Gulf | Bahrain
Take four wives, urges Bahrain MP
An Islamist lawmaker has urged his male peers to take four wives, three Bahraini women and one foreigner, in order to help address the issue of the high number of spinsters in the country.
- By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
- Published: 00:00 April 5, 2007
- Islamist lawmaker Shaikh Jasem Al Saidi.
- Image Credit: Gulf News file
Manama: An Islamist lawmaker has urged his male peers to take four wives, three Bahraini women and one foreigner, in order to help address the issue of the high number of spinsters in the country.
Shaikh Jasem Al Saidi, an independent with strong ties to the Salafis in the lower house, said that Bahraini men should not hesitate to wed more than one wife for the sake of the nation.
"We do not want to have spinsters in the country and we do not want a rise in the divorce rate either. Taking more than one wife is the solution, and I advise that the members of the Council of Representatives should set the example," he said.
But his remarks, uttered in a light tone, drew compassionate opposition from the other 38 men who sit in the 40-member council.
"Please, just speak for yourself," the Islamist deputy was told by fellow member Hassan Al Dossari, while Latifa Al Gaood, the only woman in the lower council, preferred not to comment.
Al Saidi's suggestion came after the council could not agree on the merits of extending health privileges to foreign women married to Bahrainis.
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