How to stop illicit affairs? Have one-hour marriages, says Iranian cleric

The Shia Muslim tradition of temporary marriage, or sigheh, allows a man and a woman in Iran to marry for a set period of time, ranging from an hour to 99 years.

However, the practice is regarded as illicit sex by the majority Sunni community.

Even in Iran, it has been considered socially taboo and uncommon, but now the country's hardline interior minister has ignited controversy by promoting temporary marriage as a way of countering a perceived increase in illegal extra- and pre-marital sex.

Mostafa Pourmohammadi, a cleric, said: "We have to find a solution to meet the sexual desire of the youth who have no possibility of marriage. Temporary marriage is God's rule. We must encourage that."

Sexual frustration is acknowledged as a problem by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Half the country's population of 70 million is aged under 30, there is high unemployment and many young Iranians complain they cannot afford to get married or buy a house.

For some, sigheh strikes a balance between the needs of the flesh and the legal demands of marriage.

Gaining speedy conjugal rights simply requires registering the relationship with a local notary or, more commonly, taking an oral vow before a cleric.

When the contract expires, there are no obligations on the man, unless the marriage produces a child - under Shia religious law, children born of temporary marriages must be recognised as legitimate and can claim a share of inheritance.

Sigheh is seen as a way of channelling young people's sexual urges under Iran's strict sexual segregation. "I have no money to set up a matrimonial life. I don't want prostitutes. What should I do with my sexual needs?" asked Reza Sarabi, 23, a taxi driver.

One of his colleagues joked: "It's like being able to change your old car."

Critics say temporary marriages are biased in favour of men and will exacerbate prostitution, which is illegal in Iran but on the rise.

A married man can have as many temporary wives as he wants and break the contract whenever he wants, while a woman cannot.

Once the contract is over, temporary wives cannot enter another relationship for three months and ten days - to determine if there is a child and to establish its paternity. There is no such restriction on men.

Supporters of women's rights are not the only ones opposed to the promotion of temporary marriage. One hardline newspaper complained that a Tehran travel agent was advertising seaside holidays for couples who want temporary marriages. The accommodation comes with a cleric to register the union.

But supporters of temporary marriage argue that it allows divorced or widowed women the chance of financial support if they are unable to find a permanent marriage.

Some young women who want to travel with their partners and stay in the same hotel room might enter a temporary marriage: unmarried couples who have sex can be arrested, fined and even flogged.

Others see temporary marriage as a solution to prostitution - or even as an opportunity to check out a partner before signing up for life.