‘Double Standard’ Raises Eyebrows in Shias’ Capital

The scantily dressed dancers are long gone. The last liquor store was blown up six years ago. This ancient Roman city now is the Lebanese capital of Shia Muslim fundamentalism.

Public drinking and dancing are forbidden now, but brief male-female unions called “pleasure marriages” are condoned.

On the surface at least, life in Baalbek is governed by the dictates of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s stern brand of Islamic fundamentalism in Iran, which to Western eyes appears joyless and forbidding.

Wearing makeup or jewelry in public is taboo. So is singing and dancing at mixed gatherings because, as one woman noted, “it causes psychological imbalance and tempts men.”

But when the sun goes down and the doors are locked, the black robe-like chadors Shia women have to wear in public are discarded in favor of shorts and strapless tops, along with makeup and perfume.

“People think we’re made of stone just because we cover ourselves with chadors. But we’re not. We’re ready to do anything to please our husbands,” said Selma, a housewife.

Before Lebanon’s civil war erupted in 1975, Baalbek was a cultural center where dance and theatrical festivals were held in the breathtaking Roman amphitheaters.

Now the ruins echo with Islamic slogans as the fundamentalists stage political rallies there, chanting ritual denunciations of “Death to America! Death to Israel!” The amphitheaters have also been used as mortar positions in Lebanon’s sectarian fighting.

The Shias’ strict life style has drawn bitter criticism from many Lebanese, Muslims and Christians alike who say that the fundamentalists’ “double standards” have brought Islam into disrepute.

Most Shias in Baalbek belong to Hezbollah (Party of God), which is believed to be an umbrella for Shia kidnapers holding most of the 16 foreigners missing in Lebanon. It’s made up of zealots blindly loyal to Khomeini.

“We follow whatever Khomeini decrees. Whatever he rejects, we reject,” said Zeinab Nasser, an administrator at the women’s “haouzeh,” or religious center, in Baalbek.

The practice of pleasure marriage is one of the many customs frowned on by other Lebanese, especially moderate Shias and Sunnis.

In a pleasure marriage, a young woman who would not dare expose a curl of her hair from under her chador can take on an unlimited number of lovers in the name of religion.

But most of the women who take part in pleasure marriages are considered respectable and far from promiscuous.

The practice is widespread in Iran, where the overwhelming majority of the 54 million population is Shia.

Nasser said the Prophet Mohammed sanctioned pleasure marriage, making it acceptable for a couple to marry for a specified period that could last “for an hour, two days, a month or as long as they desire.”

“It’s all perfectly legal and provisions are made for any child born after the marriage contract expires,” she explained.

She said pleasure marriage is especially practical amid Lebanon’s economic crisis because “men cannot afford a regular marriage, and let’s face it, they have physical needs.

“If these cannot be met within a permanent marriage, pleasure marriage provides the outlet,” she added. “It’s much better than doing it illicitly.”

No cleric is required to perform the ceremony. The woman, who should preferably be either divorced or widowed, tells the man, “I give myself to you in pleasure.”

He responds: “I accept.” And that’s it.

Virgins need the consent of their parents, but they often do not seek it.

As for forms of entertainment, the fundamentalists permit classical music “because it does not have any negative psychological effects,” Nasser said.

She observed that a scientific report proved that loud music is bad for “the nerves and the blood circulation.”

Like other factions in Lebanon, where the government has collapsed, the Shias have established their own medical and welfare systems, amply funded by Iran.

Abbas Mousavi, a Hezbollah leader, said: “Social work has become one of our main responsibilities because of the catastrophes that have befallen Lebanon.

“We’ve founded the Imam Khomeini Hospital here, which provides free medical treatment. There are similar centers in other Shia areas.”

He noted: “We’ve also founded pharmacies that make a very small profit, as well as schools, which we hope will accommodate 6,000 students in the near future.

“We’ve given money to needy families and bought deep-bore drills to provide wells in remote villages, especially those we consider to have military or political importance.”

Asked about complaints on restrictions against alcohol and nightclubs, Mousavi noted: “We’re not imposing Islamic values on people. No one can say we’ve raided houses where people gamble or drink.”

Asked about the bombing of liquor stores and clubs, he conceded: “There were incidents where young men acted out of Islamic zeal after witnessing aberrant behavior. But Hezbollah is against that.”