Misunderstanding of polygamy lingers in Islam<\/p>\n
Lily Zakiyah Munir, Director, Center for Pesantren and
\nDemocracy Studies (CEPDES), Jakarta, lilyzm@hotmail.com<\/p>\n
Over the last few years we have witnessed a relatively new
\nphenomenon, i.e. the increasing popularity of polygamy,
\nespecially for men with upward social mobility.<\/p>\n
During the repressive Soeharto regime, polygamy seemed to be
\nrepressed as well, either by government regulation (Peraturan
\nPemerintah No. 10) on the prohibition of polygamy among
\ngovernment officials, or else by stigmatization due to prevailing
\nsocial control. Polygamy appeared to have a pejorative meaning,
\noften associated with low education, low social status, or the
\nfeudalistic culture of keeping concubines.<\/p>\n
Now, along with the reform era toward freedom and democracy,
\npolygamy has apparently acquired a new image, which has made it
\nless resisted or opposed by society in general. Many Muslims,
\nincluding those with high education, high social status or even
\nhigh governmental leadership positions, do not seem to be
\nbothered about displaying polygamous behavior.<\/p>\n
People do not seem to be bothered either seeing their leaders
\nhaving two, three, or even four wives. These polygamous men
\nproudly justify their behavior by referring to it as a \"right\"
\ngranted by Islam to men. A former minister of religious affairs,
\nin an informal meeting, jokingly, even equated Islam in terms of
\npolygamy with the Mormons, a Christian sect whose majority live
\nin Salt Lake City and whose prophet, Joseph Smith, was said to
\nhave had more than 30 wives.<\/p>\n
This way of thinking, viewing polygamy as a man's \"right\" is
\nobviously wrong. The notion of polygamy has clearly been
\nmisunderstood, deliberately or ignorantly, and therefore it is
\nimportant that we go back to the relevant verses in the Koran and
\nread them with the Koran's original spirit of liberating the
\noppressed, including women.<\/p>\n
The core issue of polygamy in current Muslim societies is that
\nit has been taken as a general attitude to Islam, ignoring the
\nsocial justice reasoning behind the revelation of the verse.
\nPolygamy, which was common in pre-Islamic society, apparently has
\na new meaning in Islam.<\/p>\n
Islam intended to change it from a male right into a female
\nprivilege in limited circumstances, beneficial to women and
\nchildren, and not in circumstances detrimental to women. If it
\nwere acceptable to women, polygamy could be a way to protect them
\nand give them sexual access to men at a time when women
\noutnumbered men.<\/p>\n
However, the Koran itself does not refer to the sexual nature
\nor needs of women or men when dealing with polygamy. It refers
\nonly to the need to ensure social justice for orphaned girls, at
\na time when unprotected women were open to all kinds of abuse.
\nThis is clear from the Koran's statement, \"If you fear that you
\nwill not be able to deal justly with orphans, marry of your
\nchoice, two or three or four; but if you fear that you will not
\nbe able to deal justly with them, then only one\" (al-Nisa\/4:3).<\/p>\n
This rule on polygamy was introduced conditionally: The verse
\nespecially refers to the justice to be done to orphans. The verse
\nwas revealed immediately after the Battle of Uhud, when the
\nMuslim community was left with many orphans and widows and
\ncaptives of war. Their treatment was to be governed by principles
\nof humanity and justice.<\/p>\n
Hence, justice is a prerequisite for a polygamous man.
\nHowever, while the Koran refers to justice, it also says that the
\ncondition of being just and fair is difficult to realize due to
\nhuman limitations.<\/p>\n
It is explicit about this, which makes it even clearer in its
\nattitude for not advocating polygamy: \"You are never able to be
\nfair and just as between women; even if it is your ardent
\ndesire,\" (al-Nisa\/4:129). It is quite categorical that it is not
\nwithin the power of human beings to treat more than one wife with
\nequal fairness.<\/p>\n
There is a big gap between desire and fulfillment, and as far
\nas polygamy is concerned, the Koran is clear. In spite of good
\nintentions, men cannot deal justly between their wives.<\/p>\n
This may be because, as the Koran says, \"God has not given any
\nman two hearts\" (al-Ahzab\/33:4). This implies that a man cannot
\nlove two women equally. These verses, then, can be read together
\nas presenting a case against generalized polygamy, which Muslims
\nderive from reading half a line of al-Nisa\/4:34.<\/p>\n
Given the context of its revelation among polygamous pre-
\nIslamic Arab societies, the Koran accepts the fact that women are
\nvictims of injustice in society. However, abolishing polygamy
\ncompletely and giving women equal status with men in every
\nrespect was not a practical proposition in that type of society.<\/p>\n
Thus the Koran adopted the middle-way solution, in what is
\ntermed a \"pragmatic-ideological\" course. It even goes further by
\nspeaking of \"the near impossibility\" for a man to be fair and
\njust to multiple wives. This spirit of the Koran in empowering
\nand liberating the oppressed group, the women, should be captured
\nwhen one speaks about polygamy.<\/p>\n
Our neighboring country, Malaysia, is launching a monogamy
\ncampaign. Prime Minister Mahatir Mohammad has appealed to all
\nstates to apply the Muslim Family Law as soon as possible, to
\navoid heterogeneity in the application of sharia, including
\npolygamy.<\/p>\n
The assertive Muslim feminists group, Sisters in Islam, has
\nalso embarked on this campaign through car stickers bearing three
\nmessages: a) 1 husband = 1 wife, b) Monogamy My Choice, and c)
\n\"If you fear you cannot do them justice, then marry only one.\"
\nWhen will Indonesia follow?<\/p>",
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