Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Sex Is Okay With 'Pleasure Marriage'

Muslims date sans guilt in sanctioned trysts, and marry later

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 4, 2007 7:15 PM CST

(Newser) – What Americans call dating, Muslims increasingly permit as “pleasure marriage,” Bloomberg reports. Twenty-somethings who want sex but can’t afford marriage—a problem in the Middle East, where pay is low and unemployment high—get guilt-free dating clearance with a short-term contract. Men often keep it and “tear it up at the first sign of trouble,” said an Egyptian lawmaker who wants to control the practice.

Because of pleasure marriage, Muslims are marrying later—men after 30, women in their mid-20s—and unwanted pregnancy is becoming a public issue. But one Beirut man said the practice gives people a chance to enjoy life wisely. "I believe in sex, but also in boundaries,'' he said. "Pleasure marriage is a boundary.''

Fifty-eight Lebanese couples gather for a group picture at the footsteps of the ancient ruins of the city of Baalbeck in the Bekaa valley east of Lebanon, 30 July 2007 during a mass wedding ceremony organized... (Getty Images)

Lebanese youth celebrate during a Halloween party at a night club in Beirut, early 27 October 2007. For the second consecutive year, a party under the theme 'bringing sex back to Halloween' is organised... (Getty Images)

A Lebanese youth (R), wearing a traditional Arab costume, cheers as he looks at a girl dancing during a Halloween party at a night club in Beirut, early 27 October 2007. For the second consecutive year,... (Getty Images)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

200 Malaysians Face Charges for Deviating From Islam

Leading scholar slams country's 'Talibanization'

(NEWSER) - Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism are accepted in Muslim-majority Malaysia, but the government has stepped up efforts to quash non-Sunni strains of Islam. More than 200 Shia Muslims have been arrested in a swoop on outlawed Islamic sects, and they are likely to be charged with "following the teachings of a deviationist movement," which carries a penalty of up to two years in jail, AP reports. More»

What to Do With a Koran Written in Saddam's Blood?

'Blood Koran' kept in high-security vault

(NEWSER) - Nearly eight years after Saddam Hussein’s fall from power, Iraqi officials are still grappling with relics of his rule. Debate is raging over the fate of a Koran written in 27 liters of Saddam’s own blood, drawn by a nurse and lettered by a calligrapher over a two-year period in the late 1990s, the Guardian reports. The object is kept in a vault that requires three keys—“and none of them are held in one place,” says a Sunni leader. More»

The New Boom: Moms Over 35

Today's moms are better educated, less married

(NEWSER) - For the first time, the number of babies born to women over 35 exceeds the number being born to teens, reports the Pew Research Center. Of 2008's 4 million births, one in seven were to older mothers, while one in 10 were to teens. The new, slightly older face of the American mom reflects changes in fertility science, a move toward later marriage, and changing attitudes about childbearing, the Washington Post notes. More»

Iraqi PM Loses Election; Supporters Threaten Violence

UN condones votes, al-Maliki calls result 'not final'

(NEWSER) - Iraq's fragile democracy is in danger after vote counts released today showed Nouri al-Maliki narrowly lost the election. The current PM's party lost to Ayad Allawi's Iraqiya, 91 to 89. Though the margin was slim, electoral observers and diplomats say the result was fair and largely free of fraud. Nonetheless, al-Maliki called the losing result "not final," and his supporters openly threatened violence if Allawi tries to take power before the completion of a recount. More»

Suicide Bomber Kills 30 at Pakistan Funeral

Curfew imposed, army summoned as death toll mounts

(NEWSER) - At least 30 people died and 50 more were injured after a suicide bomber blew himself up during a funeral in Pakistan's volatile northwest, reports the New York Times. The bomber targeted the funeral of a Shia Muslim who was shot only yesterday, and eyewitnesses described seeing limbs scattered across the streets. Riots broke out following the attack, with mobs pillaging shops and surrounding hospitals to obtain aid for the wounded. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Sex Is Okay With 'Pleasure Marriage'

Muslims date sans guilt in sanctioned trysts, and marry later

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

pregnancy • Lebanon • Sunni • marriage • Shia

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

200 Malaysians Face Charges for Deviating From Islam

Leading scholar slams country's 'Talibanization'

What to Do With a Koran Written in Saddam's Blood?

'Blood Koran' kept in high-security vault

The New Boom: Moms Over 35

Today's moms are better educated, less married

Iraqi PM Loses Election; Supporters Threaten Violence

UN condones votes, al-Maliki calls result 'not final'

Suicide Bomber Kills 30 at Pakistan Funeral

Curfew imposed, army summoned as death toll mounts

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?

Sex Is Okay With 'Pleasure Marriage'

Muslims date sans guilt in sanctioned trysts, and marry later

Bookmark & Share

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

pregnancy • Lebanon • Sunni • marriage • Shia

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

200 Malaysians Face Charges for Deviating From Islam

Leading scholar slams country's 'Talibanization'

What to Do With a Koran Written in Saddam's Blood?

'Blood Koran' kept in high-security vault

The New Boom: Moms Over 35

Today's moms are better educated, less married

Iraqi PM Loses Election; Supporters Threaten Violence

UN condones votes, al-Maliki calls result 'not final'

Suicide Bomber Kills 30 at Pakistan Funeral

Curfew imposed, army summoned as death toll mounts

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?