I watched a program during Ramadan, the show presented a question to both Islamic and Christian clerics from various doctrines to show the opinion of religion about it … In an earlier episode, the issue of polygamy was presented to Muslim clerics representing Sunnis, Shiites, and Salafist, in addition to a Christian priest. The Azhari Sheikh began to talk about Islam’s tolerance and its justice and gentleness towards women … Then he introduced a prophetic “Hadith”, which implies that a man seeks to marry a woman for four … Her beauty, her money, her ancestry, or her religion! And he should preferably marry her for religion …
((To marry her for beauty … not her mind!)) (For her family’s reputation … not love) (for money … as if she will give him his allowance!))
Then the sheikh went on with confidence:
If a man marries a beautiful woman only, he has the right to complete the other qualities (catalog) with other women! Here the Shiite Sheikh ventured: “He also has the right to marry another if his wife was ill or unable to give him children … The Salafists supported that opinion and all of them were happy as if all their differences vanished! Why not? As long as the subject is linked to sex!
How does’’ a religious man’ ’revel in without disturbing his dignity? It is therefore permissible to hang a banner that says: (Allah ordered us to do this!)
Finally, the Christian priest, who seemed annoyed, said:
What if it was the man who is sick, or unable to have children? The husband and wife had become one by the Lord’s command, and none of them should abandon one another …
One of the Sheikhs replied quickly:
She can ask for divorce but … this may cause her harm! As she may need a place to live or someone who would support her! So, she must wait!
So, Man – according to the three sheikhs – gets to marry other women if his wife is incomplete!
And here comes the important question …
Is man complete? could one man have handsome, money, a family name, religion, the ability to have children and health? And if Allah has created man’s instincts and moods, has he not also created women with the same instincts and moods? Why women cannot marry four men as well?
Isn’t it her right to get the handsome, the rich well-bred, and the religious one?
We, as women, want to marry four men. Or, find a man who has these four qualities together. If you do not accept this or find that, at least leave us the right to betray our husbands without noise!
Don’t we have lust like men? Don’t we aspire to beauty, money, and wealth like men?
No! we are not like men … We are human beings … We have minds and feelings and dignity … The Muslim sheikhs deny the man’s humanity, turning him into a (sexually hyper) parasite, looking only for his benefit and not for someone to share his life with.
Why do they portray him with such shrewdness and inferiority, while Allah has equaled him with women? If Islam has underestimated the man and stigmatized him in ignorance in his search for beauty, or greed in his search for the woman’s money, not treating him as a decent, sane person looking for a loving, cooperative, and understanding partner, then I say … either religion was interpreted according to the desires of some weak souls or … It is an unfair religion!
So please, O Muslim sheikhs … Fear Allah in Muslims and do not tempt women and men away from their true religion, as it is because of you, thousands turn into atheism, and because of you, man has turned from a human being to large genitalia, and women turned into old and new shoes.
Because of you, society has transformed into a forest, where there is no place for reason, justice, dignity, or pride. So please raise your hands from our religion and stay away from our Allah … Have your own religion, and leave us ours. May Allah preserve it for us.
Rania Refaat