In Chechnya, not everyone is happy with new marriage rules

The Muftiyat of Chechnya ordered the newlyweds to present medical certificates that they have no HIV-infection to local Imams when they get married. Also, only those Imams will be entitled to register marriage under the Sharia, who will be duly authorized by the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) of the republic.

The novelties have been announced in all the mosques of Chechnya. To get married, the would-be couples need to obtain a certificate, issued by the National Centre for AIDS Prevention and Control on the basis of essays made there. Issuance of certificates is under strict control of the Centre's administration, which should guarantee protection against forgery.

Some of Chechen residents do not support the innovations. "One can understand when a person is voluntarily checked for the presence of AIDS, but making it mandatory, especially for honeymooners, is totally unacceptable. This is the matter of parents and physicians, not of Mullahs and Imams. It's nothing to do with fighting AIDS," said Hasan M., a resident of the republic.

"I can't imagine how I should tell my bride that if she wants to marry me she must bring a certificate that she's not an AIDS patient. How will then the daughter-in-law look into the eyes of her husband's parents?" Aslan, a student of a university in Grozny was outraged.

Now, Chechnya is full of rumours that for executing the rite of marriage in accordance with the Sharia a Mulla will have to be paid 10,000 roubles, and another 200-250,000 - into some fund, supposedly created in the event of divorce to ensure financial security of women.

Anzor Madaev, head of the press service of the SAM of Chechnya, refuted the existence of such fund in Chechnya. "This fund does not exist," he said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The representative of the HRC "Memorial" in Chechnya, who asked not to name him, added that at marriage, in the presence of an Imam, "the sum is always specified that the wife will get in case of a divorce not for her fault."

Anzor Madaev also added that there is no fixed rate for execution of the Muslim rite of marriage in Chechnya. "Everywhere, in every village, it is different - as agreed by the imam and the residents," he said, while stressing that the established rate depends on the welfare level of the entire region and people who live there. "They set the price affordable for the residents of the area," he added.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by a resident of Urus-Martan that the Muslim wedding ceremony in this city stands for "around 25,000 roubles."