We’ve tried to tell you. As the Quran clearly allows one man to marry up to four wives simultaneously (Quran 4:3), the ‘new’ Libya has strongly hinted that polygamy will be made legal again, much to the consternation of Libya’s supporters abroad and women everywhere.
Such consternation must be more rampant Islamophobia, right? Perhaps ‘liberated’ Libya is just trying to keep up with the Joneses, as it were, since much of neighboring Europe has already adapted to polygamous Muslim marriages. Following up on our previous reporting on this development here; from “Hinting at an End to a Curb on Polygamy, Interim Libyan Leader Stirs Anger,” by Adam Nossiter, The New York Times, 29 October 2011:
TRIPOLI, Libya “” It was just a passing reference to marriage in a leader’s soberly delivered speech, but all week it has unsettled women here as well as allies abroad.
In announcing the success of the Libyan revolution and calling for a
new, more pious nation, the head of the interim government, Mustafa
Abdel-Jalil, also seemed to clear the way for unrestricted polygamy in a Muslim country where it has been limited and rare for decades.It looked like a sizable step backward for women at a moment when much here “” institutions, laws, social relations “” is still in play after the end of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s 42 years of authoritarian rule.
“A sizable step backwards”? Is Islam not grand, noble, pure, etc. etc.? Is even the New York Times becoming Islamophobic?
In his speech, Mr. Abdel-Jalil declared that a Qaddafi-era law that
placed restrictions on multiple marriages, which is a tenet of Islamic law, or Shariah, would be done away with. The law, which stated that a first wife had to give permission before others were added, for instance, had kept polygamy rare here.“This law is contrary to Shariah and must be stopped,” Mr. Abdel-Jalil told the crowd, vowing that the new government would adhere more faithfully to Shariah. The next day he reiterated the point to reporters at a news conference: “Shariah allows polygamy,” he said. Mr. Abdel-Jalil is known for his piety.
Shariah allows polygamy? Perhaps someone should inform Jay Leno’s wife.