By Azad Majumder
Dhaka, Feb 14 (EFE).- Want to marry a fourth wife with three others at home in Bangladesh? Be prepared – the price could be quite steep in the Muslim-majority country that allows multiple marriages.
In a move aimed at regulating polygamous marriages, authorities in part of the capital, Dhaka, have introduced a tax of up to taka 50,000 ($454) for such unions.
The decision by the Dhaka South City Corporation announced in early February has reignited debate about the practice of polygamy in the country, where it is legal for both Muslim and Hindu men.
Robijul Islam, who owns a driving training center in the western Kushtia district, gained social media attention after his seventh marriage in December.
“It was my mother’s desire that I take seven wives. My first wife divorced me. Six wives are with me now. We live happily,” Robijul told EFE.
While Islam allows men to have up to four wives simultaneously, the taxes imposed by the Dhaka authorities vary depending on the number of partners and the timing of subsequent marriages.
According to the decree, a man must pay taka 100 for his first marriage or after the death of a wife.
For a second marriage during the lifetime of the first wife, the tax is set at taka 5,000. It increases to taka 20,000 for marriages during the lifetime of the first and second wives, and taka 50,000 for a fourth marriage while three wives are still alive.
In all cases involving multiple marriages, permission from the appropriate authority is required, as stipulated by the decree.
“The difference in tax rates between each marriage has been kept high to discourage the practice and prevent family breakdowns,” corporation spokesperson Abu Naser told EFE.
While the move has sparked discussion in other cities across Bangladesh, women’s rights activists criticize it, arguing that most marriages in the country are not legally registered and that stricter personal laws are needed to address polygamy.
“Out of millions of people, a rule in part of one city won’t come of any use,” Fauzia Moslem, president of a women’s council, told EFE.
“Marriage is a personal matter. As long as we don’t reform our personal laws, this practice (polygamy) will continue. The decision of Dhaka South City rather made the whole thing funny.”
Under Bangladesh’s Muslim Family Law, men can have multiple wives with the consent of existing partners, with a maximum of four at a time.
The law does not stipulate any number, but quoting Islam’s holy book, the Quran, the country’s Islamic scholars said a man can have a maximum of four wives at a time.
“The Quran allowed a man to keep four wives at a time. But if you cannot treat all wives equally, you are asked to live with a single wife,” Waliur Rahman, deputy director of the Islamic Foundation Bangladesh, told EFE.
Some legal experts challenged the law, arguing that it is discriminatory, and challenged it in court.
“In sharia, men are asked to treat all four wives equally. But it does not outline how it could be ensured. That’s why we say this law should go,” said Ishrat Hasan, a lawyer who challenged the provision of polygamy in 2001.
“In many Islamic countries, polygamy is banned. We are now waiting for the court’s decision here.” EFE
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