HERAT -- The Habibyar welfare organization paid the wedding expenses of 100 couples and organized a group wedding ceremony for them on November 12 in Herat city.
Engaged for years, many of these young couples could not afford wedding expenses because of economic problems.
Most of the young men had worked for years in Iran to make money for their wedding expenses but without any success, said Abdul Haq Sediqi, director of the organization.
"We helped these young couples -- most of whom are poor and unemployed -- to start a family," he said. "These young men had to work as laborers in Iran to cover their wedding expenses, but we helped them to escape suffering and migration."
![Grooms celebrate their marriage in a mass wedding in Kabul on November 12. [Omar/Salaam Times]](/cnmi_st/images/2023/11/16/45052-a_1-739_416.webp)
Grooms celebrate their marriage in a mass wedding in Kabul on November 12. [Omar/Salaam Times]
![Afghan refugees recently deported by the Iranian regime are seen at the Islam Qala crossing, Nimroz province, November 12. About 8,000 Afghan migrants are deported daily by the Iranian regime through the Islam Qala and Milak border crossings, located in Herat and Nimroz provinces, according to Afghan authorities. [Omar/Salaam Times]](/cnmi_st/images/2023/11/16/45053-a_2-739_416.webp)
Afghan refugees recently deported by the Iranian regime are seen at the Islam Qala crossing, Nimroz province, November 12. About 8,000 Afghan migrants are deported daily by the Iranian regime through the Islam Qala and Milak border crossings, located in Herat and Nimroz provinces, according to Afghan authorities. [Omar/Salaam Times]
"In addition to organizing a wedding ceremony, we also purchased household items worth 100,000 AFN ($1,440) for each couple as dowry," he added. "We also paid for one month's household expenses of these couples such as food items, so they do not have to depend on others."
The organization will help other young couples in the future to start their families by organizing group wedding ceremonies and helping them escape the pain and suffering of migration to Iran, Sediqi said.
Sadiq Ehsani, 27, one of the grooms in the group wedding, had been engaged to his fianceé for two years.
He said he was forced by his impending wedding expenses to migrate to Iran.
"I worked for two years in Iran to make money for my wedding. But since I had to work secretly out of fear, my wages were very low," he said. "I earned only 50 million tomans [$1,100] in two years, but the Iranian police took half of it when they detained me."
"I had to go through so much while working in Iran. Day and night I had no peace of mind fearing the police," he added. "I sent half of my money to my family in Herat and kept half of it with me."
"Around two months ago, the police raided my room, detained me along with my friends, and deported us. They took all our money and severely beat us when we objected."
Ehsani said he would have had to go back to Iran and stay away from his family for four to five more years to earn money for his wedding had the welfare organization not assisted him.
Brutality and torture
The Iranian regime has intensified the deportation of Afghan refugees from its territory in recent weeks.
Iranian authorities are deporting about 8,000 Afghan migrants daily through the Islam Qala and Milak border crossings, located in Herat and Nimroz provinces, respectively, say Afghan officials.
Those numbers are nearly double those from a month ago.
Muzamil, 26, a resident of Kapisa province, spent six days and nights in police custody in Iran, during which he was severely tortured.
"Fifteen of us were working in an orchard in Kerman city when the police came at night and detained all of us," he said Sunday at the Milak border crossing.
"Iranian police took our money and cell phones, which they never returned. They also beat us on the way to the detention center."
"The Iranian police have become very harsh towards Afghan refugees," Muzamil said. "They beat and torture Afghan refugees on the way to as well as in detention centers ... The police were extremely inhumane to us."
The Iranian government does not feed Afghan refugees in its detention centers. It tortures them by keeping them hungry and thirsty, Muzamil said.
Mohammad Ibrahim, 27, a resident of Parwan province, said he had worked for six months in a factory in Iran when Iranian police picked him up and deported him.
"I returned to my country in my work uniform. I had gone to Iran to work and earn a living for my family, but they deported me while my money was left with my employer," he said.
"I don't even have the cash on me to go to my home province ... I had borrowed money to go to Iran in the first place," he added.
"The conditions for Afghans in Iran have become very difficult. Iranian police do not hesitate to subject refugees to any form of mistreatment. They take money and belongings from Afghans wherever they find them and send them to prisons," Ibrahim said.
Living in fear
The Afghans remaining in Iran face a difficult life.
Feroz Ahmad, 32, lives in the Iranian city of Yazd along with his wife and four children.
The police are not accepting residence permits issued by the Iranian government, he said.
"The detention and deportation of Afghan refugees have intensified across the country for almost a month now," he said. "Although I have a residence permit, I can't leave my house because of fear. Some of my Afghan friends who had two-year residence permits have been detained by the police and deported to Afghanistan."
"I am a laborer and need to work to support my family. But right now, I can't go to my workplace for fear of police," he added. "In the current situation, Afghans have a very difficult life because of pressure from the Iranian government."
Iranian police enter the houses of Afghans at night and deport them to Afghanistan after taking their money and belongings, Ahmad said.
Safiullah, another Afghan refugee in Iran, said that he has not been to work for three weeks and has been hiding on a farm.
"I am the only breadwinner for my family of six, and had to work in Iran to provide for them," he said. "There is no work in Afghanistan; therefore, I had to migrate to Iran. I work in a plastic factory. I have been hiding in this difficult situation so that the police cannot find me."
"I live in fear and trauma. I have been suffering from mental health problems. I feel that the police may come any moment to torture and detain me," he added.
"Afghans in Iran are in very difficult and unbearable conditions."
Why do girls and boys stay single??? The truth of today's Afghan society; 1 courtship 2 sweets' program 3 engagement 4 Beginning commuting 5 Nawruz (New Year's day) 6 Ramadan 7 Eid and Barati 8 night of hannah 9 marriage 10 nashtayi (food stuff presented to the bride after the wedding day) 11 huge wedding expenses 12 Paivazi of bride and groom 13 Uses of mobile phones, etc. All these must be in the hotel! These issues cause girls to remain without husbands and boys to remain without wives. And after the wedding, the only thing you remember is preparing the loans taken. The question is here? Do you want to begin a family after the wedding or are you thinking about paying off a loan? If you want to solve problems, then don't sell your sister and daughter for money and don't buy your bride with money. Let's be human and make your daughters happy according to Islamic law so that they have a happy and peaceful life. Like the young thoughts page: Young Thoughts
Reply7 Comment
Afghan culture has many good aspects and many bad aspects, one of which is the heavy burden of marriage on the shoulders of Afghan youth. Nowadays, the demands of girls and boys are more than they can handle. A boy or girl who controls expenses can reach a healthy conclusion. Most of the time, when the problem arises, it is caused by families, especially uneducated people. Undoubtedly, most of our young people who leave the country and start raveling may have many reasons, one being to prepare something for marriage. I used to hear that flood charity foundations were organizing mass wedding programs in different provinces of the country. Now that I have read this news, another young man has also taken action in this regard. Such charitable institutions are genuinely appreciated. May Allah increase such charitable institutions more and more. But the most important thing is that the governments and ethnic structures take decisive action on this issue, i.e., the additional expenses of the wedding and the dowry. Young men and women have the right to decide their future. Girls should not put such a burden on the shoulders of their future life partner that they are not able to cope with it. Similarly, parents should also think in such a traditional society. Attention should be given to the groom's life. If the son-in-law's life deteriorates, a daughter's life is undoubtedly connected with it. Full attention should be given to this task. We have been told everything clearly in Islami
Reply7 Comment
We thank this organization from the bottom of our hearts for doing such a good job. Many poor people cannot earn even a single meal. These and other similar charities can help people get on with their lives.
Reply7 Comment
We thank this donor organization from the bottom of our heart for helping in this area, and we thank Salaam Times very much, which not only works in the field of introducing the enemies of Afghanistan such as Iran, Russia, Pakistan, but also writes reports on such useful topics. May God give them great rewards both in this world and in the hereafter. It is really a good work that they have helped with such methods and included them in mass weddings. This is the first time as I know about a mass wedding is sponsored by Habib Yar organization. Previously, one of the former lawyers of the Afghan parliament named Haji Seyed Ahmad Silab had organized such group weddings in the provinces of Kandahar, Herat, Bamyan, Kabul... in which dozens of couples started their new lives together. Helping two young people for a wedding, building a bridge, building a school, building a mosque... these are things that have rewards in both this world and the world hereafter. If Afghans who are rich help those who are economically weak, they can improve their economy and prevent poverty in the future.
Reply7 Comment
May God bless the founder of this charity organization, who arranged marriages for 100 couples at his own expense. The organization covered all the expenses that they had incurred. That is, it has done a great job. It was difficult for these 100 people, each of whom should have earned two or three hundred thousand Afghanis. One thing is important: the charity organization arranged their marriage. Now that this young man has brought his wife home and they have started their life together, how will he manage the expenses of health issues? How can a person who cannot meet the expenses of marriage fulfill the rights of his wife and children? But the married people are not to blame here; the blame lies with charitable organizations that organize such programs for the sake of the name, which gives rise to domestic violence the next day. It should be considered that the woman whom this boy married with foreign money, which is not a loan, how will he look after his wife and children? It would have been better if they had provided them with small and big jobs instead of marriages. They would have arranged their marriages with the passage of one or two years. It would have doubled their pleasure. Unfortunately, domestic and foreign charities in Afghanistan only work for the name. No one is looking for basic work to solve or reduce the problems forever.
Reply7 Comment
We would like to thank our brother Abdulhaq Seddiqi, head of Habibyar foundation, who at this time when people's economy is very bad, this brother of ours was able to arrange the wedding of 100 couples with his personal expenses and fulfilled the wishes of 100 girls and 100 young boys. This was a good work done by Habibyar foundation. Why do we Afghans call ourselves Muslims when we do not do something that is good for Islam? When we marry our daughter to a young man, as far as we can, we put more financial pressure on the groom's father. We Afghans are doing an illegal act. When we give our daughter to a young man on marriage, we declare enmity with them until the young man gets married, we act against them as if they are our enemies, and we expect them to be friends after the wedding. Habibyar foundation did the same good work, why can't we marry our daughter with very little consumption? we can but we don't. We make an excuse and say it is a shame. Isn't it a shame that our young girls wait for years when their fiance will find money and marry her? He spends half of his life to find money and does not enjoy the wedding after they get married. We Afghans are oppressing our own sons and daughters. If we do our weddings according to Islamic law, we will never be forced to immigrate for obtaining wedding expenses.
Reply7 Comment
In such a difficult situation where unemployment has reached its peak, it is a great thing for a number of youth to marry with honor and then a mass wedding can be arranged for hundreds of people who are suffering from poverty and unemployment. Marriages of poor families get delayed for years due to lack of money. Poverty in the country and absurd customs of the people are two key points that have deprived many young people from marriage in bad conditions. They are the charities that have paid attention to this basic work and freed the youth from many problems.
Reply7 Comment