. 17 January 2006. Solomon Moore. "Mutaa Marriage Revival Sparks Debate in Iraq."
Encyclopaedia of the Orient. N.d. "Mut'a."
Nasir, Jamal J. 1990. "Permanent, Temporary, and Muta Marriage." The Status of Women Under Islamic Law and Under Modern Islamic Legislation. London: Graham & Trotman.
Professor of Anthropology, Boston University. 12 October 2007. Telephone interview.
Professor of International Studies, University of Oregon. 18 October 2007. Telephone interview.
Professor of Law, International Islamic University, Kuala Lampur. 14 October 2007. Correspondence.
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral sources: a professor of the history of Islam at the University of Georgetown did not provide information within the time constraints of this Response.
An international human rights lawyer in New York and Karamah Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights did not have information on the subject.
Attempts to contact the International Union of Muslim Women and the Muslim Women's League were unsuccessful.
Publications: Islamic Family Law in a Changing World: A Global Resource Book, The Laws of Marriage in Islam, The Marriage Contract in Islamic Law in the Shari'ah and Personal Status Laws of Egypt and Morocco, Marriage on Trial: A Study of Islamic Family Law.
Internet sites, including: Amnesty International (AI), British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), European Country of Origin Information Network (ecoi.net), Freedom House, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Human Rights Watch (HRW), International Union of Muslim Women, Islamic Web, Karamah Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, Muslim Women's League, United Kingdom Home Office Country Information, United States (US) Department of State, the Unreached Peoples Prayer Profiles.
