The practice of informal polygamy among fundamentalist groups raises several legal issues. It has been considered difficult to prosecute polygamists for bigamy, largely because they are rarely officially married under state law. In the absence of evidence that the alleged perpetrators have multiple formal or customary marriages, these groups are simply subject to laws against adultery or illegal cohabitation – laws that are not universally enforced because they also criminalize other behaviors that are otherwise socially sanctioned. However, some “fundamentalist” polygamists marry off girls before the age of consent or commit fraud in obtaining social and other forms of public assistance. Islam is the only major religion whose sacred texts arguably advocate polygamy. Verse 3 of Sura 4 An-Nisa (women) explains that under certain (and disputed) circumstances, a man can marry up to four wives. According to this text, many Muslim countries allow a man to have up to four wives. However, many also require the man to indicate whether he plans to be monogamous or polygamous under the marriage contract with his first wife, and if she does not allow it, he cannot marry another woman as long as he is married to her. In addition, polyandry, in which a wife has several husbands, is still strictly prohibited.
Another unusual loophole is that many Muslim countries recognize polygamous marriages as long as the husband, before marrying his first wife, informs her that he intends to add more wives and accepts them. If the first wife does not agree, the husband cannot marry any other woman as long as he is married to her. In Afghanistan, the Quran allows a man to take a maximum of four wives. Men can treat all their women equally. As a result, polygamy is systematically recognized and practised in Afghanistan. But the rules are rarely followed. In addition, Afghans are allowed to take an indefinite number of women as wives or concubines. Polygamy is the practice of having more than one spouse. In particular, polygamy is the practice of a man taking more than one wife, while polyandry is the practice of a woman taking more than one husband.
Polygamy is a common model of marriage in some parts of the world. In North America, polygamy is not a culturally normative or legally recognized institution since the colonization of the continent by Europeans. The practice of polygamy is generally frowned upon in most countries. Countries that legally recognize polygamy have populations where its practice is part of organized religion, namely the denominations of Islam. However, other religions also recognize polygamy, such as the small, unofficial sects of Mormonism. Notably, the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) – the Mormon religion officially recognized in countries around the world – does not encourage or tolerate polygamy. In most countries, a person who marries one person while still legally married to another commits bigamy, a crime, although penalties vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In addition, the second and subsequent marriages are considered null and void. Bigamy can be intentional and consensual, with one spouse marrying a second spouse, knowing that their original marriage will remain legally binding and that all parties agree. It can also be intentional and not entirely consensual when two or more spouses are unaware. Many countries that allow polygamy have Muslim majorities, and the practice is rare in many of them.
Less than 1% of Muslim men live with more than one spouse in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran and Egypt – all countries where the practice is legal, at least for Muslims. Polygamy is also legal in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and other neighboring countries, but they were not included in the study due to data limitations. Muslim adherents of polygamy often quote Quranic verse 4:3, which commands men to take as many wives as they can provide, up to four, and they also point out that the Prophet Muhammad had several wives. Historians have noted that Islamic guidelines on polygamy were issued in the midst of the wars in Arabia in the seventh century, when there were many widows and orphans in need of financial support, and that polygamy created a system in which they had to be treated. To date, polygamy is more common in places where people, and especially men, tend to die young. Under the 1961 law, the Muslim majority is allowed to practice polygamy in Pakistan. Men of the Islamic faith can take a maximum of four wives. However, before entering into a second marriage, he must obtain the legal consent of his first wife. In 1998, about 40,000 people living in Utah were part of polygamous families, or about 1.4 percent of the population. [37] Polygamists have been difficult to prosecute, as many apply for marriage licenses only for their first marriage, while other marriages are celebrated secretly in private ceremonies. After that, secondary brides try to be seen in public as single women with children.
[37] Polygamy usually takes the form of polygamy – when a man marries several wives. Polyandry, which refers to women with more than one husband, is even rarer than polygamy and is mostly documented in small, relatively isolated communities around the world. While polygamy laws are generally biased in favor of men – but not women – to take multiple spouses, the laws of many countries also speak in favor of women`s rights. In Burkina Faso, for example, where polygamy is common, spouses must agree that a marriage will be polygamous from the beginning so that the husband can take another wife in the future. In Djibouti, a judge records the opinions of existing wives on new marriages and reviews the husband`s socio-economic situation before approving a marriage contract with another wife. Polygamy is legal in Algeria, where a man can take up to four wives. But recent amendments to Algeria`s Family Code have made it difficult to conclude such marriages. Therefore, the occurrence of polygamy was rare. Currently, however, only 3% of the population practices polygamy. When a man is able to marry several women at the same time, it is called polygamy. This marriage is not a popular choice in most societies.However, it can be observed in areas where the birth of girls has increased. These societies may have experienced a war that limited the number of men available for women. Polygamy is generally vital to the survival of these societies. Marriage, divorce proceedings and other family law matters are governed by state law. All U.S. jurisdictions prohibit polygamy by invalidating marriages with more than two spouses. State laws against bigamy — marrying someone while they are still legally married to another person — are usually grounds for annulment. Scottish-Irish settlers and some Welsh emigrants continued the long-standing traditions of many partners, from Europe to America. [21] [page needed] Utopian and communal groups founded in the mid-19th century had different marriage systems, including group marriage and polygamy. [22] There is also evidence of multiple spouses in the southern United States, particularly after the Civil War.
[21] [Page needed] Religion often plays a role in how polygamy is governed and practiced in a single country. In Nigeria, for example, polygamous marriage is not allowed at the federal level, but the ban only applies to civil marriages. Twelve Muslim-majority northern states recognize these unions as Islamic or customary marriages. In India, Muslim men are allowed to marry multiple women, men of other groups are not. However, in countries where polygamy is common, it is often practiced by people of all faiths. This is the case in Gambia, Niger, Mali, Chad, and Burkina Faso, where at least one in ten people from each religious group measured live in households where husbands live with more than one spouse. Since the Edmunds Anti-Polygamy Act of 1882, bigamy has been a federal crime under U.S. law.Bigamy is a crime that occurs when a person is married to two different people at the same time under two different marriage contracts. If a person is married, he or she is required to dissolve the marriage by death, annulment or divorce before he or she can legally enter into a new marriage. If a person deliberately fails to dissolve the first marriage before entering into a new marriage contract, they may be charged with bigamy. Group marriage is an umbrella term for marriages involving multiple husbands as well as multiple wives. Polyamory is the practice of having multiple romantic relationships, with all parties having complete knowledge and giving full consent. Not related to marriage. Polygeny is the (outdated) theory that the different races of humanity evolved from different ancestral groups. This term has nothing to do with polygamy, but is sometimes confused with “polygyny”, so it is included here for clarity. Polygamy is a practice in which a person is married to more than one person at a time, most often to a man with several wives. Polygamy is often based on traditional cultural practices or religious beliefs. Usually, it is practiced legally in some Muslim countries and is limited to men of the Islamic faith.
The range of non-monogamous consensual relationships includes: polyamory (multiple romantic/sexual partners), polygamy (one person is married to multiple partners), group marriage (each person in the relationship is married to the others), open relationship/marriage (a committed or married couple who are not attached to sexual fidelity), polyfidelity (a relationship with multiple partners, but sexual activity is limited to a specific group), monogamous (couples who are sexually polyamorous but remain “emotionally monogamous”), swinging (similar to open relationships, but performed as an organized social activity, often with some form of; sometimes called a woman/husband exchange), triad (a polyamorous relationship of three people), and relational anarchy (participants in the relationship are not bound by rules or norms). established).
