Score one for polygamous marriage: British ministers have decided that, even though polygamy is illegal in Britain, it can be recognized formally by the state if it took place in countries where it is legal.
Moreover, because of this recognition, a husband with multiple wives who is eligible for the dole will get extra benefits:
Husbands living in a "harem" with multiple wives have been cleared to claim state benefits for all their different partners.
A Muslim man with four spouses - which is permitted under Islamic law - could receive £10,000 a year in income support alone.
He could also be entitled to more generous housing and council tax benefit, to reflect the fact his household needs a bigger property.
It's obvious that the argument that the women are not submitting to this system of marriage out of any financial security--the husband is on welfare. Don't become so tolerant that what is left of England is virtually identical to Dar es Salaam.
I read about how young boys get the boot for being "competition" with the young girls. I shudder at the thought of that place even existing.
But I briefly lived in places where stranger things have happened and promptly moved soon after hearing about it, so I can believe it. But I just can't stomach it.
Although this seems a needless drain on public money to satisfy a tiny minority, I think I prefer to live in a country that supports people whoever they are and what practices they have, so long as it doesn't involve harm to others.
A case could be made though for the harm it might be doing to the women involved, but not ever having a harem I don't know that they think. Anyone here ever been in one?
Some people in America, it seems to me, need to think a little about how their country was founded and those enlightened principles before wanting to get rid of people that think differently to the mainstream.
i agree with you about the accuracy thing. however, an overwhelming majority of posts sourced from the british press (not the bbc) on neatorama seem to be coming from the daily mail. there's the small truth, ie, the basic facts of the story, and there's the 'weather', which is influenced by the press who's distribution is national. outside of the large population centres in the u.k where most muslim societies congregate, you will almost never see a traditionally dressed muslim woman (as illustrated in this article), let alone a harem. however the daily mail's readership (like my mum for example) are spread pretty broadly accross the country, rural, urban or otherwise. this puts the fear of the 'other' into places where it frankly doesn't belong. if jews were being written about in the same way as musilms are right now in the u.k, there would quite rightly be an outcry...as i mentioned i was adding a bit of context to that post. i freely admit that i'm anti daily-mail, but i think that i'm calling this one correctly. :]
Whether it's accurate or not... are there polygamists in the UK?
The suggestion that polygamy doesn't cause harm is odd. The same could be said for incestuous families - they're not causing any harm to others.
Sounds like a dole disaster waiting to happen...
The polygamists here in the U.S. regularly rely on welfare to support their families. Sexual abuse, incest, statutory rape, mental and physical abuse, murder and abandonment are part of the life of these polygamist communities.
As "G" mentioned, the boys are often dumped in cities, or simply disappear (there's a lot of empty desert there), at around age 14, as they are competition. There girls are usually married off at that age.
Again, if consenting adults choose to live a non-monogamous relationship, I don't have a problem, but I don't want to have to support your lifestyle, and I certainly am not going to support one that's illegal.
February 3rd, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Oh, please, Rocky.
You obviously haven't been to England lately.
http://torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2008/02/08/4834588-sun.html
(the only online source; it was on 2 radio stations this morning)