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The Historical And Modern Definition Of `` Fatima, And Based On My Personal Reaction Essay

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Introduction
After watching the movie Fatima, and based on my personal reaction and the reaction of my colleagues regarding questioning how come she had ‘urfi marriage yet everyone knows. I realized that the only explanation behind this dilemma is that the definition of ‘urfi marriage changed. ‘Urfi marriage, which refers to customary or registered marriage in Arabic, has always existed in Egypt. Even though its literal meaning refers to customary marriage, the term 'urfi marriage is more likely to be perceived as "secret" marriage from the contemporary Egyptian socio-cultural context. This change in definition occurred in 1931 when Egypt imposed the requirement for marriage registration. This paper explores the historical and modern definition of ‘urfi marriage, how ‘urfi marriage is portrayed within Religion, State and Media, and what are the reasons and consecquences of ‘Urfi marriage in Egypt.
Historical Definition of ‘urfi Marriage
Starting by the historical definition of ‘urfi marriage Shahreena Shahrani, author of The social (re) construction of ‘urfi marriage, discussed that prior to 1931 ‘urfi marriage described all marriages in the Egyptian society. However, in 1931 when the requirement for marriage registration was imposed, ‘urfi marriage was redefined. Since the late twentieth century, ‘urfi marriage has been re-imagined as a feasible alternative to legal marriage by those who find the modern marriage tradition socially or financially impossible. (Shahrani,

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