A Collective Wedding Ceremony for 120 Young Couples Held with the Help of a Charity Foundation in Herat

The event, held today Wednesday (20 November), was funded with 12 million Afghanis by the Habib Yar Charity Foundation in Herat province.

The organizers of the collective wedding ceremony stated that the goal was to support young people, promote the culture of collective weddings, and prevent the excessive costs of wedding ceremonies. They also mentioned that they provided a dowry worth 100,000 Afghanis for each couple.

Abdulhaq Siddiqi, the head of the Habib Yar Charity Foundation, told Zan TV: "The individuals whose weddings are being held today, and who are present in the hall, are truly those who, due to economic difficulties, were unable to organize a wedding for themselves. Through this foundation, we have fortunately provided a dowry worth 100,000 Afghanis for each of these 120 couples."

Meanwhile, the newlyweds, whose collective wedding ceremony was held, welcomed the charity foundation's cooperation and emphasized the importance of preventing the exorbitant costs of weddings and dowries.

Safiullah, who is wearing a white suit and black wedding coat, says that for the past five years, he has been burdened by the heavy dowry and the unbearable costs of his engagement, and due to economic difficulties, he was unable to hold his wedding ceremony.

Although he is happy that his wedding is being held, he says that to pay his 450,000 Afghanis dowry, he had to illegally migrate to Iran more than six times.

"I have been engaged for five years. There is no money in the country because there is no work for us. I went to Iran illegally six times through different routes, but twice I was sent back before reaching my destination. Every time, I worked as a laborer for about eight months to a year, but the Toman is worthless. It is better that parents avoid setting high dowries."

Habibullah Yousefi, another 29-year-old, married his cousin’s daughter four years ago but, due to economic difficulties, was unable to organize his wedding.

He asks the elders of families to work toward eliminating harmful customs and traditions in society. "Our request from parents, especially fathers, is to try to abandon harmful customs. When a girl marries a boy, parents should work to ensure a good future for them, not set crippling dowries."

Abdul Hakim, another newlywed, borrowed one of his friend's cars to transport his bride and decorated it with flowers. He says, "Today, most young people either risk their lives working in Iran and Pakistan to cover wedding and dowry expenses, or drown in the sea. It is better for families to save young people's lives by setting a modest dowry."

At the same time, some cultural activists and religious scholars in Herat province consider collective weddings to be an important step in reducing costs and emphasize the importance of institutionalizing the culture of collective weddings.

Mir Abdulbasir Siddiqi, an imam in a mosque in Herat, says, "Islam emphasizes ease and simplicity, and our actions should align with Islamic law. Efforts should be made to ensure that marriages are conducted according to Islamic law and that wastefulness is avoided, as this helps establish order in a family."

Abdul Karim Nalan, a cultural activist, also comments on preventing excessive wedding expenses, saying, "Every member of society, whether young or old, should work to eliminate the harmful culture of high wedding and engagement costs in families, society, and the country. Unfortunately, lavish weddings have become a harmful custom that has broken the backs of many young people, and most young people cannot even get engaged, let alone hold a wedding."

Despite this, local Taliban authorities in Herat have also welcomed the Habib Yar Charity Foundation's initiative and consider holding expensive weddings to be against Islamic law and the current system.

Hayatullah Mohajer Farahi, deputy governor of the Taliban in Herat, says, "Unfortunately, and regrettably, today in Afghanistan, a harmful custom has emerged where weddings or ceremonies must be held with excessive expenses. Many grooms are forced to take loans to organize their weddings, and after that, they remain in debt for years. This harmful custom should be stopped, as it goes against Islam."

While the Habib Yar Charity Foundation held a collective wedding for 240 young couples in Herat province, most of the country’s youth have been unable to even get engaged due to the lack of job opportunities and economic difficulties.