Abstract

In July 2024, the Shia Muslim Parliament members proposed an amendment to the Personal Status Law. This amendment was passed on February 11, 2025. Per the amendment, the Shia Ja’afari School of Islamic jurisprudence has four months from the time the amendment was passed to submit a Personal Status Code for approval. It is speculated that this new Code will legalize mut’ah marriage, which is a type of temporary marriage. Temporary marriage within Islam is a heterosexual marriage that does not convey long-term commitment and usually has an end date. While scholarly written work in this field exists in other communities and countries, in Iraq, there is no literature on the topic of temporary marriage. This research aims to analyze the factors that are possibly influencing the rise of the practice of temporary marriage, identify factors influencing the views and perception of temporary marriage in Iraq, and analyze the perceived reasons influencing involvement in temporary marriage. To achieve this aim, this study utilizes both qualitative and quantitative research methods through surveys. The Qualtrics online survey was used to reach out to people who live in Iraq, are at least 18 years of age, and know about temporary marriage. This research is timely, especially now that a new Code is being drafted to legalize temporary marriage in Iraq. I hope this research will offer the Iraqi people valuable insights to navigate discussions on temporary marriage and the upcoming Code proposal, while also paving the way for further scholarly exploration of temporary marriage in Iraq.

Advisor

Laura Harrison

Committee Member

Aaron Hoy

Committee Member

Maria Bevacqua

Date of Degree

2025

Language

english

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Arts (MA)

Program of Study

Gender and Women's Studies

Department

History and Gender Studies

College

Humanities and Social Sciences

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