'Polygamy matchmaking club' draws criticism in Indonesia

In this Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009 photo, Muslim men sing a religious song as they perform during the launch of Ikhwan Polygamy Club in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The writing on the screen reads "The Launching of Ikhwan Polygamy Club".

Those Muslim men who advocate for polygamous marriages here in Europe - should understand that if the man has this right so will the women.

In the Himalayas Buddhist women is some areas marry more than one man. And it is interesting to point out that during the time of the Queen of Sheba in the Middle East - likely parts of North Africa it was customary for women to marry more than one man and take them to live in her house. It shows the utter flexibility of the human mind's ability to believe or rationalize anything. In today's world the Muslim woman's belief in her inadequacy is matched by the man's beliefs in his superiority.

There has to be an irony in the complete reversal of the position of women in the Middle East. To add to this - is the belief that the event of Islam advanced women's position in the region.

And we must not forget - Muhammad's father worshiped the Goddesses - Allat, Manat and Al-Uzza - around that same Kaaba. In Sura 53:19 Muhammad even called out to these Goddesses [of which Salman Rushdie poked fun at]. So in getting rid of them - Muhammad created a male dominated Middle East - and further wherever his sword ended up. A lot of the Gods in that entire region would have been Sun Goddesses [like Mother Earths] - and many were over time demoted to Moon Goddesses such as Allat Allah's Daughter. But these Moon Goddesses - still maintained enormous power.

Sura - means sun in Sanskrit - there was also an ancient Persian Sun Goddess called Soraya - one of the things about the Sun Goddess - of ancient Greece and the region - was that they had snakes for arms and these snakes represented the beams of light - or one could say Sura - that brought in the day and in so doing brought enlightenment to man.

It is doubtful that Muhammad brought any significant improvement to women in the region - one) that had not already been done - and two) likely he took rights away from women - or curtailed their rights.

At one time the ancient Greeks were taken over by a male dominated group. And for about 500 years there was the absence of art, sculpture and things that they enjoyed. But then to appease them - the Greeks elevated their male Gods - such as Zeus - and there you had the start of the male only Olympics - in honor of these Gods. It was likely along this stretch that the Sun Goddesses were made into Moon Goddesses.

The Moon Gods and Goddesses were represented with the Moon symbol - this was so prevalent that it cannot be argued. Therefore pre-Islamic Allah had to have been a Moon God - And we know that his daughter Allat was a Moon Goddess. With Goddesses prevalent throughout the region - the position of women would have had to have been reflected in this. Muhammad's actions shifted power to the men.


JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)— Plans to open branches of a Malaysian "Polygamy Club" in Indonesia have upset women's groups and religious leaders in the world's most populous Muslim nation, who say the search for multiple wives should be handled privately — not by a matchmaking service.

Under Islamic law, Muslim men are permitted four wives. The club claims a noble aim of helping single mothers, reformed prostitutes and women who feel they are past marrying age meet spouses. It also offers counseling to people facing problems in polygamous households.

The Malaysian owners say they want to "change people's perception about polygamy, so that they will see it as a beautiful rather than abhorrent practice," club chairwoman Hatijah Binti Am said as members from around 30 families attended a gathering in Bandung, west Java, for the opening of the first Indonesian branch last week.

Others will soon be added, including in the capital, Jakarta, said spokeswoman Rohaya Mohamad.

"Indonesia is a Muslim-majority country, so polygamy can be a way of life there too," Rohaya said.

Polygamous relationships are believed to be gaining in popularity in secular Indonesia, but it's impossible to say how many there are because the marriages are performed secretly at mosques and are not recorded by the state.

Indonesia's 1974 Marriage Law permits a man to have a second wife if his first is an invalid, infertile or terminally ill. However, there is no way to monitor adherence to the rules.

In this Aug. 15, 2009 photo, Hatijah Aam, right, and fellow wife Nor Aziah Ibrahim address a gathering at the "Ikhwan Polygamy Club Family Day" in Rawang, north of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Polygamy is legal for Muslims in Malaysia, though not widespread. The Ashaari clan believes it should be. Last month, the sprawling family launched a Polygamy Club that seeks to promote plural marriages for what it says are noble aims, such as helping single mothers, prostitutes and older women find husbands.


Polygamists point out that the Prophet Muhammad is thought to have married about a dozen women in his lifetime, including widows in need of protection. But a prominent member of the influential Indonesian Ullema Council, a board of Muslim priests, described the launching of a formal club as a "provocative campaign."

"Such a club is needless," said Ma'ruf Amin. "It will draw (negative) reactions rather than solve problems" because the practice is generally opposed by women in the country of 235 million people.

Several prominent political and religious figures in Indonesia openly married second wives in recent years, sparking widespread public debate and calls to ban civil servants from polygamy. Analysts believe the number of men with multiple wives is increasing as this emerging democracy searches to balance modern governance and Islamic identity.

Amin said that although Islam allows polygamy, popularizing the practice could encourage multiple marriages in which the husbands fail to adhere to strict guidelines, including fair treatment of all wives and children and equal financial support.

Opposition has also come from women's rights activists.

Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, director of the Institute for Indonesian Women's Association for Justice does not oppose men having several spouses, but said the club should not advertise openly.

"If they did it privately, that would be fine," she said, citing the acceptance of polygamy under Islam and by the Indonesian state according to specific requirements.

However, Yohanna, a member of the same women's rights group, said the club effectively promotes abuse.

"While we are campaigning against domestic violence, which includes polygamy, there is a group campaigning that polygamy — which hurts other women — is a positive thing," Yohanna told MetroTV.

Polygamy is also legal for Muslims in Malaysia but not widespread. The club was founded there in August and claims to have around 1,000 members — 700 of them women — many of them former members of a banned Islamic sect of Al-Arqam.

Malaysia's Home Affairs Ministry was reportedly keeping a close eye on the club.

Hatijah, the club founder, is a wife of Ashaari Muhammad, the leader of the Al-Arqam sect that was outlawed in 1994 by the Malaysian government after the group's teachings and beliefs were found to deviate from Islam. The group then claimed to have around 10,000 followers.

Ashaari was portrayed by the movement as messiah who had the authority to forgive the sins of Muslims. He has 38 children from four wives, eight of them with Hatijah. Twenty-three of the children are in polygamous marriages.

Indonesia's more than 200 million Muslims practice a moderate form of the faith, but a small hardline fringe has successfully pushed for Islamic law of Shariah in more than a hundred municipalities across the nation, and the predominantly Muslim province of Aceh.