However, some in the Shiite sect continue the practice. He has no financial or moral obligation. In the BBC report, the undercover male reporter heads to meet a Shiite cleric, who was able to provide a year-old girl. A man can marry as many women as he wants, and he can marry a girl for half-an-hour, and another girl after the half-an-hour period ends.
The same clerics were reached officially by BBC London on the phone. When asked if they conduct such practices, they denied their involvement and said they only abide with normal marriage contracts. They follow the school of Ayatullah Sistani, one of the highest religious references among Shiite Muslims. When the BBC contacted the offices of Al Sistani, they got a statement saying that those practices are condemned. The statement said the clerics are using the name of God and religion in wrongdoings.
An older women said she came to the cleric looking for financial help. In Islam this is common, the poor go to clerics to get help from the rich people of community. The system is called Sadaqah. She agreed because she had no other option, not knowing that he is luring her into a bigger circle, and started offering her to his friends and clients.
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