Al-Watan Jamila El-Obeidy, a member of the Iraqi Parliament, put forward a proposal to legalize polygamy and called on the Iraqi government to introduce legislation that forces men to marry more than one wife, as there are many war widows in the country. The proposal stirred public opinion in the country. Some made fun of her while others became angry. Strangely, a Saudi woman recently called on Saudi men to leave their wives who are over 40 and get married to younger women. Another Saudi woman called for polygamy during a TV show. Polygamy is permissible in Islam. However, it is not acceptable for many people. Let me cite a story from the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). When Ali Bin Abi Talib told his wife, Fatima, the Prophet's daughter, that he wanted to marry a second wife, the Prophet (pbuh) did not accept it. He got on the pulpit and said: "Fatima is a part of me and I do not like anyone making her sad. I swear by Allah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah and the daughter of the enemy of Allah cannot be together." Ali wanted to marry the daughter of Abu Jahal, who was known to be a fierce enemy of Islam. When Ali heard these words uttered by the Prophet (pbuh), he did not marry Abu Jahal's daughter. Therefore, polygamy is a personal matter that even the Prophet (pbuh) did not accept for his daughter. It is not an issue that should be promoted by women. As far as I know, most women find it difficult to accept polygamy. No wife would accept her husband taking a second wife because the majority of women view polygamy as denigrating. I am sure that the Saudi women who encouraged husbands to get married a second, third and fourth time are not aware how painful polygamy can be to the first wife. I do not understand what made these women appear in the media and call for polygamy and even try to depict it as something that first wives should accept. Polygamy is permissible in Islam, but it is not a must. In Islam, the first wife and her family are allowed to oppose and not accept it just like the Prophet (pbuh) did. Our economy is going through some difficult times and the last thing we want to do is to encourage men to enter polygamous relationships and increase their financial burdens. The most important thing we should do now is to help young single men get married to young single women and offer them loans to start a new life.
