Boys Just Wanna Have Fun - Women should accept polygamy !

A MALAYSIAN lawmaker told Parliament that there would be fewer marital problems and a lower divorce rate if Muslim women were taught to accept polygamy.

"Women should accept polygamy, M'sian lawmaker says"

KUALA LUMPUR - A MALAYSIAN lawmaker told Parliament that there would be fewer marital problems and a lower divorce rate if Muslim women were taught to accept polygamy, news reports said.

Mr Ibrahim Ali, an independent parliamentarian, proposed moves to address the issue in response to complaints that women were always blamed for marital issues.


His argument:

'Such problems happen because women cannot accept polygamy. From a preventive point of view, what about doing a big campaign so that women can accept polygamy?'Mr Ibrahim was quoted saying in the Star daily on Friday.

The ethnic Malay Muslim lawmaker said women who are pregnant or who have 'problems' when they hit their fifties do not understand that men still want to 'have fun'.

Ms Fuziah Salleh, an opposition lawmaker, had earlier questioned the qualifications of Islamic sharia court counsellors as she had received complaints from women that they were forced to take the blame for most marital problems.

'They are not counselled but given 'advice'. And every time, they are told that the woman is to be blamed. If it is a family problem, they must be patient. If they are beaten up, they must also be patient,' she said.

Muslim men in Malaysia are allowed up to four wives. Activists and women's groups say polygamy is cruel and has deviated from its original purpose in Islam, which was to protect widows and orphans.

Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, where more than 60 per cent of its 27 million people are Muslim Malays. Polygamy is illegal for non-Muslims. -- AFP

The National Islamic Students Association of Malaysia had made it to the international media, claiming that the school uniforms worn by our female students are too sexy, saying the blouse were too transparent and could lead to rape and pre-marital sex.

Look like we have made it to the international media again,for the wrong reason.

Read Malaysiakini:

"Polygamy issue arouses passions in Malaysia"

...The issue of polygamy is being hotly debated in mainly-Muslim Malaysia, after the government proposed legislation that would make it easier to enter into multiple marriages - a practice some women's groups want banned.

Muslim men here are allowed up to four wives, but activists say the practice is cruel and that it has been distorted from its original purpose during the days of the Prophet which was to protect widows and orphans.

...Press reports are littered with cases of unhappy polygamous marriages, including a truck driver who swallowed weedkiller when he could not stop his two wives from arguing, and spurned first wives throwing acid at their husbands.


An excerpt from the Star:

"Call to ‘teach’ women on polygamy raises heckles"

THE discussion on problems afflicting the Syariah Courts caused a ruckus after Ibrahim Ali (Ind – Pasir Mas) called for a campaign on the concept of polygamy to be taught to all women to end such problems

...Fuziah Salleh (PKR – Kuantan) then asked if Syariah Court counsellors were qualified, pointing out that she had received numerous complaints about how the woman was always blamed for everything.

“They are not counselled but given 'advice.' And every time, they are told that the woman is to be blamed. If it is a family problem, they must be patient. If they are beaten up, they must also be patient,” she said.

As Ahmad Zahid was about to answer, Ibrahim stood up to say that such cases would not stop happening as the population was increasing and divorces were taking place daily.

“Such problems happen because women cannot accept polygamy. From a preventive point of view, what about doing a big campaign so that women can accept polygamy?” he asked.

Ibrahim said women did not understand that when they were pregnant for nine months, or had “problems” when they hit their 50s, their men still wanted to “have fun”.

“So the man wants to marry again, and the wife gets jealous and asks for a divorce.”

This caused Zuraida to stand up and say that a gender approach was very demeaning.

Ahmad Zahid agreed, saying: “That man is a male chauvinist.” ? :)

To this, Ibrahim giggled.

When Ibrahim said that it was allowed from the Islamic point of view, Zuraida hit back and said men must be held to blame, too.


From Women's Aid Organisation

Know Your Rights

Polygamy

Excerpt:

...What are the conditions for polygamy under Malaysian law?
Before marrying a second or subsequent wife, the husband must first make an application to the Syariah Court for permission. As mentioned above, the conditions for granting this permission are slightly different in each State. In Perak, the husband need only to make a declaration before a Syariah Court judge that "he shall be fair to his wives" and obtain a certificate from a Syariah Court judge. There are no other conditions. In Kelantan and Terrenganu, apart from obtaining permission from the Syariah Court, there are also no specific conditions stipulated.

In all the other States, there are four conditions laid down before a man marry another:

* the proposed marriage must be just and necessary;
* the husband must have sufficient financial means;
* the husband will accord equal treatment to the existing wife/wives; and
* the proposed marriage will not cause darar syarie (danger or harm) to the existing wife.

What is deemed as "just and necessary" is debatable and is up to the judge to decide after hearing the application by the man, and in certain occasions where she attends the hearing, the wife's view. Some applicants cite the reason that the second or subsequent marriage was to 'avoid vice' or zina (adultery). The courts in previous cases have rejected this reason. There is no law in Malaysia which supports lust as a reason for polygamy, as there is nothing in the Qur'an which state fear of committing zina to be considered as a ground for polygamy.