Muslim men seem increasingly keen on polygamy, just as women's groups are plotting how to curb husbands' rights to as many as four wives.

One politician a male is so enthusiastic about the practice that he wants women who allow their husbands to marry a second wife to receive medals of honour.

Women, however, don't seem too keen on the medals.

"We want the legal system to restrict the practice of polygamy," Ruzana Udin, the spokesperson for Sisters In Islam (SIS), told AFP .

But it will be an uphill battle.

The Perlis state government has announced that it will do away with the need to obtain a first wife's written consent to a second marriage to stop men flocking across the border to marry again in less-restrictive Thailand.

The Minister of Women and Family Development, Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, called the move an insult to women.

Another state, Terengganu, is preparing to issue legislators with undated letters authorising them to take another wife at any time.

That idea seems to have left the women speechless with rage, while men who are not elected representatives might be wondering why they are left out of such an easing of the rules.

Although Syariah laws vary from state to state, they generally require the signed consent of a man's first wife before he is allowed to take a second.

And while Islam permits a man to marry four wives, he has to prove he has the financial means and ability to treat all wives equally.

Malaysian men often try to escape these strict requirements and get hitched in the Muslim parts of southern Thailand without any such fuss.

Time for debate

If Malaysia's women's groups have their way, however, taking more wives is about to get even fussier.

"We feel that in this day and age, polygamy is no longer necessary," Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) executive secretary Ivy Josiah told AFP.

"The Holy Quran allowed it in limited circumstances and contexts. But it is now time to debate its necessity."

Some men, such as Johor state legislator Ali Shikh Ahmad who proposed the medals of honour for willing wives, say polygamy helps solve social problems, for example by giving single mothers a chance of marriage.

But this argument is dismissed by SIS.

"It doesn't solve social ills, it doesn't help single mums at all," said Ruzana. "Most children who live with polygamy suffer because their fathers are too preoccupied with their other wives to be properly involved in their upbringing.

"It's ridiculous when polygamy is touted as a solution to social ills when it clearly does the opposite."

She told AFP that the organisation was not immediately seeking an outright ban on polygamy, but a previous statement issued by SIS submitted that "it is not wrong or offensive to suggest the possibility of a ban on polygamy for Muslims."

Prophet's example

Ruzana said the Prophet Muhammad did not encourage polygamy, contrary to popular belief in Muslim society.

"The Prophet did not even allow his daughter's husband to practise it. Basically, men as human beings are simply incapable of being fair even if they wanted to be," she said.

The Prophet did not marry younger and prettier women to fulfill his desires, as is the trend among Malaysian Muslim men, Ruzana said.

Her view has been supported by the spiritual leader of Islamic party PAS, Nik Aziz Nik Mat, who said polygamists who dump their first wives after "extracting all their sweetness" should be whipped until they become impotent.

He suggested there should be some legislation to differentiate between those who practise polygamy for noble reasons, and those who do it for selfish motives of lust.

But WAO's Josiah said that in the modern age, where women have access to education and employment, all polygamy was unnecessary.

"The historical context of polygamy during the Prophet's time was to protect the welfare of widows and their children in times of war. This is obviously not relevant anymore," she said.

Mental abuse

The outdated practice also constituted a form of mental abuse, creating fear and insecurity in women who live with polygamy.

"I have yet to receive a call from a woman saying she is happy that her husband has married again," she said. — AFP