Islamist parliamentarians in the Kurdistan parliament in Iraq are rejecting restrictions on polygamy.
The independent Iraqi weekly Aso reported that an Islamist MP, Zana Rostayi, reaffirmed the Islamists’ opposition to the decision to impose restrictions on this practice, according to MideastWire.
The parliament recently passed a ruling sentencing anyone who takes more than one wife to two years in prison and a fine of one million dinars ($678).
“We oppose this in every way, because we believe that it is contrary to Islamic Shari’a [Islamic law] and the constitution,” Rostayi told Aso.
He added that this ruling would increase divorce rates and “undermine the rights of the women who are in harmony with their men.”
In contrast, leader of the Kurdistan Religious Scholars Union, Muhammad Zangana, said an anti-polygamy law would not cause such a problem, adding that it was in the public’s interest to have the practice restricted.