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Algeria Wrestling With Aftermath Of Jihadists' Temporary Marriages

Around 500 children born of temporary jihadist marriages during Algeria's "dirty war" face uncertain futures.
An Algerian girl holding a baby walks past makeshift shelters May 24, 2003 in the Algerian town of Boumerdes after an earthquake hit Algeria's Mediterranean coast three days ago. Hopes dwindled on Saturday of finding survivors three days after the worst earthquake in Algeria for more than two decades killed more than 1,750 people. - RTXLZF6

Zawaj mu'aqqat (temporary marriage), commonly known as pleasure marriage or nikah mut’ah marriage, is a concept that is not new in the jargon of jihadist Islamists who believe they are fighting for the cause of Allah. They also suppose that they have the right to the carnal enjoyment of young girls considered to be booty.

Algerian human rights activists have been denouncing the pleasure marriages allowed in Salafist circles. Lawyer Amar Zaidi told Al-Monitor, “Women deserve their freedom and their right to choose the man who suits them. Marrying a woman by force or using her as a means of pleasure is immoral and no modern society should accept this. None of us must turn blind eye to this growing phenomenon. Women are suffering from being used for sex acts."

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