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Calls to legalise polygamy in Australia rejected
Australian News.Net
Wednesday 25th June, 2008 (IANS)
Calls from two Islamic leaders to legalise polygamous marriages in Australia have been rejected by the government.
Citing polygamy as against the law, Attorney-General Robert McLelland told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC): 'There is absolutely no way that the government will recognise polygamist relationships. They are unlawful and they will remain as such.'
Islamic Friendship Association of Australia's Keysar Trad had said that polygamy exist in Australia and the government should legalise it to protect the rights of women.
Trad had told a Triple J radio programme that polygamists in Australia's Muslim community would like their relationships to be legalised as otherwise women were left in a vulnerable position in the case of the man's demise.
'If this woman has wilfully chosen to enter into this relationship and makes a lifelong commitment to this person to be married, it shouldn't matter. If it was a business and the business had four partners we'd recognise that, but why don't we recognise it when it comes to consensual relationships amongst adults?' Trad said.
Trad, who's mother was a third wife in a polygamous marriage overseas, said women admired, respected and supported each other in such relationships.
Polygamy is illegal in Australia and those practising it feel they are not accepted by society.
Sheikh Khalil Chami of the Islamic Welfare Centre in the Sydney suburb of Lakemba said on the radio show that he was asked to perform polygamous religious ceremonies on a regular basis and while he declined, other sheikhs did not.
'If you know, there is law that will help you, there is community that will help you. Why not? Why not change the law? Not an open door but in a way everyone will have control. It's a bit hard, very difficult, but unless we face it, how (do) we overcome it?' Chami asked.  Email this story to a friend
Comments on this story
Samia Alhadithy
10-07-09, 12:23 AM |
Calls to legalise polygamy in Australia rejected
Unfortunately, I have not come across this kind of marriage or offers here in Australia to be with good intentions. Very often, second marriage is hidden from a first wife and community, and once when a second wife gets tired of this hiding and starts complaining about it, man divorces her. It seems that man marry a second wife in a religious ceremony to make it correct in front of Allah (SWT), however, Allah (SWT) knows what is in their hearts and a piece of paper does not make up for what men’s real intentions are. It seems to me that a position of second wife in reality here in Australia is a one of a mistress with a paper, so when a man gets tired of his mistress, or she starts acting as a wife and asks for her lawful rights as a wife, man just divorces her. On the other hand, those who do tell their first wives that they want to marry a second wife do not leave any options to a first wife. There is nothing much she can do, if a man wants to marry a second wife except to get divorce. This, however, is very often not something which a first wife would do if she does not want to loose a husband. I am a convert, meaning I was not brought up as a Muslim, but became a Muslim. I still believe in Islam, however, I do not believe in what these men calling themselves Muslim preach as then pick and choose from Quran and Hadith what suits them. As a person of over 30 and divorced, I do not stand any chance of get married in Muslim community as all men who are my age want someone who is at least 10-15 years younger and who was not married before. The same does not apply for men, as it does not matter how many times they were married, they still can pick and choose, and most times they do not pick someone who is divorced or with kids. Our Prophet married divorced women and women with kids, however, Muslim men today pick and choose and do not go on marrying divorced women with children or widows with children. So, far what I came across and saw was only men’s sexual desires pushing them to ask for more then one wife. If we humans are controlled by sexual desires only, I do not believe we are better then animals.
So, maybe, those who want polygamy to be allowed should first look at themselves and see how they apply Quran and Hadith when it comes to polygamy.
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