Sex and the” revolution” (1)

It took her a long time to take the decision to talk and when she did , she would only meet at a public place.

She was an ordinary Damascene , dressed in a long coat and a scarf that completely covered her hair. Light skinned and brown eyed there was nothing outstanding about her – nothing outstanding until she told her tale !

Lina is not her real name , but this is the name she wants to be called in this tale . Thirty eight years old , divorced and mother of three she lived at her parent’s house and worked for a meager salary so when a sheikh broached the subject of marriage and introduced her to a man her age , she snapped at the opportunity in the desperate hope that her life would change for the better . In true Damascene style the engagement period lasted for one month where she was only allowed to meet her fiancée in her parent’s house .

She married and they moved to Jaramana a large mixed suburb of Damascus. However, Lina’s husband came from Ain Tarma , an eastern suburb of Damascus now in the hands of the Islamic fundamentalists. One day he asked her to accompany him there – it was a visit that changed many things in her life and altered many of what she had thought were rocklike perceptions.

When she entered Ain Tarma it was like entering a ghost city with no water , no electricity and the complete destruction of private and public property . It was inhabited by men who looked different to Syrians,  in knee length robes and hennaed hair . They carried machetes , knives and handcuffs. She saw cars with no license plate numbers and a hospital ambulance that has been stolen . What was worse was that she felt as if she were dressed in a bikini , as all the women there were completely covered from head to toe and wore long gloves .

It was in Ain Tarma that she had a heart to heart conversation with her husband and it was that conversation , that made her reconsider the very essence of her core – her faith ! For Lina , Islam had always been there for her – to fall back on in times of need – to follow and be guided by in times of anguish and despair . It was her protective clothing and the heart of her hearts .

But she heard a different Islam from her husband one that was alien , dark and perverted . The sheikh, who lived in Ain Tarma had urged everyone to Jihad , her husband told her , but Jihad apparently took on many faces ! One could take arms and fight , or one could help finance the fight and if neither were possible, then one could still do Jihad – ‘’ Jihad Al  Nikah ‘’ which translated roughly into English , mean sexual Jihad . One could and indeed should for it was a God ordained duty , marry the young widows of all the men , who had lost their lives in the fight . In ‘’ Jihad Al Nikah ‘’ a man must marry up to four women ! He could then divorce them in a short time , only to marry others! The divorced women , would also in turn , marry different men and so on !

Lina listened aghast to her husband’s explanation of Jihad and then she asked him a question which has irked her from the beginning , ‘’ What about Al Adeh ?’’ she asked . Al Adeh is a period of four months approximately ,  where a divorced or widowed women isn’t allowed to marry in case she is pregnant with child. ‘’ Oh , ‘’ replied her husband flippantly ‘’ the sheikh will find a fatwa for this .’’ It was very clear , that in this case of Jihad Al Nikah , the husband didn’t have to provide any financial assistance to his wives; the armed groups did that ! They all received large amounts of sugar , rice and cooking oil – complements of Turkey !

Reem Haddad