Libyan culture places heavy importance on traditions and Islamic views. Marriages are typically arranged by parents without input from sons and daughters. Dating is frowned upon. Courtship involves families finding partners through social circles. Weddings are multi-day celebrations. Divorce is allowed but favors men, who can initiate it simply by repeating "I divorce you" three times. Women's rights have strengthened but domestic violence remains private due to social stigma. Modernization has increased dating and partner selection.

1. Libyan
Marriage
Tredfor A51
Baldonado, Blake, Cabigunda,
Duran, Mercurio,

2. Introduction
Libya is a
country that has
heavy roots in
their traditions,
bounded by their
very strict religion
-- views marriage

3. As far as we know,
the only things that we
usually hear about
Libya is their recent
revolution against their
government, but what
about their culture
regarding love and
marriage? What
about the other

4. Location: Libya is found in
Northern Africa, bordering the
Mediterranean Sea, between
Egypt and Tunisia and has an
extreme desert interior.
well as a keystone
te rather than a
Population: 6, 173, 579
Breakdown: 97%
Arabians, 3%
Greeks,
Maltese, Italians, Egyptians,
Pakistanis, Turks, Indians,

5. Religion of Majority:
Most Libyans are
Islam, which provides
them both their beliefs
in religion as well as a
keystone for their
government policies -meaning they have a
unity of religion and
state rather than a
They believe that
separation. Islam is the only
religion that can help them solve their
political, social, and economic
problems as well as provide them

6. Culture:
97% of Libya is composed of
Arabs, their culture is
dominant.
It is increasingly common for
young couples to set up home
on their own.
Strict rules +etiquette = dignity
+ honor + good reputation of

7. They often take aside
their personal feelings
for the good of their
group.
Homosexuality is
considered a criminal
offence in Libya. Sexual
relations outside

8. Language:
Arabic - national language of Libya
English - most popular second language
and is regularly taught in school.

9. Courtship: Dating
Dating is frowned upon in the
traditional Libyan Society
given the conservative and
Islamic nature of the country.
Males and females rarely mix
socially and have less
contact with each other.
The parents usually would
arrange the marriages for
their children -- without their
sons and daughters even
meeting their future spouses
as well as having a say

10. Forced marriages are
forbidden by the law.
Dating is often not talked
about in Libya because it’s
frowned upon, it is the act
of marriage that has richer
information.
ex. If parents, forbid a
young woman from
marrying a man of her
choice, the law allows
the woman even when
she is a minor, to appeal
to the court to prevent
her parents from
marrying her off to
someone she doesn’t
want to be married to,

11. Courtship:
Finding a
wife/ husband
Marriage in libya is more of a family than a
personal affair and a civil contract rather than
a religious act.
Parents find a mate for their children through
their own social relationships OR through a

12. Courtship:
Finding a
wife/ husband
Traditional regions: dating is forbidden and marriages are usually
arranged by parents.
couple tends to take little part in the arrangements
* In most cases, couples have NOT met before their marriages are
arranged. Couples generally spend time together in the company of
their parents so that they know one another before the wedding

13. Courtship:
Finding a
wife/ husband
Groom’s dowry: US$10,000 in large cities.
*Accumulation of the requisite dowry may
be one reason that males tend to be
several years older than females at the time

14. Courtship: Finding
a wife/ husband
Women are inferior so the state gave more right to
women
to eradicate the this inequality.
1. Minimum age for marriage was set at sixteen for females and
at eighteen for males.

15. Courtship: Finding
a wife/ husband
2. Marriage by proxy has been forbidden, and a 1972 law
prescribes that a girl cannot be married against her will or
when she is under the age of sixteen.
*Should her father forbid her marriage to a man whom she has chosen for
herself, a girl who is a minor (under the age of twenty-one) may petition a
court for permission to proceed with her marriage.

16. Courtship: Finding
a wife/ husband
Islamic tradition:
husband: 4 wives (provided that he can treat them
equally)
wife: only 1 husband at a time
*Only 3% of Libya’s marriages is polygamous

17. III. Before Marriage: Chastity

18. Until recently, Libyan society held on to
conservative values on women, especially on
chastity and family honor. Women are regarded as the
embodiment of family’s honor and worth.

19. Thus, they must be modest, and their virginity is
regarded not just as woman’s property but also the
property of her family. To maintain a family’s honor,
female must be virgin before marriage and they
must be sexually loyal only to their husband after
marriage.

20. Although both the bride and the groom are
expected to be virgins on their wedding nights, Libyan
society is more concerned of female’s virginity than of
males. If it is discovered that the bride is no longer
a virgin on their wedding night, she and her family
are publicly scorned and the wedding is cancelled.

21. III. Process of
Marriage
Minimum age of marriage: 20 years
old, but a court can allow persons
younger than 20 to marry with the
consent of their guardian.
Libyan wedding:
- grand affair
- can last up to 3-5 days depending
on the financial status of the male.
- customary to have a large wedding
- family, friends and neighbors are
all invited, but it is not mandatory
to attend every night of the
wedding.

22. III. Process of
Marriage
FIRST DAY: The bride is
not wearing any makeup unlike the other
women in the
celebration.
The celebrants and guests
are accompanied with
arabic music all night long
and lots of women of all
ages are on the dance
floor, doing Libyan-style

23. III. Process of
Marriage
SECOND DAY: The
bride gets a henna.
This day is called
nejma, meaning the
star. It is a procession
in which the bride’s
friends, neighbors
and family members
take part, although
this part of the
tradition may be dying

24. III. Process of
Marriage
THIRD DAY: The
“Goufah”. The groom’s
family invites family and
friends to bring gifts to
the bride.
The bride usually wears
the white dress on this
day. This is also the
day of the rajala, or
men’s lunch, when they
get together and eat

25. FOURTH DAY: The
III. Process of
Marriage
“Dokhla”. The woman has
a party in her home before
the groom comes to pick
her up to take her to his
house.
This usually takes place on a
Thursday. they are
celebrating the bride going
to the groom’s house.
Inside the groom’s house,
family members will greet
them, some reciting prayers

26. III. Process of
Marriage
LAST DAY: The
“Sabahiyya” – or
morning after.
A large breakfast is
given and on this
occasion the bride may
change costume as
many as 4 times, she
will also be given a
ritual spoonful of sugar
to taste from all family

27. III. Process of
Marriage
Wedding customs
change from area to
area across the
country and a
wedding in Benghazi
will not be the same
as a wedding in
Tripoli for example,
although there will

28. Intercultural marriage
rarely happens
The foreigner must take part of the Libyan cultural
wedding.
In traditional areas, as long as the native has the

29. Inheritance
Women have the right
to inherit, but will
generally inherit a
smaller share than
men.
ex. A daughter has
the right to a share of
the inheritance that is
half of her brother’s

30. Divorce
allowed if man OR
woman
1. was able to est.
grounds for divorce
based on valid
reasons
2. both parties
agreed to the divorce

31. * If a WOMAN seeks for
divorce, she will
exchange that to give
up her financial rights.
According to the
law, after the divorce is
granted, it is the man’s
duty to support the
woman financially for a
limited period of time -but this is rarely

32. A man can divorce
his wife simply by
repeating "I divorce
thee" three times
before witnesses.
A woman can initiate
divorce proceedings
only with great
difficulty.

33. *Not mutual sepataion:
The children should
remain with the father
*Mutual Separation: The
mother is given custody
of her daughters until
they marry and of her
sons until they reach
puberty -- the father
must provide financial

34. IV. Issues regarding
Marriage and Divorce
Recently, the view
regarding marriage and
dating has changed in the
Libyan society. Increased
uranization and educational
opportunities led to the
modernized society of Libya
now. Libyans now date
before marriage, and marries
omeone of their choice. This
continued transformation is
frowned upon by many

35. In terms of domestic
violence, rape, and other
forms of gender-based
violence inside and outside
the home, these matters are
considered private which
carry a great deal of shame
and are rarely discussed
publicly. A victim of rape risks
being prosecuted herself for
extramarital relations if she
presses charges and may
instead have to marry her

36. Spousal rape on the
other hand is not a
crime and is not
covered by the law. It
actually says in the
penal code that if a
man sees his wife
having unlawful sexual
relations, if he opts to
murder her, his
sentence will be
reduced rather than for