Saturday, September 6, 2008

Polygamy in Iran

There has been much uproar in Iran this past week over the proposed changed to the laws in polygamy. The proposed new changes would see the ability of the husband to introduce new wives without the consent of his first - primary - wife.

Four women's rights activists were jailed over their protest.

However, the sheer wight of public opinion has forced legislators to take a step back and postpone the introduction of this controversial bill.

From BBC News:
"In Iran, contentious legislation which might have encouraged men to be more polygamous has been sent back to a legal committee for further discussion.

Polygamy is legal in Iran. Men are permitted up to four wives, but only with the permission of the first wife.

In its present form, the proposed Family Support Bill would - if made law - allow a man to marry a second wife without the permission of the first. The only condition would be that he is financially capable of supporting both.

Iran's parliament, the Majlis, has sent the bill away for more discussion. Women's Rights activists are delighted but warn that the bill is still in the system and may reappear. It is more likely to disappear. "


From MSNBC:
"Outcry over the bill forced parliament to postpone a vote scheduled for Tuesday so lawmakers could debate it further in a committee.

The government of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposed amendments last year to legislation drawn up by the judiciary that was supposed to be a landmark bill to allow female judges for the first time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Opponents said the government is trying to impose an even stricter version of Islamic law in Iran, especially toward women. The complaints were enough to force the parliament speaker to send the bill back to committee before it was to be put to a vote for the first time Tuesday.

Iran has refused to ratify the U.N. convention on women's rights, and the country's senior clerics in Qom, Iran's main center of Islamic learning, have rejected the convention as un-Islamic."


From Yahoo News:
"A bill that would allow Iranian men to take additional wives without the consent of their first wife has angered women and the country's top justice official, who say it would undermine women's rights and could be a government attempt to more deeply enshrine its strict Islamic interpretation into law.

Under Islam, a man can have up to four wives, and countries around the Mideast allow polygamy. However, Iran is one of the few — along with Syria and Tunisia — that require the consent of the first wife before a husband can take another. Still polygamy is rare in Iran, where most people frown on the practice.

The government amendments were added to the Family Protection Bill soon after it was drawn up last year by the judiciary. Aside from allowing some female judges, the bill imposes prison sentences for men who marry girls before they have reached legal age. The bill had sat in parliament's judiciary committee since its submission to parliament.

Another government amendment that has drawn objections from the judiciary would introduce a tax on the dowry grooms pay to wives upon marriage under Islamic law. Opponents say the government should not be allowed to get its hands on that money."


From Khaleej Times:
"Polygamy is not practiced in mainstream Iranian society, but the government of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has pursued amendments to a landmark women's rights bill to allow multiple marriages, as it seeks to enshrine elements of Islamic law into the country's legal system.

The Family Protection Bill was drawn up by the judiciary with the intention of allowing women to serve as judges for the first time since the 1979 Islamic revolution. As initially drawn up, it would also impose prison sentences for men who marry girls before they have reached legal age.

Earlier this week, dozens of women's rights activists, including Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, went to parliament to protest the bill. Judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi also blasted the government's amendments, saying they were harmful to women."


From CBS News:
" "That the parliament postponed the vote is a significant victory for women in Iran," said women's rights activist Farzaneh Ebrahimzadeh. "But we have to fight on. The bill may return to the parliament for a vote but we have to make sure that articles reducing the rights of women are deleted." "


From CTV - Canada:
"It's part of a move to enshrine elements of Islamic law in Iran's legal system. However, the proposal has raised so much ire from women's rights groups and the judiciary that a planned vote on the bill this week had to be postponed.

Rights groups say the postponement is a significant victory for women, but hardliners, including some conservative female legislators, say they won't give up the fight to bring the amendments to a vote.

Another government amendment that drew objections from the judiciary is an article that would introduce a tax on the money grooms pay to wives upon marriage under Islamic law. Opponents say the government should not be allowed to get its hands on that money."


From Payvand:
"An Iranian parliamentary committee has approved in the first reading a controversial draft law that allows men to take a second wife, a bill that women's rights activists have dubbed the "Antifamily Bill."

The fierce debate on the bill highlights rising social tensions in Iran, where the hard-line government of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad is increasingly targeting women's rights activists.

The bill, officially known as the Bill to Protect the Family, has been on the table in parliament for years, the subject of seemingly endless revision and debate. The controversial clause that gives men the right to have another spouse without the first wife's approval was actually laid aside by the previous parliament because of strong opposition from women's rights activists.

But this time, it was passed quietly by the Legal and Judicial Committee and only became public news after "Etemad," an independent newspaper, reported it. The government reportedly insisted on adding the marriage clause to the bill.

Reaction has been swift and broad. Not only women's rights activists, but some religious leaders have also have criticized the bill, questioning the wisdom of purporting to interpret Islamic law and morals.

To support the defense of women's rights in Iran, some nongovernmental organizations and Iranian studies societies outside the country have nominated the "Iranian Women's Right Movement" collectively to receive the 2008 UN Human Rights Prize, a prestigious award that is given out every five years on the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It will be awarded this year in December, and past winners include Martin Luther King and Amnesty International."


From Desert News:
"The government amendments were added to the Family Protection Bill soon after it was drawn up last year by the judiciary. Aside from allowing some female judges, the bill imposes prison sentences for men who marry girls before they have reached legal age. The bill had sat in parliament's judiciary committee since its submission to parliament."


From The Chicago Tribune:
"Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005 in part on a platform of restoring "Islamic values" that hard-liners say were eroded under the reform program of his predecessors. In 2006, Iranian activists launched a campaign to try to change laws that deny women equal rights in matters such as divorce and court testimonies — sparking a crackdown in which a number of women activists were arrested.

Despite the current restrictions, Iran's 35 million women have greater freedoms and political rights than women in most neighboring Arab states, particularly Saudi Arabia. There are numerous women in parliament and other political offices, though they are barred from the presidency and the more powerful, clerical post of supreme leader.

Earlier this week, dozens of women's rights activists, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, went to parliament to protest the polygamy bill."


From UNHCR: RefWorld:
"Iran's parliament has indefinitely delayed a vote on a bill on families, a move women's rights activists say is a victory in their drive to block legislation they fear would encourage polygamy.

The conservative-controlled assembly had been due to vote on the government proposal known as the "Family Support Bill" August 31 but it was sent back to its legal committee for more work, an Iranian newspaper reported this week.

Sussan Tahmasebi said she and other activists had lobbied against the measure, which they said would allow a man in the Islamic Republic to take a second wife without the agreement of his first wife. The bill also covered other family issues.

But she cautioned that the bill, put forward last year by the government of conservative President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, had not been withdrawn and may be sent back to the legislature.

Tahmasebi said activists also objected to other aspects of the proposal, including imposing taxation on money the husband agrees in a marriage contract to pay his wife upon her request.

She is involved in a campaign to collect one million signatures in support of improving women's rights in Iran.

Campaigners say dozens of them have been detained since the drive began in 2006, in what Western diplomats see as part of a wider clampdown on dissent. Most were freed within days.

The activists say women in Iran face institutionalised discrimination that makes them second-class citizens in divorce, inheritance, child custody, and other aspects of life.

Iran's ruling clerics say Iranian women are protected from the sex-symbol status they have in the West and that the country is implementing divine law."

1 comment:

Ana said...

I am glad the bill was never passed and men must still receive the consent of the first wife before he could take another.

Many women suffer terribly in polygamous marriages. I know as I am an American female Muslim who lives Polygamy in America. My husband married a second wife against my wishes, without my consent.

I formed a support group online for all muslims who live polygamy, are contemplating living polygamy, or anyone interested in talking about it. There everyone could hear the story of my journey, as well.