A BBC investigation has revealed that there are several services online, that charge thousands of pounds from divorced Muslim women to participate in Nikah Halala. One of the vilest traditions that completely exploit women, the controversial practice is only accepted by a handful of Muslims.
Nikah Halala is believed to be the only way a divorced couple who wish to reconcile can remarry. It requires the woman to marry someone else, consummate the marriage, and then get a divorce, following which, she can remarry her first husband. This method involves all kinds of exploitation possible, including being blackmailed and sexually abused. The investigation found a number of online accounts offering the services and charging women tons of money to take part in temporary marriages.
An undercover reporter who met with a man advertising halala services on social media, was told she would need to pay £2,500 and have sex with him for the marriage to be "complete". One such victim, Farah, said, "I knew of girls who had gone behind families' backs and had it done and been used for months. They went to the mosque, there was apparently a designated room where they did this stuff and the imam or whoever offers these services, slept with her and then allowed other men to sleep with her too."
The Islamic Sharia Council in East London strongly condemns halala marriages. Khola Hasan from the organisation said, "This is a sham marriage, it is about making money and abusing vulnerable. It's haram, it's forbidden. There's no stronger word I can use. There are other options, like getting help or counselling. We would not allow anyone to go through with that. You do not heed halala, no matter what."
