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Iran Hard-Liners’ Newest Obsession: Cohabitation

Haleh Esfandiari headhsot

"There is a yawning gap between many Iranians’ lives, or the lives they aspire to live, and the 'Islamic' norm some authorities insist prevails in society," writes Haleh Esfandiari.

The commission that oversees the Iranian press has banned the women’s magazine Zanan-e Emrouz (Today’s Women) over an article on unmarried young men and women living together. Cohabitation, or "white marriage," as it is known in Iran, is a growing practice in the Islamic Republic. In big cities it is not unusual for young unmarried couples to live together. These young men and women may be unready to commit to matrimony or pursuing careers; some are unable to afford the financial requirements of marriage. Whatever the reasons, cohabitation is another sign of astonishingly rapid change in social mores in Iran and reflects living styles and preferences, particularly among the young, totally at odds with the moral standards Iranian authorities still insist prevail in society.

The cover of the magazine issue with the offending article, published six months ago, showed the backs of a young man and woman walking together under the headline “White Marriage: Problem or Remedy?” They are not holding hands, but the grocery bags they are carrying speak volumes. The article did not advocate for or against cohabitation; it addressed a social issue of considerable interest to young Iranians.

But rather than encouraging open discussion of a pressing social issue, Iranian authorities chose to sweep under the rug facts they find unpleasant. After the article was published, Mohammad Mohammadi-Golpayegani, chief of staff to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, condemned cohabitation, saying it is "shameful that a man and a woman or a boy and a girl cohabit without lawful marriage."

When visiting Iran in 2007, I remember asking an unmarried couple who were living together in Tehran how they managed to rent an apartment. They said if the landlord demands to see a marriage certificate, they produce a fake one or say they have entered into a "temporary marriage," preferably registered with a notary public. "Sigheh," a form of limited-time marriage that can be contracted for several years or as little time as a day, is allowed under Shiite Islam. The regime condones temporary marriages and polygamy; but it deems cohabitation equivalent to illegal sex and punishable by law.

Zanan-e Emruz’s publisher, Shahla Sherkat, has not been officially summoned yet but is likely to appear in court to answer charges of undermining public morality. Ms. Sherkat is unique but not untypical of a generation of post-revolution activists, fiercely committed Iranian women. For 16 years her magazine Zanan (Women) was the leading publication on women’s issues and a powerful voice for women’s rights and equality. It was banned in 2008 during the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. She fought the ban for nearly six years and succeeded, under the current president, Hasan Rouhani, in securing a license for a new publication, the similarly named Zanan-e Emrouz.

The closure of Zanan-e Emrouz is another blow to President Rouhani’s attempt to expand press freedom, ease restrictions on the young, and curb Iran’s “morality police.” Only last week, three senior clerics publicly faulted him for telling Iranian security forces that their responsibility is to enforce the law, not to enforce Islam, and that they cannot enter premises without a clear legal order. To the clerics, enforcing Islamic morality is the security forces’ essential duty.

The controversy over Zanan-e Emruz and cohabitation underscores a striking truth about Iran: There is a yawning gap between many Iranians’ lives, or the lives they aspire to live, and the "Islamic" norm some authorities insist prevails in society. When reality doesn’t measure up to this imaginary norm, the regime resorts to repression, forcing Iranians to constantly defy the authorities and their taboos.

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author.

This article was originally published in The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire.

About the Author

Haleh Esfandiari headhsot

Haleh Esfandiari

Distinguished Fellow; Director Emerita, Middle East Program 
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Middle East Program

The Wilson Center’s Middle East Program serves as a crucial resource for the policymaking community and beyond, providing analyses and research that helps inform U.S. foreign policymaking, stimulates public debate, and expands knowledge about issues in the wider Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.  Read more