Tech 4 Peace
Is the video about teaching Iranian schoolgirls lessons on "temporary marriage"?
A video was circulated on social media claiming to show Iranian schoolgirls being taught lessons about "temporary marriage."
The truth
The claim is false, and the translation attached to the video is incorrect. One of our team members, fluent in Persian, translated the speaker's words in the video, which were as follows:
"Why do we pray? Some children do not have the courage to ask this question. I will ask on your behalf: Why do we pray? The answer to this question is that we pray to thank God for the blessings He has given us. For example, if God had not given us lips, we would not be able to breastfeed or eat; we would have to drink milk through a syringe or tube."
"When you grow up, you use your lips to speak, and they help to organize your words. Without lips, we wouldn't be able to kiss, and you wouldn't be able to kiss your mother or father."
In this part of the video, the girls start laughing, to which he responds:
"I know why you are laughing, but it is too early for you to think about this."
Additionally, research revealed that this video has been circulated in previous years with different Persian captions such as "Why do we pray, if God had not given us lips, why we should pray, a new way to encourage girls to pray."
The lecture given by the speaker was titled in Persian, which translates to: "Why should we pray?"
"Professor Ahmad Tahmasbi, Topic: Why should we pray?"
Note that verification agencies, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), checked the video in 2023, and Persian-speaking journalists confirmed:
"What was said in the video has nothing to do with the circulated translation."
What is "temporary marriage"?
Also known as "mut'ah" or "temporary marriage," it carries the conditions of traditional Islamic marriage except for the duration. In traditional marriage, there is no predetermined end date; it ends under specific circumstances, such as the death of a spouse or divorce for certain reasons.
In a temporary marriage, a man marries a woman but specifies an end date for the marriage from the beginning (it could be a few days, a month, or a year, depending on the agreement between the two parties). This period is included in the marriage contract.
This type of marriage is a topic of debate and disagreement among Muslim scholars, with some permitting it and others prohibiting it.
