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)