The crème de la crème of Kazakhstani society – young daughters from wealthy families – should be the grand prize in a game played by the worthiest potential suitors, the head of the Muslim Union has suggested.
Murat Telibekov, a former rival of the Kazakhstani president and
current head of the opposition Muslim Union, has called for ‘VIP
brides’ to be the prize for the “strongest and most talented
dzhigits” – a skillful and brave equestrian – in matches of the
traditional Kazakh game ‘kokpar.’
The rules of kokpar are quite similar to polo; the major
difference is that two teams, also on horseback, compete to carry a
headless goat carcass into a goal, instead of a ball.
Telibekov suggested that the goat carcass be replaced by the
bride-to-be. The one who wins the bride will earn a share of the
country’s biggest banks as a reward, and a marriage gift. All
Kazakh men would therefore have an equal shot at marriage, he
said.
“We need to set it all straight before the Kazakh people take
to the streets,” Total.kz news agency quoted Telibekov as
saying.
"There is a paradox here that always and everywhere there are
influential sons-in-law, and not sons. Kazakhstan is the country of
influential sons-in-law. This situation must be corrected somehow
to prevent the widespread discontent of Kazakhstan who can come up
tomorrow with demonstrations,” Telibekov said.
Moreover, he insisted that many people in Kazakhstan support the
idea.
An infamously scandalous politician, Telibekov frequently puts
forward controversial initiatives surrounding marriage. He has said
that the so-called ‘bride token’ – an amount of money or property
paid by the groom or his family to the bride’s parents – does not
comply with Muslim ethics. This “ugly and exaggerated”
tradition makes marriage impossible for less wealthy men, he
explained.