The story appears on

Page A11

June 30, 2011

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

HomeWorld

Good polygamous men may get reward

A MALAYSIAN state governed by an Islamic party plans to reward "good" Muslim men who declare their polygamous marriages and are able to take proper care of their multiple households, an official said yesterday.

Muslim men in Malaysia can have up to four wives at one time but must fulfill various requirements, including obtaining consent from existing spouses and from the state religious department. Many husbands travel to other states or neighboring Thailand to hold secret weddings and then return home with their additional wives, causing conflicts, officials said.

Wan Ubaidah Omar, who heads the Women, Health and Family Development Committee in northeast Kelantan state, said 1,600 polygamous marriages were registered in the state last year.

"We believe there are many more who didn't declare and this will only create problems for the families later on," she said.

"We are considering giving rewards to men who practice polygamy but do not hide their new wives, who treat all their families fairly and provide for them all. This is not to encourage polygamy but to recognize the good men in society who can become role models for others," she said.

Wan Ubaidah said polygamous men should choose to marry widows and divorcees because there are 25,000 of them under the age of 60 in the state. The incentives may be introduced next year and could be in the form of an annual award for the best polygamous husband, financial aid, or gifts to bolster marital harmony, she added.

Though allowed by Islam, polygamy is contentious for some Muslims, who account for nearly two-thirds of the country's 28 million people.


 

Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

娌叕缃戝畨澶 31010602000204鍙

Email this to your friend