Polygamy Editorials in Newspaper Spark Angry Reaction, and Debate

In the past month the Toronto Star published 2 editorials and some articles regarding Polygamy in Canada... this reflects the laws which we have in place against the practice, and the existing practices of polygamy in contradiction of those laws... the reasons for their ambivalence in our society to prosecute and the lack of debate on the subject... while the fundamentalist Mormon sect in Bountiful, BC has remained silent on these articles, only responding to question put to it's leaders, the Islamic Community in Toronto has reacted sharply, to the point of what I would term character assassination of one of the writers, a woman... below is an excerpt from an editorial written regarding the attacks...



"I, however, was surprised by the personal attacks against her. Her commitment to her faith has been questioned by other Muslims and some have even suggested it was improper for a Muslim reporter to report on this.


One "open letter" that came to my office, the Star's letters page, and is now circulating in the online blogosphere, accuses her of demonizing Islam itself. "If your intention was to spark debate on polygamy in the community then the Toronto Star was not the forum for it," the letter states. "There is already ample anti-Islamic sentiment in the world and it is not befitting for a Muslim to add to it.
"As a Muslim woman, you had an Islamic obligation, to defend this aspect of your faith, not to deliver a further blow to an already bruised community."



Polygamy in Islam is not a requirement for men, it was instituted as a means by which women, in underdeveloped countries, with no protection, or means of support, could find that support and protection, when they needed it... ie as widows, orphans... it has become an abused system in modern western societies, where there is no need for this... men are having multiple wives, and collecting benefits from the government social welfare system... this is wrong... as well, young girls are being trafficked for the purpose of arranged marriage's to older men...



In the case of the Fundamentalist Mormon religion, it is more complicated... in their religion, it is considered a prerequisite for men to have multiple wives to get into heaven, and for women to be married to such men... this is a stumbling block to prosecution of these cases...



but as the original author of the editorial rightly said, the major concern in polygamist marriages has to be the welfare of the children... and in this there is no agreement... not enough studies it seems have been done to determine whether there is a negative affect... this I have to look into more...



however, for at least one woman who was lied to by her husband, on the advice of the Imman who married him to his 3 wife, she has divorced him, and has moved on... Is growing and has begun a new life...



the Imman who married her husband, made this comment when confronted:

"This is in our religion and nobody can force us to do anything against our religion," he said. "If the laws of the country conflict with Islamic law, if one goes against the other, then I am going to follow Islamic law, simple as that."



Yet in Islam there is no such justification for his actions... The president of the Canadian Society of Muslims, who speaks frequently on polygamy issues:
"Muslims should not enter into polygamy while they are living in Canada, because the local Canadian law prevails. It overrules the Islamic law if there is a conflict between the two," he said.



Islamic men coming into the country as immigrants, who already have multiple wives, do it seems have protection under the law and social services... however those already here as landed immigrants or citizens of Canada, who wish to practice polygamy, whether it is bringing in women to marry, marrying women here, or going to home countries to marry, do not have any such protection under the law, and are open to charges...