Polygamy is a reality for some families
Rachel Woodlock; 28/6/08
If ever a man flirts with the idea of marrying more than one wife, he should surely be dissuaded from the idea by watching a season of Big Love — a fictional television drama about the polygamous family of a fundamentalist Mormon man whose life is constantly troubled with jealous intrigue, betrayal and psychotic in-laws. I am writing tongue-in-cheek, but since embracing Islam I have become friends with about half-a-dozen different women who are co-wives (none of them with each other). Tellingly, all the relationships involved include at least one convert, which means that polygamy is not merely the preserve of refugees who can barely speak a lick of English and who know nothing of our culture or way of life. Whether or not we like to admit it, polygamy is part of the diverse fabric of family life in 21st century Australia, although admittedly a minority practice. This is partly because although Australian multiculturalism requires assent to the law of the land, many groups (for example, Jews, Catholics, Baha’is and Aborigines) also operate under community-imposed religio-legal codes, particularly when it comes to family relationships.
See: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/polygamy-is-a-reality-for-some-families-20080627-2y2k.html
Forget the law, polygamous lovers are already doing it for themselves
Lisa Pryor; 28/6/08
Keysar Trad, you cheeky old fox. This week the president of the Islamic Friendship Association of Australia introduced us to the idea of polygamous marriage as mosque-approved midlife crisis, a second wife as sanctified swinging. In case you missed it, Trad called for legal recognition of polygamous marriage. And he shared his own experience, not so many years ago, when he considered getting jiggy with another lady, maritally speaking, while his wife and kids were overseas. Since then, Trad’s proposal has been almost universally condemned. The Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, said polygamous relationships are unlawful and will remain so. “It’s based on the culture of our community and polygamous relationships are entirely inconsistent with that culture and indeed with the law.”
See: http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/forget-the-law-polygamous-lovers-are-already-doing-it-forthemselves/2008/06/27/1214472765337.html
Law and the wives of others
Kenan Malik;28/6/08
How does a modern, plural democratic society deal with the desire of some minority groups to observe cultural norms at odds with the law of the land? It is a question that has been asked with increasing force in recent years. The debate in Australia about polygamous marriages for Muslims is simply the latest in a series of conflicts over how to manage diversity in a modern democracy. Traditionally, anti-racist campaigners have insisted that the law should be blind to a citizen’s skin colour, culture or faith. Racism worked precisely by treating different groups differently, most grotesquely through apartheid or the Jim Crow laws in the US. Anti-racism was therefore about challenging such differential treatment.
See: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23933516-28737,00.html