I DO, I DO, I DO
I am a man. I like women. And I have money. I can take care of them, and all my children," says the polygamous 60-something Haroon. Living in Kuwait, Haroon is among thousands of men who marry more than one wife at a time, typically fathering children with each wife. Often the multiple marriages don't last and wife and children are left to fend for themselves as the husband seeks yet more brides.

Polygamy is allowed in Islam. Men are permitted to take up to four wives at any given time. They are required, according to scripture, to treat all their wives and children equally. This seldom happens, however, in reality. Older wives are usually ignored in favor of younger and new brides.

同性愛に関する聖書の話のどの経典

Perfect division of time is impossible," admits Haroon. "I am human, after all. I see my children all the time, it's a benefit of having your own business… but I preferred my third wife. I spent most of my time with her. Don't mistake me, she was not younger than Fatima and Suraya…. just more interesting.

Few women in Kuwait will admit to being second, third or fourth wives. While permitted in Islam, the practice is not always something to be proud of.

Khadija tells a very sad story. She is now divorced… Khadija is American. She was in her twenties when she met Saad, a Kuwaiti, in the US. She converted to Islam and married him in 1991, becoming his second wife. Saad's first wife found out about the marriage after it was done, and although she initially agreed to it, she changed her mind later and divorced him.

あなたの婚約者のために祈るする方法

I asked Khadija why she agreed to be Saad's second wife. She said that she loved him and didn't want to lose him. "But I was also na�ve, thinking that this was normal and acceptable in Islam. I know now that the way he did it was wrong. He should have asked his first wife's permission before marrying me," she says.

Like Khadija, while Sara does not want to be pitied, she is angry. She too believes that something must be done to protect women from these situations. In practice, it seems that most men do not ask their first wives for permission to marry again and they do not treat them equally. In Sara's case, her husband's fourth marriage meant the end of her own. Asif began looking for another wife when Sara's eldest son was just four months old. They were married for about two years at the time. He said that he wanted another wife to prove to his first wife that Sara did not control him.

ロッシュhashanaは何曜日ですか？

Haroon had three wives for about 20 years. He is presently still with wife number one , his second wife died some years ago, and his third wife left him after 20 years together.

I was curious about his wives and whether they were friendly while he was married to all three. He looked at me like I was insane. He said that they lived in different houses, and he tried to keep everything separate, except the children who grew up as siblings. He said that over the years the women learned to tolerate each other, but jealousy was always an issue.

Statistics on polygamous marriages in Kuwait are hard to come by. But it seems that among the younger generation, polygamy is on the decline.

Credit for above info: Published 5/9/08 by Michelle Naidoo/Kuwait Times