Two Swedish imams and 12 other Shia officials have been removed from their posts over allegations of human trafficking. The action was taken by the umbrella organization of the Swedish Shiite communities (ISS) after a television report last year revealed that the clerics had blessed commercial sex as temporary, so-called “pleasure marriages” and also received money for it.
As Swedish television SVT reported on Tuesday, those responsible named in the report have been suspended and funds for affected communities across Sweden have been frozen. The measures taken by the Shiite umbrella organization are the result of several months of internal investigation into the incidents.
State subsidies for Shiites continue
The president of the umbrella organization, Haider Ibrahim, told SVT these were “isolated cases” and not systematic sex trafficking. The Swedish Authority for the Support of Religious Communities was satisfied with the outcome of the internal investigation and saw no reason to question government subsidies to Swedish Shiites.
“Marrying for pleasure” is considered permissible among Shias
Mut’a (“pleasure” or “temporary marriage”) marriage is a temporary marriage considered permissible by the Islamic group of the Twelver Shiites, which is also possible for a short time. In the rest of Islam, this kind of marriage is not allowed.
Sweden’s relationship with Islam is currently in the spotlight because of Sweden’s planned entry into NATO and Turkey’s blockade stance. Recently, the burning of the Koran, which according to Swedish law took place in the context of freedom of expression, caused another setback in Turkish-Swedish relations.
Source: Krone
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