Polygamy in British Muslim Community "Rife"

According to this BBC article, polygamy is far more prevalent in Britain than most Muslims over there are willing to admit. Dr. Zabina Shahian, a 40-something GP, was "devastated" after she discovered (through detective work) that her husband still had a wife and three kids in Pakistan. She's now doing her best to help other Brit Muslim women who are dealing with the same issue, though many in the community are not looking kindly upon her efforts.

"When I go down to my parents I get all the neighbours looking at me.

"As a Muslim woman I'm supposed to keep a low profile. I feel like I've committed a crime here although I'm the victim.

"You're supposed to keep your mouth shut and you're supposed to just carry on. It is impregnated into our culture."

Her 54-year-old husband, former conservative party politician Pervez Choudhry, claimed that he had no clue his Pakistani marriage would be valid in England. It's doubtful that an educated man would have no idea that if you don't divorce your spouse you are still legally bound to that person regardless of where you wind up living.

Though most women don't have the means to do anything about a suspected bigamist husband, Shahian did. She hired a detective and spent two years and a bundle of money to track down information on Choudhry's second family. They discovered that his first wife was the result of an "arranged" marriage in 1986.

Her case against Choudhry, however, is not the norm, since polygamy in the UK usually goes unpunished.

This is because they are able to avoid having their second or third marriages registered in the UK by having a Nikah ceremony instead - an Islamic non-registered marriage contract not recognised under British law.

For a Nikah wedding to be recognised in the UK, the marriage needs to have an accompanying civil ceremony.

Dr Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, director of think tank The Muslim Institute, said men could exploit the "cruel loophole" of the Nikah, allowing them to have more than one wife under Islamic law but not having to register the marriage in the UK, which means the woman would have no spousal rights if the marriage were to fail.

"They dump their first wife and simply go to Pakistan, Bangladesh or wherever and marry again," he said.

Leading family solicitor Annemarie Hutchinson, who represents Muslim women, said no official statistics were available but that Dr Shahian joined thousands of Muslim women in the UK who were victims of polygamous marriages.

"There are lots and lots of second marriages and second wives - it's rife."

But in cases where prosecution would be possible, she said there would be no case "unless the first or second wife pushes for it".

"It's bigamy but the police won't prosecute because there would be thousands of cases," she said.

Siddiqui says that polygamy

"...is so widely spread they don't blame men having a second wife or a third or fourth wife. They accept this is their lot."

It's hard to believe that it's so prevalent in a Western, non-Muslim country- then again, we are talking about Britain that does allow Shariah law.

Stacey Dooley's "My Hometown Fanatics"- the rise of extremist Muslims in Luton, England

In this BBC 3 documentary, Stacey Dooley goes to Luton (North London) to witness up close and personal the radical Muslims who have overtaken her home town, now known as the 'extremist capital of Britain'. In the end, she seems to think they can all somehow live together, shariah law be damned. But what can one expect from a liberal. With attitudes like hers, the end of England will come even sooner than expected.

18% of Young Asian Brits Support 'Honor' Based Violence

A poll sponsored by the BBC found that of the 500 young Asian Brits surveyed, 18% (1 in 5) think it's okay to beat the heck out of women if they've 'dishonored' their families. Killing them, not so much. Only 3% justified 'honor killings' for either

disobeying a father, rejecting a prearranged marriage, or marrying someone unacceptable by the family.

Not surprisingly, 6 percent of those were men as opposed to 1 percent of women.

A great majority of the 16 to 34-year-olds polled believe that 'honor' (as if violence is honorable) is a very important element in family life.  75% of those were men versus 63% of women. 

Violence against women is a huge global problem, but in a culture that devalues women and places more importance on 'honor' it becomes monumental.  And although Muslims aren't the only ones who participate in 'honor killings' and violence against women, it doesn't help matters that the Quran actually promotes wife beating for disobedience.

 Karma Nirvana,

...a charity that supports victims and survivors of honor based violence, reported on its Website that it receives “on average approximately 5,000 calls a year on our national helpline supporting all victims and survivors of forced marriage and honor based abuse.”

Jasvinder Sanghera, of the Karma Nirvana, fled her parent’s home when they attempted to force her into an arranged marriage at the age of 14.

She urged Asian community leaders in Britain to speak against the honor code, also known as “Izzat” in Urdu language.

“I’ve yet to see community leaders, religious leaders, politicians; Asian councilors give real leadership on this. They don’t because they know it makes them unpopular,” Sanghera told the BBC.

According to a spokesperson for the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organization (IKWRO), last year in the U.K. there were over 2,800  cases of  "‘honor’ based violence" reported to the police.

“These figures demonstrate that ‘honor’ based violence is not a minor problem but a very serious issue which affects thousands of people each year, many of whom will suffer high levels of abuse before they seek help,”

Many feel that 'forced marriage' is a major factor in honor based violence, so in an effort to thwart violence against young women who refuse to marry men that their families match them up with, Brit authorities are considering criminalizing it.

The Home Office has launched a campaign seeking public opinion on creating a specific criminal offence for forced marriages and how it should be formulated.

I sincerely doubt anything will come of it. Arranged marriages are a long standing tradition for many Asians, and laws won't prevent them from taking place, or the violence against a daughter/sister who refuses to comply.

Educated Muslim Women In the UK Considering Polygamy

Polygamy is still legal in mainly Arab, Middle Eastern, African and southern Asian countries. Although mostly Muslim, there are a few Christian-majority lands where the practice is permitted, like Zambia, Congo and Uganda. And even in Buddhist Burma (Myanmar) polygamy is legal, though frowned upon by most.  Then you have Sri Lanka, Singapore and India all of which allow polygamous unions for their Muslim citizens only. And though it is illegal in most western countries, Australia and the United Kingdom. permit polygamous marriages as long as they were performed  in a country where it's allowed.

I was actually surprised about Australia, but not so much the U.K.  After all, British Muslims are increasingly turning to Sharia law to settle various matters, and many (not just extremists) are aiming for England to be ruled by Muslims. 

Since having up to four wives is allowed per the Quran, and a good man is hard to find, some Brit Muslim women are  looking to enter into polygamous unions because they'd obviously rather share a man than remain single.  These educated women want to remain in the workforce rather than become the child-bearing maid that many Muslim men expect to marry.

Mizan Raja, 35, who organizes Muslim marriages around the world, told [snip] The Sunday Times, that he has received hundreds of calls in the past six months from women asking about becoming second wives.

“The demand for these relationships is led by the women, not the men. In one generation women have become educated, entrepreneurial and professional.

“The Muslim community is struggling with this, how do you cope with women who wear trousers?” he said.

He added that many Muslim men just wanted a “homemaker”, to come home to a clean house and a plate of food on the table.

Another major problem is that eligible Muslim women far outnumber eligible men in the U.K. Maybe that's because they go to their homeland to find a nice, compliant, dutiful Muslim wife to bring back to England to cook and clean for them, and have their many babies. Or perhaps it's the fact that Muslim men are allowed to marry non-Muslim women, as long as they belong to one of the Abrahamic faiths, whereas Muslim women have to get their beaus to convert to Islam before they can marry. And they say women are equal in Islam. Right.

I honestly cannot fathom how an educated woman would choose to live in a polygamous relationship, then again, I'm not Muslim.

The True Face Of Islam- Brit MP talks Of Muslims Taking Over Parliament

The following video is of British MP Shahid Malik, Justice Minister, talking about the importance of the increasing amount of Muslim MPs in the U.K. government, and how in time the whole Parliament will be Muslim. He's also confident that in 30 years or so, there will be a Muslim Prime Minister.

Now imagine if a Christian, Jew, Hindu or Buddhist had said the exact same thing.

This is what is called stealth jihad.

Religion has no place in politics. What a man/woman's religion is should have no bearing on whether they should be voted into office or not.

British Politicians Banned From Calling Islamic Extremists "Islamic Extremists"

Even as some enlightened Muslims themselves have openly criticized the British government for pussyfooting around the issue of radical Islam in England, they continue to kowtow to the extremists. The latest idiocy coming out of Whitehall is a ban on the use of certain words by Ministers when speaking about the war on terrorism in a public forum. 8 pages worth, to be exact, of banned and politically correct alternatives, most of which make no sense at all. Simply because they fear offending Muslims, the majority of whom, granted, are incredibly thin-skinned.

So, even though they are referencing Muslim extremists, they're not allowed to use "Muslim", since it implies Islam is violent. A good alternative- just plain terrorism, or "violent" extremism.

Oh, and even though Jihadis are Jihadis- not allowed to use the word. Or fundamentalist for that matter. Because

Excuse me, but since when is "fundamentalist" solely equated with Islam? Every religion has their fundamentalist wackos, not just the Muslims. So, instead of calling them Jihadis (which they are) or fundamentalists or fundamentalist Jihadis, they are to be called 'criminals, murderers or thugs, which they are in their own right, even though they're still Jihadis. You don't have Christian Jihadis, or Hindu Jihadis, or Buddhist Jihadis, Jihadis are M-U-S-L-I-M and rewriting the Islamic dictionary isn't going to stop them from being Islamic Jihadis.


"Radicalisation" is also a no-no. It's "brainwashing". And they're not allowed to differentiate between moderate and radical Muslims since it "splits the community". But I thought that's what moderate Muslims wanted, not to be associated with extremists. As for "Islamophobia"? Verboten, since it's considered "a slur that singles out Muslims". Huh? That's a word they use against us. Why is that one banned?

Some over there have found it as ludicrous as I have:

He's right. You call a spade a spade, not a spoon. Islamic extremists are... radical Islamic fundamentalists who happen to be fighting a global Jihad, and call anyone critical of their religion Islamaphobic. No ifs ands or buts!

The guidance was branded "daft" last night by a special adviser to ex-Communities Secretary Hazel Blears. Paul Richards said: "Unless you can describe what you're up against, you're never going to defeat it. Ministers need to be leading the debate on Islamic extremism and they can't do that if they have one hand tied behind their back."

they make an "explicit link" between Muslims and terror.

U.K. To Redefine What A Muslim Extremist Is

Looks like England is trying to save its proverbial butt from turning into UKistan, by redefining what a Muslim extremist is.

So, they would be considered radicals if:

• They advocate a caliphate, a pan-Islamic state encompassing many countries.

• They promote Sharia law.

• They believe in jihad, or armed resistance, anywhere in the world. This would include armed resistance by Palestinians against the Israeli military.

• They argue that Islam bans homosexuality and that it is a sin against Allah.

• They fail to condemn the killing of British soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan.

It would also

"widen the definition of extremists to those who hold views that clash with what the government defines as shared British values."

Problem is, that definition pretty much sums up the majority of Muslims in Britain. Of course, there is already much criticism of the proposed plan, which Whitehall has dubbed Contest 2. Some claim it will only serve to further alienate the Muslim population, as if they aren't already alienated, which is mostly self-imposed because of their religious ideology. Although Contest 2 hasn't been finalized, there's really not much to the plan, other than denying them public funds. In other words, no more being on the dole (welfare) which is something many of the home-grown Brit terrorists might have troubles dealing with. One such educated, moderate- turned- extremist claims

"He no longer works, even though he is able-bodied, he admits, preferring instead to claim housing benefit and jobseeker's allowance. He smiles sheepishly and says the irony is not lost on him that the British state is supporting him financially, even as he plots to "overthrow it."

Sayful Islam doesn't think of himself British, but rather

"... a Muslim living in Britain, and I give my allegiance only to Allah."

So, my question is, why don't they just deport all these people who don't consider themselves Brits, and save themselves not only a bucketful of money, but potential terrorist activity, as well?

Whatever happens, if they actually have the courage to pass Contest 2, they're going to have a huge fight on their hands. The British radical Muslims aren't going to give up the U.K. without a fight.

Hat Tip: Weasel Zippers