Russian women told their compatriots how to profitably sell themselves to Egyptian suitors

Revelations on the RuNet of the Russian wife of an Egyptian about how to set a substantial ransom for herself to a Muslim groom caused a serious discussion among women who had already tried to do this. It turned out that in today’s difficult times, many Russian women are trying to survive themselves and support their families at home with the help of kalym (bride price).

We learned the secret of the generous “kalym” by talking both with compatriots who succeeded in this, and with those who did not succeed in this profitable financial enterprise.

Today, the word “kalym” is well known not only to Russians born in the ex-Soviet Central Asian republics, where bride price has been in use since ancient times to this day, but also to residents of the central part of Russia: migrants from Central Asia brought their traditions there.

“I still remember how my father scolded me when I returned home late as a student,” laughs Malakhat, a Muscovite born 53 years ago to a Russian mother and an Azerbaijani father. – He said, “You’re wandering around, and because of this I won’t get a dowry for you!” This, of course, was a joke, because my father was a professor at Moscow State University, a scientist and a socialite. But every joke is only part of a joke. My father’s Baku relatives reported in all seriousness that they were approached by respected families in Baku, where there were suitors, with questions about me. Like, if your girl of marriageable age in “this Moscow of yours” behaves decently and has preserved her honor, then the bride price will be “to the maximum.”

If you believe today’s Central Asian and Transcaucasian brides, nothing has changed in this matter for 30 years.

“You just need to understand that the bride price has several parts,” clarifies Nargiz from Tashkent. “A portion goes to the bride’s parents and relatives for raising an honest, beautiful girl.” And the amount depends on how honest and beautiful the girl is. The other part goes to the bride herself, these are jewelry, fur coats, cars, and so on. And the third part is to the home of the young. That is, part of the arrangement of their common home is entrusted to the groom. All this is discussed by the families of the bride and groom.

Almost all nationalities professing Islam allow interfaith marriages, and a ransom is also given for a woman of a different faith: dowry (agreed payment) to her relatives, and mahr (valuable gifts) to herself. Only in this case, the non-Muslim bride must “sell” (set a price for herself) on her own, because her non-Muslim relatives do not know how to conduct such negotiations. Meanwhile, as follows from the scale of the discussion, many Russian women are today trying to support their Russian relatives with the help of a ransom for themselves. But not everyone can cope with the “pricing” described by the Russian wife of the Egyptian. For example, the Belarusian wife of an Egyptian advises focusing on the amount of $2,500, which today is equivalent to 224,404.76 rubles or 77,236.6 Egyptian pounds. They still won’t give you more for a foreigner.

“Yes, and they will only give that much for a very decent foreigner,” clarifies another “Egyptian wife from Belarus” – Sofia, who now lives in Cairo with her Egyptian husband. – And only the side of the wealthy groom will give.

Sofia’s husband teaches Slavic languages ​​at Cairo University, so for his family, the marriage of their son with a non-Christian woman is not “haram” (sin – author), but a sign of progressive thinking. But this is not the case for everyone. Among, for example, wealthy Egyptian merchants, who are considered, in the words of the Belarusian wife of an Egyptian, “business class” grooms, they give no more than $8,000 from their own for a bride, and as a “shabka” (a gift personally to the bride) – a gold ring with a diamond in one carat The groom pays for the wedding expenses, home furnishings and the “married wardrobe” – what his chosen one will wear as a wife. A foreigner, even one who has sold herself very well, must divide this in two.

All that remains is to figure out how to sell yourself at a higher price?

“It’s difficult,” admits 23-year-old Alsou from Kazan, whose attempt to “sell out” to a rich Arab failed miserably. “I knew that Muslim women have higher chances. You must be, I apologize, a virgin. Of course, this won’t be checked before the wedding night, but there is a special interview, conducted by elderly relatives of the groom. You can’t fool these money. You need to know the language of the groom’s family, but many people cannot learn Arabic in their entire lives, even if they live in a country where it is spoken. If the groom’s family considers themselves “intelligent,” the bride must show them a diploma from a prestigious university. If you are over 23, the mahr amount falls automatically.

According to Alsou, her engagement lasted six months, in places resembling a comradely trial: she constantly had to “swear” to something – that you would diligently run the house, raise your children in Islam, etc.

– You also need to sign an agreement that in case of divorce you will leave the children with their father. At this stage, my mother said that she could do without their 200 thousand rubles, which she would receive if she successfully “purchased” me. We canceled everything.

But 25-year-old Inga, who has succeeded in “trading with herself” (name changed at the request of her interlocutor), who sent half a million rubles home to the Saratov region from her Egyptian fiancé, assures that you just need to know the “material parts”:

“In Egypt, polygamy is allowed and there is the concept of “orfi-contract” – temporary marriage,” explains Inga. – It is issued by a special notary for a certain period of time. That is, a married Muslim takes you as a temporary wife, stipulating the conditions in the contract.

According to the Saratov woman, this is not prestigious for Egyptians and Muslim women in general; mostly foreigners of other religions go for it. In this case, the “bride” is not required to convert to Islam, and the “groom” has the right not to inform his family about the acquisition of a temporary wife. A foreigner receives the right to a long-term “fiancée visa”, and can also assign any bride price to the groom for herself, since even in the eyes of the “groom” she puts herself at a disadvantage.

“If a Muslim is not poor and really wants you, he will give you as much as you ask,” Inga assures. – Aqd zawaj (marriage contract – author) is drawn up only in Arabic, and upon expiration it is canceled, so no one at home will know that you were married. I asked for $6,000 in six months and received it. At the same time, they give you a long-term visa, separate housing and full board are paid for by your “husband” – a free six-month all-inclusive vacation plus financial assistance to the family at home.

To obtain an “orphi,” according to compatriots who have succeeded in this, all you need is for a wealthy Egyptian to want you very much. And this is what we, Russians, can do.