There are over a thousand men living with more than one wife. It has become a phenomenon, a British government spokesperson said [Reviewer: no name mentioned], hinting at Muslim polygamous husbands.
Successive governments in Britain have continuously refused to recognize a second marriage and considered it an unlawful relation as the law only recognizes a one-wife marriage. Although it is illegal, Muslims tend to perform the second marriage at the Ma’zhūn to avoid being watched by the law. This causes a crisis for women who engage in polygamous marriages because they are threatened with losing their economical and social rights if the marriage fails.
“It is a scandal. Wives are forced to engage in unrecognized marriages with no minor rights,” according to a Conservative member of parliament [Reviewer: no name mentioned].
Defending their rights, Muslims of Britain called on the government to recognize polygamous marriage for Muslims as it does not contradict the Islamic Sharī‘ah. Nashwá Ḥusayn, a member of the Human Rights Committee in the Muslim Parliament of Great Britain [Reviewer: an NGO founded in 1992, see: http://www.islamicthought.org/mp-intro.html], stated that recognizing polygamy will act as a shield for Muslim wives if they face trouble within their marriages.
العربية