WASHINGTON - A Moroccan man is currently being held by the Court of Marrakech for supplying fake marriage certificates for four of his wives. Additionally, he was married to five women—one more than is permitted by the Qur’an, reports the Moroccan daily newspaper Al Ittaihad Ishtiraki.
Allegedly, the man married his first wife via an unofficial reading of the Surah al Fatiha—a custom that is socially accepted as marriage without legal recognition. He later married three additional women before taking a fifth in 2009.
On September 1st, the man was arrested following a complaint issued by four of his wives, who submitted their false marriage certificates.
A review is underway to determine the judicial officials involved in preparing the fake documents.
Owing to recent legal restrictions, polygamous marriage is making its way into nonexistence in Morocco, save for the few Muslims living in the nation that continue to practice it.
There is an ongoing battle between polygamy supporters and feminists who declare the practice misogynistic. In a recent report in TelQuel, Fouzia Assouli, president of the Democratic league for Women’s Rights and activist against polygamy stated, “Polygamy is prejudiced against women, but it also has dire consequences for children and society.”
The country is divided, almost equally, on the issue of polygamy. In fact, according to the study “Islam in Daily Life in Morocco,” by sociologists Mohamed El Ayadi, Hassan Rachik and Mohamed Tozy, 44% of the Moroccan population supports polygamy. The same study reveals that “[public] opinion favoring polygamy is more significant in the educated classes than the non-educated [classes].”
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