In Iran, Khadijeh Shahla Jahed, the temporary wife of soccer star Nasser Mohammad Khani, is likely to be executed for murdering Khani’s wife, Laleh Saharkhizan. This Telegraph story (thanks to jonascot) calls Khadija the “mistress” of Nasser, but way down in the story we discover that that is not quite what she was.
Temporary wife? That’s right. In Islam Unveiled I discuss this phenomenon, which Shi’ites defend as founded upon the Qur’an and a command of Muhammad. Iranian men can enter into marriage with women for a specified period: a week, a month, or just a weekend or a single night. “Temporary wives” proliferate in holy cities where lonely seminarians congregate.
Many people assume that such legalized victimization of women is a relic of the distant past. In Iran, it lives.
After a one week closed trial, Khadijeh Shahla Jahed was found guilty of the premeditated stabbing of Laleh Saharkhizan, the wife of the former international player and top coach Nasser Mohammad Khani.
If the sentence – which was disclosed yesterday – is confirmed by the supreme court, she will be hanged. …
Shahla Jahed had been his temporary wife, a practice approved of in the Islamic republic. Their temporary marital status meant that Khani escaped any charges of adultery.
In Shi’ite Islam, Muslim males can take temporary wives for periods ranging from a few hours to several decades.