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Polygamy should
be outlawed in the Islamic world
Farzana
Hassan
Polygamy, or the practice of taking
multiple wives still exists in some
parts of the Muslim world. In the Middle
East, where the incidence is perhaps the
greatest, men try to observe the strict
Islamic condition of treating wives
fairly and kindly, ensuring they all
receive equal treatment in every aspect
of their lives.
Muslims therefore, accept polygamy as a
social institution worthy of being
preserved for posterity, as holistically
speaking, for them, its advantages far
outweigh its disadvantages.
Proponents of polygamy argue that the
institution in fact favours women,
freeing them from the clutches of moral
and social degradation. The chain of
argument is as follows: Muslim women are
better off sharing a husband rather than
adopting a life of spinsterhood where
they may even have to peddle themselves
just to survive.
But again, this must boil down to who
makes the decisions. It is a question of
choices and the right to make those
choices. A mindset that justifies
polygamy often ignores the right of
women to carve their own destinies.
Though Muslim society does not stipulate
polygamous unions, social pressures in
many patriarchal societies often force
women to sometimes marry men who are
already married. Women who opt for a
more independent lifestyle on the other
hand, often face opprobrium both from
their relatives as well as from society
at large.
Conversely, one hears the argument that
women sometimes opt for polygamous
relationships. While women certainly
have the choice to enter any kind of
matrimonial arrangement, provided their
choice is indeed genuine, first wives
are often excluded from such
decision-making. Polygamy is regarded as
a man’s prerogative to be exercised
howsoever he chooses, often without
regard to his first wife’s feelings.
This necessitates a discussion on the
merits of polygamy as a fair
institution. If one looks a little
closer, the Quranic condition of
fairness imposed on men itself seems a
bit superfluous. An institution which is
inherently unjust cannot accommodate
fairness due to its very nature. An
arrangement where one man is shared by
several women is intrinsically unjust,
no matter how much care he exercises in
maintaining parity among them. It is as
absurd as telling someone to commit
murder with kindness.
Polygamy also causes extreme emotional
distress not only to women, but also to
children who must often endure great
disruptions to their lives.
The Muslim world must strive to deliver
social and legal equality to women.
Outlawing polygamy would constitute an
important first step towards achieving
that end. It is a highly exploitative
institution that in no way favours
women. Simply a cover for adultery, it
unfairly privileges men, while ignoring
the sentiments of women. It is about
time the institution was shunned by
Muslims across the world. |