Menses justifies polygamy?
It is very common that religion being used for all the wrong purposes when it could have helped to enhance the lives of weak and the oppressed. Most of the times it would be the priests or clerics from a religion who would be misinterpreting the Holy Books to sustain their own interests and misleading the others within the community. The latest controversy about a comment from the senior Muslim cleric Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musaliar on polygamy shows that this trend still continues. Kanthapuram reportedly have said this: A second wife is biologically justified. Women’s menstrual cycle prevents them from sexual contact for 5-6 days.
His statement came in the backdrop of a state law reforms commission has come out with a draft bill to check polygamy and divorce by Talaq. The bill seeks that ‘monogamy shall be the rule’ and that ‘marrying again during the lifetime of husband or wife is an offence.’
The proposed bill wants that “if any married Muslim, man or woman, marries again during the subsistence of the first marriage, the party who violates shall be guilty of bigamy under the IPC and punishable as such.”
Kanthapuram says that polygamy is sanctioned in Islam. But noted writer M N Karassery has reacted strongly against Kanthapuram’s statement. In an article in this week’s Mathrubhumi weekly, Karassery writes that Kanthapuram’s statement has come from those who see woman as a mere sex object. He has also mentioned that polygamy as allowed in Islam is not for the sexual pleasures of man. He cites from Quran:
[4:3] If you deem it best for the orphans, you may marry their mothers – you may marry two, three, or four. If you fear lest you become unfair, then you shall be content with only one, or with what you already have. [via]
Here the emphasis is on protecting the orphans, but the clerics like Kanthapuram interpret it wrongly. Jamaat-E-Islami has welcomed the proposed bill, but Sunni sect of which Kanthapuram is part of is objecting it strongly. The Mujahid sect has not reacted to the issue yet.
Kanthapuram’s statement helps only to leave a bad mark on the Kerala Muslims, the Sunni sect to be particular. It is high time that clerics like him think about it.
(Image courtesy: Kanthapuram.com)
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
November 12th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
This comes as a shocker.
November 13th, 2008 at 12:11 am
Jo,
I want to really thank for the post. It has been said in The Book , as plain as it could be understood by everyone.
This is Mr. K ‘s job. It is obvious that he is not thinking with his head, rather ….
VayattiPpizhappinu vendi oro veshangal .. allathentha.. ?
November 13th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
These people are the real anti-social ones – in fact worse than terrorists and stinking politicians. He reminds me of our good old clown Seethi Haji. Is it like no men can stay away from ‘contact’ for 5 or 6 days?
First of all one should stop sexual discrimination before even talking about racial, religious and regional discrimination…
November 14th, 2008 at 1:23 am
The reasons for needing multiple wives often amuses me. Women who live in the same house and even women who worked together often menstruate at the same time. It doesn’t matter how many wives you have..chances are you aren’t going to get sex every day of the week. But you might have to cranky wives instead of one.
November 14th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
LOL! So true, Marsha.
November 14th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
@marsha: Only too true.
Convenience comes first in these things. First decide what’s convenient for you, then you can justify that by pointing to any verse in any religious doctrine. Polygamy, murder, greed…. everything can be justified if you twist the facts.
November 22nd, 2008 at 9:00 am
LOL
There is an article (actually it continued for 2-3 days !) in the mathrubhumi news paper by this ‘magnet’ puram guy, ‘clarifying’ his point. In short, we will not get any head or tail of what he is planning to tell !!!
Hmm wondering how he ‘manage it’, I mean 365 times an year at this age
November 22nd, 2008 at 4:10 pm
April 28th, 2009 at 2:12 am
Comment of Kanthapuram on polygamy is shame for real islam, especially for cultural kerala, SHAME for all muslims.This poor guy thik that he is the BHANDAAKAAR of Islamic knowledge. The real islamic intellect would smile himself on his above mentioned comment.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
SEE HOW THE USTAD INTERPRETS?
I AM NOT WORRIED ABOUT HIM, BUT HIS FOLLOWERS
IF ALL OF HIS FOLLOWERS UNDER HIS SECT REALLY FOLLOWS THIS?
IF TWO WIVES MENSTRUATE TOGETHER WILL THEY BRING A THIRD ONE TO CALM THEIR URGE?
MARSHA ! YOU SAID IT
December 21st, 2009 at 8:39 am
[...] husbands are rot in hell? But it is not just about Indonesia. About an year back, a famous cleric from Kerala had justified polygamy because “Women’s menstrual cycle prevents them from sexual contact for 5-6 [...]
December 21st, 2009 at 11:39 am
Quite shocking to see how citations from Holy Books can be conveniently misinterpreted… !!
May 26th, 2010 at 12:25 am
this man expresses his personal opinion. because the reason of polygamy is so far from he said. i say for that man, please dont twist the verses for your passion. you may be a good muslim because i dont know you exactly,but iam sorry to say that you are ignorant man by your religion.
August 13th, 2010 at 5:08 pm
we cannot blame him blidly, as i know he is a well scholar, his comment definitely come from a version from a true hadeeth. Before Marsha posting comment, should define the reasons for polygamy.