Arabian Sex Tourism

Indian media have been publishing expos?s documenting the foul behavior of Gulf Arabs in the southern Indian town of Hyderabad ?Fly-by-night bridegrooms,? by R Akhileshwari in the Deccan Herald and ?One minor girl, many Arabs,? by Mohammed Wajihuddin in the Times of India are two important examples. Wajihuddin sets the stage:

They are old predators with new vigour. Often bearded, invariably in flowing robes and expensive turbans. The rich, middle-aged Arabs increasingly stalk the deprived streets of Hyderabad like medieval monarchs would stalk their harems in days that we wrongly think are history. These Viagra-enabled Arabs are perpetrating a blatant crime under the veneer of nikaah, the Islamic rules of marriage.

....Wajihuddin then specifies the problem:

Misusing the sanctioned provision which allows a Muslim man to have four wives at a time, many old Arabs are not just marrying minors in Hyderabad, but marrying more than one minor in a single sitting. ?The Arabs prefer teenage, virgin brides,? says Jameela Nishat, who counsels and sensitises young women against the malaise.

The Arabs usually ?marry? the girls for short periods, sometimes just a single night. In fact, Wajihuddin reports, marriage and divorce formalities are often prepared at the same time, thereby expediting the process for all involved. Akhileshwari notes that ?their girl children are available for as little as 5,000 rupees to satisfy the lust of doddering old Arab men.? Five thousand rupees, by the way, equals just a bit over US$100.