Saturday, August 28, 2010

A marriage market in Iraq

Wanted: Jihadists to Marry Widows
"BAQUBA, Iraq — A snippet of news from a shadowy corner of Iraq: Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia recently issued a fatwa telling its fighters to marry the widows of those who have fallen."
...
"In Diyala Province east of Baghdad, the fatwa has produced about 70 marriages in a little more than three weeks, according to members of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, and their relatives and associates. They spoke to an Iraqi reporter conducting interviews for The New York Times.
While Diyala is one of the group’s last remaining strongholds, the mere fact that so many people would rush headlong into marriages to strangers seemed to reflect how far the American military and the Iraqi government remain from their goal of eliminating the organization.
Some members say they are taking third or fourth wives, but many new husbands are from among the group’s most dedicated fighters — confirmed bachelors previously wedded only to the work of killing invaders and their Iraqi allies."

Related posts: China’s Arranged Remarriages; Polygamous marriage in Gaza

1 comment:

Nitin said...

so how long before the previously battle hardened warriors become henpecked husbands? remarried widows would obviously not want to be widows twice over and might well exert some influence that leads to many a jihadist frontline fighter to seek the accounting position, even if its still with the taliban