Polygamy is a practice in which a person is married to more than one person at a time, most often to a man with several wives. Polygamy is often based on traditional cultural practices or religious beliefs. Usually, it is practiced legally in some Muslim countries and is limited to men of the Islamic faith. The International Christian Polygamy Society needs donations to travel to countries like Chad to preach the true gospel to all, including Muslims. Adultery is and has never been part of polygamy. In Afghanistan, the Quran allows a man to take a maximum of four wives. Men can treat all their women equally. As a result, polygamy is systematically recognized and practised in Afghanistan. But the rules are rarely followed. In addition, Afghans are allowed to take an indefinite number of women as wives or concubines. Polygamy is widespread, with 39 per cent of women living in unions. This is sanctioned by law, which automatically allows polygamy unless the spouses indicate that it is unacceptable at the time of marriage.
However, due to economic and social constraints, this tradition is fading. Polygamy is allowed in many countries around the world. Here are ten of those countries. Polyamory is simply the idea of consensual non-monogamy. This can manifest in a number of different formats, some of which may be accidental free love, such as an open relationship or a stronger group partnership. Overall, the practice of polyamory is fluid and not rigidly defined, and exactly how it can manifest can vary from person to person. In fact, some Bedouins in Israel have even been convicted of polygamy. Some countries that have banned polygamy may still recognize polygamous marriages from other countries. For example, Sweden recognizes polygamous marriages contracted abroad.
Switzerland has banned polygamy, but polygamous marriages contracted in another country are dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Australia recognizes polygamous marriages in other countries only in certain circumstances. Some countries where polygamy is legal are not signatories to the ICCPR, including Qatar, Oman, Malaysia, Brunei, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan and the United Arab Emirates; so that the ICCPR does not apply to these countries. [152] The Department of Justice Canada has argued that polygamy is a violation of international human rights law. [153] With respect to Judaism, polygamy laws can be confusing. Religion often plays a role in how polygamy is governed and practiced in a single country. In Nigeria, for example, polygamous marriage is not allowed at the federal level, but the ban only applies to civil marriages. Twelve Muslim-majority northern states recognize these unions as Islamic or customary marriages. In India, Muslim men are allowed to marry multiple women, men of other groups are not. However, in countries where polygamy is common, it is often practiced by people of all faiths.
This is the case in Gambia, Niger, Mali, Chad, and Burkina Faso, where at least one in ten people from each religious group measured live in households where husbands live with more than one spouse. Polygamy is prohibited by civil law in several African countries, but acceptable under customary law, which allows for activities that society has long recognized. The United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand provide certain benefits to spouses of polygamous marriages contracted abroad. Sweden recognises polygamous marriages contracted abroad on a case-by-case basis without granting residence or social security rights to other spouses. [129] [130] In Switzerland, polygamous marriages contracted abroad may be accepted or rejected on a case-by-case basis; [138] See § Europe. In the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, which at the same time grants additional matrimonial rights and obligations to persons who were already married before married persons were divorced from their current spouse. [139] Polygamy usually takes the form of polygamy – when a man marries several wives. Polyandry, which refers to women with more than one husband, is even rarer than polygamy and is mostly documented in small, relatively isolated communities around the world. While polygamy laws are generally biased in favor of men – but not women – to take multiple spouses, the laws of many countries also speak in favor of women`s rights. In Burkina Faso, for example, where polygamy is common, spouses must agree that a marriage will be polygamous from the beginning so that the husband can take another wife in the future. In Djibouti, a judge records the opinions of existing wives on new marriages and reviews the husband`s socio-economic situation before approving a marriage contract with another wife. This subsection of Christianity is known for its historically atypical attitude toward polygamy.
In the United States, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, based in Utah, practiced polygamy from 1847 to 1890, which it called “plural marriage.” The U.S. government declared polygamy illegal in 1862, mostly in response to the LDS Church. The church, recognizing that support for polygamy prevented the state of Utah, banned the practice in 1890, and the church`s founder, Joseph Smith, disavowed the practice in 1904. Some small Mormon groups that have split from the LDS Church still practice polygamy, as do some members of society as a whole, but these unions are not legally registered or recognized. 2. Algeria: In Algeria, polygamy is allowed and a man can have up to four wives. However, recent amendments to the Algerian Family Code have made such marriages more difficult. As a result, polygamy was relatively rare. Polygamy is currently practised by only 3% of the population. It shows that polygamy is allowed in countries mainly in Africa and Asia, including Algeria, Mali, Niger, Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The morality and social value of polygamy are hotly debated. Westerners who promote polygamy for religious reasons (usually marginal Mormons) often claim that households with more parental contributions can create richer and more stable family life for their children. However, opponents argue that polygamy is exploitation and is based on the false belief that women are inherently worth less than men – and that those who promote polygamy are most likely to benefit from maintaining this belief. However, Conor Freidersdorf argues in The Atlantic that legalizing polygamy can supposedly lead to higher levels of rape, kidnapping, murder, robbery, and assault. With the exception of Solomon Islands, polygamous marriages are not recognized in Europe and Oceania. In India, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, governments recognize polygamous marriages, but only for Muslims. In Australia, polygamous marriage is prohibited, but polygamous relationships are common in some Australian indigenous communities. In Indonesia, polygamy is legal in some areas, such as Bali, Papua and West Papua. Balinese Hinduism allows polygamy, practiced for centuries by the Balinese and Papua.
Protests against the ban on polygamy and polygamous marriages took place in Indonesia in 2008, but did not lead to changes to the law. Polygamy is the term used to describe a marriage between three or more people. Polygamy contrasts with monogamy, which is a marriage between only two people. While monogamy is the standard approach to marriage in Europe and America, polygamy is common in much of Africa and the Middle East, and is also observed in parts of Southeast Asia. Ultimately, however, according to Pew Research in 2020, “only about 2% of the world`s population lives in polygamous households.” The first, and much better known, is polygamy among the Bedouins of southern Israel. Here, polygamy is commonly practiced and men can have more than one wife. This is technically illegal but is generally overlooked by the state. In recent years, however, efforts have been made to combat polygamy. The legal status of polygamy varies from country to country, with each country prohibiting, accepting or promoting polygamy.
In countries that accept or promote polygamy, polygamy is the most common. In countries where only monogamous marriage is legally valid, de facto polygamy is generally permitted, as long as adultery is not illegal. In areas like these, where polygamy is prohibited but tolerated, there is no legal recognition for more spouses after the first. Polygamy is legal in several places, including heavily Muslim countries and parts of sub-Saharan Africa known as the “polygamy belt.” According to a Politico article, legalizing polygamy is the “most natural next step” in countries where it is currently banned.