Madurese agrees one never enough

Madurese agrees one never enough

JAKARTA (JP): 20-year-old Muslim cleric on the East Java
island of Madura has won admiration and envy after he married
four teenagers in a same-day wedding party.

The lucky man, Syamsudin of Bangkalan town, held a lavish
party for four consecutive days where relatives and friends were
treated with traditional dances, dangdut, an out-door film (layar
tancap) and mass prayers.

The wedding party was thrown after Syamsudin spent 20 days
following the administrative procedures with the Religious
Affairs Office and other related state agencies.

Surabaya-based Jawa Pos newspaper reported that all four
brides slept in the same room prior to the wedding party and no
quarrel had been reported. On the wedding day, the brides
flanked Syamsudin -- two on his right and two on his left -- for
a photo session.

Syamsudin, a dropout of an Islamic boarding school, is a
cleric serving ex-convicts and is highly respected in this
segment of the community.

None of his wives have reached 18, the legal age under
Indonesian law. Two of them are only 15 and the other two 14.

"I hope Syamsudin can treat all his wives equally," said a
guest. (pan)