TIMES.KY

Cayman Islands, Caribbeanand International News
Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024

Taliban cracks down on 'costly' polygamy

Taliban cracks down on 'costly' polygamy

The leader of the Taliban in Afghanistan has issued a decree urging the group's leaders and commanders to forego taking multiple wives, which he said was inviting "criticism from our enemies".

Muslim men can be permitted by religion to have up to four wives at a time and polygamy is still legal in Afghanistan, Pakistan and some other predominantly Muslim nations.

But Taliban sources told the BBC the practice was creating increasing demand from commanders for funds to pay a "bride price" - a practice in force in many Pashtun tribes in Afghanistan and Pakistan by which money is given to a woman's family to secure her hand in marriage.

The decree comes at a sensitive political moment for the Taliban and for the country, as the militant group undertakes talks with the government over the country's future. Sources said the Taliban leadership was concerned over allegations of corruption against members attempting to raise funds to sustain large or multiple households.

Most of the Taliban's senior leaders have more than one wife, but the new decree does not apply retroactively to those who are already in multiple marriages.

What does the decree say?
The two-page decree, issued in the name of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah, does not ban second, third, or fourth marriages, but warns that large amounts of money spent on marriage ceremonies can invite criticism from the Taliban's opponents.

"If all leadership and commanders avoid polygamy, they won't need to get involved in corrupt and illegal practices," the decree says.

The decree does provide for exceptions though, endorsing multiple marriages for men who either have no children, have no male child from a previous marriage, who are marrying a widow, or who have family wealth to afford multiple wives.

The decree says that in those circumstances, a man wishing to marry multiple wives should seek permission from his direct superior before arranging another marriage.

Taliban sources told the BBC the letter was being distributed to the rank and file of the movement in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

How widespread is polygamy?
Polygamy has long been widespread in the Pashtun societies of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where women have traditionally had little say in who or when they marry.

Absence of a child from a marriage - particularly a male child - is often cited as a reason for taking additional wives in rural, patriarchal Pashtun societies. Another is domestic tension, for which a wife is usually held responsible.

A widowed woman is often given in marriage to the brother of her deceased husband - a move seen as protecting the honour of the widow and the family, even though the brother may already be married. And for those with greater wealth, polygamy can be seen as a status symbol.

Such marriages are made possible by the custom of "walwar" - or bride price - which the family of the bride receives in return for giving her hand in marriage to her husband.

Economic pressures and changing social attitudes in recent decades have begun to discourage polygamy, but it is being kept alive in the modern world by "male lust", said Rita Anwari, an Afghan activist based in Australia.

Islam allowed men to take multiple wives "under certain conditions", Ms Anwari said, "such as if the previous wife is sick or can't bear children, and there are certain balancing caveats".

"Unfortunately, today's men with power have forgotten all that in their pursuit of lust," she added, accusing them of using "small excuses" to take new wives.

"It is completely wrong to have a few wives when you can't look after them equally - financially, physically, and mentally," she said.

Most of the Taliban's senior leaders have taken multiple wives. The movement's founder, the late Mullah Mohammad Omar, and his successor, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, both had three wives. The current Taliban chief, Mullah Hibatulah, has two.

The Taliban's most senior official in Doha, Mulah Abdul Ghani Baradar, has three wives - the last of whom he reportedly married while in Pakistani custody.

Nearly all of the Doha-based leaders of the movement have multiple wives, including those recently released from US custody at Guantanamo Bay. Some of the latter have taken additional wives after their release, mostly in return for hefty amounts of bride money paid to their new in-laws.

When the BBC contacted Taliban sources to ask which Taliban leaders had multiple wives, one source replied simply: "Which one hasn't?"

Why the effort now to control polygamy?
For many years, government officials in Afghanistan have pointed out that while Taliban leaders often lead luxurious lifestyles, foot soldiers are forced to live hand-to-mouth.

"The good news is that the ranking Taliban fighters are sick of fighting while [Taliban leaders] are getting their fourth and fifth wife and are enjoying themselves," said Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos last year.

There have been reports that Taliban commanders in Afghanistan have taken wives by using force - unwanted negative press for the group at a sensitive political time as it takes part in talks with the government.

And the financial strain of bride prices has reportedly concerned Taliban leaders. Reports suggest that commanders and fighters have paid prices ranging from 2m to 8m Afghanis ($26,000 to more than $100,000), either paid from the movement's funds or raised through questionable means.
Newsletter

Related Articles

TIMES.KY
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
BBC Personalities Rebuke Accusations Amidst Scandal Involving Teen Exploitation
A Swift Disappointment: Why Is Taylor Swift Bypassing Canada on Her Global Tour?
Historic Moment: Edgars Rinkevics, EU's First Openly Gay Head of State, Takes Office as Latvia's President
Bye bye democracy, human rights, freedom: French Cops Can Now Secretly Activate Phone Cameras, Microphones And GPS To Spy On Citizens
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
Unilever Plummets in a $2.5 Billion Free Fall, to begin with: A Reckoning for Misuse of Corporate Power Against National Interest
Beyond the Blame Game: The Need for Nuanced Perspectives on America's Complex Reality
Twitter Targets Meta: A Tangle of Trade Secrets and Copycat Culture
The Double-Edged Sword of AI: AI is linked to layoffs in industry that created it
US Sanctions on China's Chip Industry Backfire, Prompting Self-Inflicted Blowback
Meta Copy Twitter with New App, Threads
The New French Revolution
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
×