Love Marriages--Afghanistan's New Trend
Sploid.com is a blog with tabloid headlines and a drudge-like look. The excerpt below is from a story from Yahoo about the new freedoms being enjoyed by formerly burka-clad women in Afghanistan. "Love Marriages" are becoming more common, though most are still arranged by parents for their kids.
"Those who shun arranged marriages often meet in towns like Mazar, particularly at work or at university. "Hospitals too," says Ershad, 30, a doctor from the western city of Herat, the only one of the three wearing traditional Afghan dress. "Lots of people come to hospitals only to see girls. And all the doctors I know have a girlfriend."
After the initial meeting, young lovers have to make an effort to keep in touch. "But today, it's easy to contact boys or girls with mobiles," says 26-year-old Jamshit, the third of the young men at Sabur's pharmacy. "Before that, if you wanted to meet a girl and to send her a message, you had to give it to her little brother, with a candy for him. With one risk, the message being caught by the father.
"Now, 80 percent of young people in Mazar have a mobile. It's like a fashion, and with it you can set up meetings without any problem."
All that's left is to find a spot for a rendezvous.
The young pharmacist smiles. Quietly, he shows a red curtain behind the counter. "This is a very good place for secret meetings. And there's no risk: it's normal for a girl to come here to buy drugs," he says.
"Those who shun arranged marriages often meet in towns like Mazar, particularly at work or at university. "Hospitals too," says Ershad, 30, a doctor from the western city of Herat, the only one of the three wearing traditional Afghan dress. "Lots of people come to hospitals only to see girls. And all the doctors I know have a girlfriend."
After the initial meeting, young lovers have to make an effort to keep in touch. "But today, it's easy to contact boys or girls with mobiles," says 26-year-old Jamshit, the third of the young men at Sabur's pharmacy. "Before that, if you wanted to meet a girl and to send her a message, you had to give it to her little brother, with a candy for him. With one risk, the message being caught by the father.
"Now, 80 percent of young people in Mazar have a mobile. It's like a fashion, and with it you can set up meetings without any problem."
All that's left is to find a spot for a rendezvous.
The young pharmacist smiles. Quietly, he shows a red curtain behind the counter. "This is a very good place for secret meetings. And there's no risk: it's normal for a girl to come here to buy drugs," he says.
posted by Max Hartshorne at 9:28 AM
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