Polygamy law should be tightened to prevent abuses

The Islamic marriage law on polygamy should be reviewed for tightening as there have been many abuses in the practice of polygamy by Muslims in this country.

Malaysia Muslim Lawyers Association's Liaison Committee member, Assoc Prof Noor Awang Hamat said the conflicts arising from a second marriage or subsequent marriages in a polygamy system often resulted in negative public perception about polygamy.

"Perhaps the existing legal provisions (on polygamy) should be tightened or come with additional conditions as prescribed in the Quran and Hadith (sayings of Prophet Muhammad)," he told Bernama at a legal literacy seminar, here, today.

Noor Awang said there was lack of awareness on the rights and responsibilities of couples practising polygamy, especially in ensuring fairness in providing maintenance and managing the family's daily life.

"In the context of Malaysia today, I see the need to build a happy family first before thinking about setting up a new family.

"Those who wish to practise polygamy should first look at themselves, whether they are capable of managing multiple families," he said.

He also said that cross-border marriage in Thailand might be the solution taken by couples in certain situations such as having engaged in pre-marital sex, family disapproval to marry, or to commit polygamy secretly.

However, he added, such couples marrying in Thailand should immediately register that marriage (back in Malaysia) for confirmation in order to protect their rights, especially the woman's, if something untoward happened in the marriage.