On the evening of May 13, on its Bulletin Utama, TV3 ran a feature in conjunction with Mother's Day, which was to fall the following day. I wish to point out that the story feature was peculiar and distasteful in light of the ocassion.

You would think the station would have covered stories on dedicated, selflesss and sacrificing mothers in our midst, who had beaten incredible odds to bring up their children in exemplary ways. Unfortunately, this was not to be so.

TV3's newsdesk took this special occasion to instead feature the three wives of a polygamous Dato' in an item that I found at odds to the celebration of mothers and the sacrifices they make.

While the three women were mothers themselves (each bearing children for this one man), TV3 was ill-advised, insensitive and irresponsible to justify, even glorify, the whole idea of polygamy in conjunction with Mother's Day - which is what TV3 appeared to do.

Polygamy is not a privilege accorded to Muslim males.

It is at best described as permissible in Islam, and only according to arguable interpretations of the Holy Book and by strict adherence to certain conditions. Even then, polygamy is not the rule in Islam, but an exception.

It should not to be taken lightly according to the Holy Book - its practice demands immense and absolute responsibility on the part of the polygamist to treat all his wives equally and fairly described as an impossible feat in itself. (re: Surah Al-Nisaa , V-3,129)

Many Muslim scholars have highlighted that polygamy discounts the fundamental value of matrimonial faithfulness to a single spouse.

More importantly, TV3 should be reminded that the concept of polygamy is a contentious issue in a modern society (both Islamic and otherwise) that is striving to eliminate gender-based injustices and inequalities, and the objectification of women to satisfy the hyper-hormonal drives of some men.

It is truly an affront to my mother and mothers everywhere, and to the dignity of women, that TV3 should feature motherhood in a polygamous marriage in conjunction with Mother's Day, no matter how exemplary that polygamous family might be.