"Białe małżeństwo" (ezdewadż-e sefid) – dyskusja wokół nieślubnych związków we współczesnym Iranie

The article is an attempt to present and analyze main dimensions of contemporary Iranian dispute concerning the so called ezdevaj-e sefid (“white marriage”) that is a relation of two unmarried people living under one roof. A study of the public domain that involves discussions of academics, journalistist, state institutions and religious circles, as well as ordinary Iranians, allows its two main dimensions to be distinguished. The first is focused on describing this phenomenon and assessing its social, demographical, moral and psychological consequences and the second one concerns the legal status of “white marriages” in the Iranian legal system and discusses its possible analogies in Shi'a legal doctrine.