Al-Azhar Grand Imam polygamy is an “injustice” for women
The grand imam of Egypt's top Islamic institution,
al-Azhar, has said polygamy can be an "injustice for women and
children".
Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, Sunni Islam's highest
authority, said the way it is often practised comes from "a lack of
understanding of the Koran".
He made the comment on his weekly television
programme and on Twitter.
After sparking debate, al-Azhar clarified that the
cleric was not calling for a ban on polygamy.
He reiterated that monogamy was the rule and
polygamy the exception.
"Those who say that marriage must be polygamous
are all wrong," he said. The Koran, he added, states that for a Muslim man
to have multiple wives, he "must obey conditions of fairness - and if
there is not fairness it is forbidden to have multiple wives".
Sheikh al-Tayeb also advocated a broader revamp of
the way women's issues are addressed.
"Women represent half of society. If we don't
care for them it's like walking on one foot only," he said on Twitter.
Egypt’s National Council for Women welcomed Al
Tayeb’s comments.
“Islam honours women, treats them fairly and gives
them numerous rights which didn’t exist before,” said Maya Morsi, the council’s
chairwoman.
Some users, however, argued that polygamy is good
for women.
“Polygamy is the social solution for (female)
celibacy which has been horribly exacerbated,” wrote Sameh Hamouda, a cleric
from Alexandria, in a Facebook post.
Al Azhar sought on Saturday to clarify the comments,
saying that Al Tayeb wasn’t calling for a ban on polygamy.
Islam allows men to take up to four wives on the
condition that they’re treated equally.
