RIYADH, 13 March 2007 — The misyar marriage has popped up in the news again. This time agents of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice are searching for a woman who goes by the name of Umm Rakan, she is accused of duping men into paying her for misyar matchmaking services she never provided, the daily Okaz reported yesterday. According to some complaints, men were paying the woman up to SR10,000 to find them a woman willing to marry misyar style. She then disappeared with the cash. Misyar is a marriage where a woman agrees to marry a man under contractual terms that frees him from paying a dowry or supporting her. Although depending on the allure of the lady, she may have enough power of attraction to enter a few stipulations of her own in the misyar contract, such as an apartment or other goodies. Misyar is often used by men to get another “no obligation” wife on the side.
