Lived experiences of Norway's regulation of mahr (the Muslim Dower)

Abstract

This article examines Norway's regulation of marriage rituals in light of how members of the Iranian diaspora in Norway practise mahr (the Muslim dower). Norway and Iran present conflicting regulations on mahr. In Norway's regulation of marriage rituals, mahr is not approved as it contravenes “Norwegian law and general gender equality principles” (Bufdir 2015). In Iran, however, mahr constitutes a mandatory aspect in the country's marriage registration procedure. Hence, individuals involved in transnational Iranian-Norwegian marriages are caught in a dilemma. Building on interviews with members of the Iranian diaspora in Norway and their lived experiences of mahr on the one hand, and documents relevant for Norway's marriage ritual regulation on the other, I explore the complexities and challenges involved in transnational Norwegian-Iranian marriages. A key finding is that the interviewees' continued practices of mahr subvert and challenge the mahr interpretation at work in Norway's regulation of marriage rituals.