NIGERIA: Islamic police play Cupid with widows and divorcees at mass wedding in Kano

Record ID: 235663

  • Title: NIGERIA: Islamic police play Cupid with widows and divorcees at mass wedding in Kano
  • Date: 19th May 2012
  • Summary: MOTHER WITH CHILD
  • Embargoed: 3rd June 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: Politics,Religion,Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVA8397N4SX3CLMUZ65EK28T80P0
  • Story Text: The Islamic police in Nigeria's Northern city of Kano recently organised a mass wedding of 100 couples, a ceremony designed to fight the stigma of being widowed or divorced.
    The brides dressed in white sat waiting while the authorities bussed in the bridegrooms after selecting the couples from a list of 1,800 applicants.
    Although arranged marriages are common in northern parts of Nigeria, ironically the region also has the highest rate of divorce.
    Girls are often married off by their parents at a very young age to men old enough to be their fathers as a means of earning dowry or money.
    Experts point out that majority of these marriages fail because the girls are too young to understand the obligations of marriage and many get divorced due to health problems.
    Abba Ufi, the head of the Hizbah, the Islamic police in Kano, insisted the procedure was safe and all the couples had been screened.
    "We gave out over 1800 forms for prospective husbands and wives, so we selected them, we screened them, they came for screening, we gave them HIV tests," he said.
    The first batch of arranged marriages would be studied as a "test programme" he added, indicating that more mass weddings were being planned.
    Officials said the aim was to reduce the rising numbers of divorced people and to provide the women with security and stable homes.
    The newly weds were given 130,000 naira (828 USD), beds and mattresses to start their new lives and certainly two of the brides were pleased to be married.
    Hawa Aisha said: "I can only thank God. It is God's wish and I am happy."
    Sulan Musana added: "I have never been so happy with what the Hizbah have done. This is my happiest day and I am glad to get a husband."
    Despite the apparent happiness of those paired off in Kano, in Lagos on Friday (May 18) there were doubts at the wisdom of the scheme.
    Women's rights activist Iheoma Obibi said: "Even if they didn't want to, they probably feel obligated to get married because there is an incentive to get married.
    "The other thing that worried us was whether these people have had the proper checks and balances, have they done proper HIV/AIDS screening, have they thought about what wife number they are going to become. There is no point a woman leaving a dangerous situation and becomes a divorcee and then she marries again and enters a more dangerous and precarious situation.
    "I think it is unfortunate that the state has interfered in a personal issue related to whether your choice of partner, your choice of whether you want to be married or not, your choice of deciding what you want to do, when you want to do it."
    One woman thought most of the brides were illiterate, adding: "I guess sometimes that affects the kind of decisions we make."
    Binta Luka said: "I am a widow too, so for me start all over with a man I don't think it is the best idea, instead I should concentrate on my children, train them, give them the best education."
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Footage contains identifiable children: users must ensure that they comply with local laws and regulations governing the publishing of this material.
Register