DAR AL ISLAM-MALAYSIA: RESEARCH ON THE EFFECTS OF POLYGAMY ON THE MOSLEM FAMILY...

Malaysian group to research polygamy's effects on Muslim families

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Opponents of polygamy in Muslim-majority Malaysia said Thursday they will spearhead a rare survey to prove their claims that the practice throws families into emotional and economic turmoil.

Researchers hope to interview 6,000 members of polygamous households over the next 10 months in what could be the most comprehensive survey ever conducted on polygamy in a Muslim society, said Zainah Anwar, director of Sisters In Islam, a Malaysian women's rights group.

"We need evidence-based material to strengthen our advocacy for awareness and reforms, rather than merely use stories or assumptions about polygamy," Zainah told a news conference.

Islam allows a man up to four wives. But the practice of polygamy has sparked debate in Malaysia, where nearly 60 percent of the nation's 26 million people are Muslim, because activists say some polygamous husbands neglect their responsibilities to wives and children.

Government statistics recorded 13,516 polygamous marriages between 1995 and 2004, representing 1.4 percent of all Muslim marriages, said Norani Othman, a sociologist at the National University of Malaysia involved in the survey project.

However, activists believe the true number is higher because many men fail to report their second or third marriages in order to keep them a secret from their primary families. There is no official estimate of the total current number of polygamous marriages.

The upcoming survey is significant because existing research on Muslim polygamy in other countries has only scrutinized a small number of respondents and focused on legal issues. As such, there has been a failure to understand the financial and social impact of polygamy, Norani said.

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Pertinent Links:

1) Malaysian group to research polygamy's effects on Muslim families