By: Rezvan Moghaddam

According to reports, Niloufar Fatouhi, a 35-year-old woman from Fuman, one of the
cities in Gilan Province, and mother to an 11-year-old child, was killed following an
argument with a man named Mojtaba.
It appears that the killing occurred five days before her body was found in one of
Fuman’s water canals, on July 6, 2025.
According to an informed source, Niloufar had been in a temporary marriage (sigheh)
with the killer for some time. After years of enduring false promises of permanent
marriage, she had decided to end the unequal relationship.
Mojtaba, a married man, had deceived Niloufar by claiming he was separated from his
wife. For several years, he kept her in a hidden relationship. After a heated argument,
Mojtaba struck Niloufar on the head, killing her, and then dumped her body in a canal.
The murder suspect is currently in custody, and the case is under judicial investigation.
Sigheh, or temporary marriage, is a concept rooted in Shia Islamic legal philosophy. It
allows men to enter sexual relationships with women for a limited period and in
exchange for a specified dowry, without accepting the legal and social commitments of
a permanent marriage. This clerical institution, officially recognized in Shia-majority
countries like Iran, has in practice become a tool for sexual exploitation, destabilization
of intimate relationships, and justification of gender-based violence and inequality.
In a society where men hold greater authority, financial power, and legal protection,
sigheh relationships are often fundamentally unequal and one-sided. A man can
terminate the sigheh at any time, without reason and with no consequences. The
woman, however, typically has no rights to demand accountability, and often becomes a
victim of violence, threats, and social stigma.
Numerous cases have been reported in which men, after exploiting women through
sigheh, abandoned them and even threatened to expose the relationship to damage the
woman’s reputation.
In recent years, several honor killings have been linked to sigheh relationships. Women
and girls who tried to leave or expose these relationships have faced threats, violence,
and even death.
Many men, using the sigheh as a cover, see themselves as owners of a woman’s body
and life, and if the woman ends the relationship, they perceive it as “disgrace” or
“betrayal,” despite having held no genuine commitment to her.

In the absence of legal protections, gender equality, and public awareness, sigheh has
become a tool in the hands of men seeking to control women’s bodies, freedom, and
choices.
Sigheh not only turns women into disposable commodities, but it also undermines the
foundations of family, love, trust, and equality in human relationships.

#StopHonorKillingsCampaign

#SafetyForWomen

#WomenHaveTheRightToLive

#NoToViolenceAgainstWomen

#NiloufarFatouhi

#Fuman_Gilan

#NoToMisogynisticCulture

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