Muslim Wedding Photos 
Marriage in Egypt: a Mass Wedding in Idku
Abeer Adel, 19, and her fiancé, Amgad Muhammad, 21, looked at engagement rings and other jewelry at a shop in Cairo. The two, who are cousins, said they planned to be engaged for four years.
In Egypt and across the Middle East, many young people are being forced to put off marriage, the gateway to independence, sexual activity and societal respect. Marriage plays an important financial role for families and the community. Often the only savings families acquire over a lifetime is the money for their children to marry, and handing it over amounts to an intergenerational transfer of wealth.
-
- Abeer Adel, 19, and her fiancé, Amgad Muhammad, 21, looked at engagement rings and other jewelry at a shop in Cairo. The two, who are cousins, said they planned to be engaged for four years.
-
- The mass weddings, like the one in Idku, are hugely festive, with couples, many in their late 30s and 40s, allowed to invite dozens of family members and friends.
-
- At the Idku ceremony, the couples were ferried to an open-air stadium in 75 cars donated by local people. They were greeted by a standing-room-only, roaring crowd, flashing neon lights, traditional music, the local governor and a television celebrity who served as the master of ceremonies for the event.
-
- Because officials are concerned about the destabilizing effect of young people being unable to afford marriage, the Egyptian government helps finance mass weddings. A government-aligned charity paid for dozens of couples to wed last fall in Idku, Egypt. Brides lined up to pick their wedding dresses.
-
- “Marriage and forming a family in Arab Muslim countries is a must,” said Azza Korayem, a sociologist with the National Center for Social and Criminal Studies. “Those who don’t get married, whether they are men or women, become sort of isolated.”
-
- Newlyweds celebrated their marriage as friends and relatives danced on a bridge over the Nile in Cairo.
-
- Abeer Adel, 19, and her fiancé, Amgad Muhammad, 21, looked at engagement rings and other jewelry at a shop in Cairo. The two, who are cousins, said they planned to be engaged for four years.
-
- At a mosque in Cairo, Amal Muhammad Hassan, 17, center, signs a marriage contract alongside her fiancé, Yasser Allam, 27, right, with the mazoun, an Islamic marriage official who acquires the signatures, registers documents and performs other tasks related to marriage.
-
- Brides and grooms prior to a ceremony at the mass wedding in Idku.
Related Posts:
Two Malaysian Muslim Weddings
Bride and groom with the cake. (Editor's note: the fellow on the left is Tom)
The photos are by Tom, a European fellow living in Malaysia, from his Southeast Asia travel blog at http://studioplum.be/travelblog/
The photo captions are Tom’s. Click on the thumbnails below to see the full photos.
Two Malaysian Muslim Weddings: One in Perlis and One in Kuala Lumpur:
-
- A Muslim wedding in Perlis, Malaysia. Ain, Akma, Leilah the bride, Miza, Zira and euhmm Zira’s twin?
-
- Perlis wedding: The official Islamic ritual… groom gets his ‘commandments’ before he gets to see the bride. Meanwhile I was struggling with a worm that had gotten into in my pants. haha.
-
- Perlis wedding: Being a single guy, I felt kinda weird there however. See why?
-
- Perlis wedding: The official kiss. I slept later that night in that corner. Glad that worm didn’t came after me again.
-
- Kuala Lumpur wedding: Bride and groom with the cake. (Editor’s note: the fellow on the left is Tom)
-
- Kuala Lumpur: The women at the wedding
-
- Kuala Lumpur: Men at the wedding playing drums and singing
Related Posts:
Muslim Wedding in England: One Photo
One photo only of a Muslim wedding in England, from hydrus.pl:
Muslim wedding in England
Related Posts:
Muslim Wedding in Conakry, Capital of Guinea, West Africa
Conakry or Konakry (Malinké: Kɔnakiri) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. The city is a port on the Atlantic Ocean. It has a population of about two million. Guinea used to be part of the Songhai Empire until 1591, and then a subsequent Islamic state in the 18th century that brought stability and prosperity to the region. Around the same time Fulani Muslims immigrated to Guinea. The capital city, Conakry, was founded under French rule in 1890. Today Guinea has 24 ethnic groups, of which the Fulani form 40%. The population is 85% Muslim.
Here we see a wedding in the city of Conakry. These photos were posted on Picasa by Chantal:
[nggallery id=2]
