Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Wives and women's rights activists have raised concerns over the recent formation of the Global Ikhwan polygamy club in Bandung, West Java, condemning it for promoting polygamy among Muslim communities.
They urged the government and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to take stern action to curb such a campaign, which they say could mislead the community and tarnish the public's understanding of Islamic teachings.
Linda Damajanti Sukmana, a mother of three living in Cigadung, Bandung, said it was difficult to imagine what kind of educational role, as claimed by its founders, the polygamy club could possibly play.
She said that although the decision to practice polygamy was an individual right, many circles opposed it because many polygamy cases led to injustice and domestic violence against women.
The Institut Perempuan women's empowerment group also opposed the polygamy club, launched at the Grand Aquila Hotel in Bandung on Oct. 17, 2009. "We reject it because it is a form of abuse against women," said Institut Perempuan director Elin Rozana, as quoted by Antara state news agency.
She said the institute believed the polygamy club was in breach of the international convention on the elimination of all forms of violence against women, ratified by the Indonesian government.
"One of the forms of violence mentioned in the convention is polygamy." Institut Perempuan also disapproves of the polygamy club because it has received many complaints about the harmful consequences of polygamy, such as psychological pressure, physical abuse, and abandonment of wives and children.
Global Ikhwan polygamy club leader of the Bandung branch Mochammad Umar said the club was familiar with those arguments.
"The club was established to provide advice and curb people's misperceptions about polygamy. We want to show people that this practice is good when carried out the right way," said Umar, who lives with his four wives and 20 children.
Umar said 36 families in Indonesia and around 300 families worldwide had joined the Global Ikhwan polygamy club. "Polygamy is not solely fulfilling the desire for lust. We practice polygamy because we wish to defend women," said Umar.