Thoughts on Polygamy

"Bangladesh, like many others countries with large Muslim population, does have law, as personal law, to regulate polygamous marriage of its Muslim communities. The relevant portions of that law, i.e., section 6 of the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961, reads as follows:

1. No man, during the subsistence of an existing marriage, shall, except with the previous permission in writing of the arbitration council, contract another marriage …

2. … (such) application form … shall be submitted to the chairman (of the arbitration council)… and shall state the reasons for the proposed marriage and whether the consent of the existing wife or wives has been obtained thereto.

3. On receipt of the application … the Chairman (of the arbitration council) shall ask the applicant and his existing wife or wives, each, to nominate a representative, and the arbitration council so constituted may, if satisfied that the proposed marriage is necessary and just, grant, subject to such conditions, if any, as may be deemed fit, the permission applied for.

This law has given the Arbitration Council a wide discretionary power to deal with the issue. Also, it has not defined what can possibly be ‘necessary and just grounds’ in this regard. These are why, according to legal experts, this law is prone to be abused. They think it necessary to define the expression ‘necessary and just ground’ with illustrations. Herewith I would like to add that that should be done in light of the rules of conduct provided in the holy Quran. No doubt, that will ensure maximum good to the Muslim individuals as well as the society."

Excerpt from Polygamy in Bangladesh

by Ana on Dec.20, 2009, under polygamy in various countries

I've had some interesting exposure to the idea of polygamy the past few days and wanted to find out more about it's role in Bangladeshi life. Unsurprisingly, the practice of polygamy here doesn't always follow the letter of the law (Or the spirit of the law for that matter. Refer back to the article above for an interesting summary of the interpretation of polygamy from the Quran).

It seems common to hear stories of Bangladeshi men marrying their second wives secretly, without the knowledge or permission of their first wife. There also seems to be an unhappy tendency for families of first wives to be abandoned financially in light of the second marriage.

It is a huge social issue with complex reasons for and against. I know I only understand it on a very superficial level (especially since I'm a foreinger here and found these articles on the internet). I just wanted to share a little bit here because it's been on my mind.

I thought this article was interesting too, especially because it discusses some possible benefits of polygamy from a very simple muslim perspective.

For a chilling example of how one wife reacted to the news that her husband planned to marry again, read here.