Why one Iraqi female MP is calling for law to encourage polygamy
An Iraqi parliamentarian has proposed a bill to financially compensate men who take on multiple wives.
BAGHDAD — Iraqi parliamentarian Jamila al-Obeidi called on March 12 for a bill that would offer financial support to men who take on more than one wife. She said the measure would be one way to tackle the social problems facing widows and divorced women in Iraq.
Obeidi stressed the seriousness of the bill, which will likely be sent to parliament for consideration in the coming months.
Obeidi believes the bill would be a crucial step in Iraq, given the country's “large number of widows and divorced women,” estimated respectively at 2 million and 4 million.
Yet Obeidi's proposal provoked much controversy in Iraq. Many have come out in support of it, like parliamentarian Motashar al-Samarrai, who told Iraqi media that the proposed bill was "in line with Islamic Sharia." He said that it is a woman's right “to have sexual relations but within the bounds of marriage.”
