WUNRN
Cheap artificial hymen resolves social stigma in society that frowns on premarital sex.
IWPR - November 2009
Ever
since she lost her virginity to a classmate from college, 27-year-old Roula has
been anxious about her family finding out. Her worries grew when she got
engaged to another man two years ago.
She put off fixing a date for the wedding for fear that her husband-to-be would
discover she had been with other men before him.
But recently, Roula, who only wished to be identified by her first name because
of the sensitivity of the subject, found a solution to her problem. She got
hold of a Chinese-made product that promises to replace the hymen easily.
“Finally I can lead a normal life or at least think positively,” said Roula,
adding that she had told her parents recently that she was ready to fix a date
for her wedding ceremony.
In a conservative society that considers premarital sex an immoral act, many
Syrian women like Roula seek different methods to restore their virginity
before marriage to avoid a family scandal that could provoke dramatic
consequences like divorce, isolation or sometimes even death.
Websites regularly report crimes against women who are suspected of having had
extra or pre-marital sex. These crimes, which are common in tribal Syrian
society, are committed by their relatives in the name of protecting the honour
of the family.
While some girls seek the help of gynaecologists to have their hymen surgically
reconstructed, this practice remains prohibitively expensive and is undergone
secretly because it is illegal.
So when the “artificial hymen” recently came on to the Syrian black market at
an average cost of 15 US dollars, it quickly emerged as a more practical
solution than surgery.
A relative liberalisation of Syrian women in recent years has led to an
increase in sex before marriage, observers say. But for most parents, it is
still completely unacceptable, however.
The new product sparked a wave of criticism across the Arab world in places
like Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, where it also became popular. A prominent
religious leader in Cairo called for severe punishment to be inflicted on any
person who facilitates the sale of the artificial hymen, considering it a
source of corruption.
In Syria, the reaction was more muted. Dr Mohamad Habash, a prominent cleric
known for his moderate positions, said in a statement published by websites
that there was no punishment in Islam against hymen reconstruction.
Roula doesn’t seem to care much about the opinion of clerics. She said that she
was happily preparing for her wedding.
“If what I did is prohibited by God, I will be punished on the day of
judgement. For now, just let me get married and get on with my life,” she said.
Before finding out about the artificial hymen, Roula was advised by friends and
psychologists to undergo surgical reconstruction. But all the gynaecologists
she found asked for hundreds of dollars, which she could hardly afford.
“I didn’t feel that they treated me as a human being in need of an operation,”
said Roula, who said that none of the doctors she found inspired confidence.
For many doctors, carrying out the operation is a professional risk that is
only worth it if it is well remunerated.
Mohamad, a gynaecologist who practices hymen reconstruction in his clinic, said
that the procedure has become more and more popular in recent years. Agreeing
to give his first name only, he said that many women from more conservative
countries in the Gulf region come to Syria to undergo the operation, which
could cost between 500 and 2,000 dollars.
Mohamad said that most women who ask for the operation say that their lives are
in danger.
He did not comment, however, on the artificial hymen, saying that he had not
been able to examine it. But some medical experts said on Arab satellite TV
channels that the product needed to be clinically tested because it might have
some adverse effects. Others said that the product could also lead to
infectious diseases.
Roula had to search for the artificial hymen before she finally ordered one
through a foreign website with the help of a friend who bought it for her with
a credit card.
Then she collected it in a package from a Damascus bureau of a shipping
company.
Roula said that she bought two packages just to be on the safe side and would
use the artificial hymen on her wedding night.
Some civil rights activists say that women should attempt to confront society
about their right to lead a free sexual life instead of resorting to methods
that hide the loss of their virginity.
For Bassam al-Kadi, the director of the Syrian women’s observatory, a
non-governmental organisation that advocates women rights, women should try to
discuss the subject openly with their husbands or look for an open-minded,
understanding man instead of going through the trouble of surgery or other
practices.
He acknowledged, however, that in some cases, a woman’s life could be in danger
if the loss of her virginity becomes known.
He added that a woman’s integrity is always called into question no matter how
she lost her virginity, even if her hymen was accidentally ruptured or she was
a victim of rape.
Kadi said that in some cases, his organisation helps women, without specifying
how, to get their hymen restored, especially when their future and position in
society are at stake.
Roula believes that those around her are not ready to accept her as she is.
“I don’t think he would accept that there was ever another man in my life,” she
said talking about her future husband. “The spectre of my old love would haunt
us forever.”
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