Moslems criticize polygamy ruling

Moslems criticize polygamy ruling

KUALA LUMPUR (DPA): Moslem women have slammed as unfair a recent move by Malaysia's Selangor state to allow married men to wed again without the consent of the first wife, saying it can destroy family harmony, newspapers reported yesterday.

"They will be able to cheat more women now as they do not need the signatures of their wives," Ainon Khariyah Mohamed Abas, a women member of parliament, was quoted as saying in parliament Wednesday. Islam allows men to have four wives.

"In Islam, polygamy is allowed, but for the right purposes. I do not see good reason for men to marry young girls as it shows the marriage is not for love, but for lust," she said, adding that men wanting another wife should opt for widows instead.