...till death do us part.

When I started my online research into polygamy, I wanted to find out what kind of rights the women in these marriages had. My search didn't answer that, all I found is that the government says it recognises polygamy, but as I discovered the 2nd and 3rd wives are allowed an allowance which  I believe is no different to what other women like those from single parent families or divorcees receive. If the government really did recognise polygamy then all the wives would get equal benefits, this shows me that only the wife under state law is acknowledged.  I think if a man is to take more than one wife then they should certainly have the same rights, which I believe is possible in Britain, but only if the man takes full responsibility for his family and provides for them with his own income. Or, as I discovered if one of his wives is a career woman and she chooses to provide for herself.
 After conducting my research and reading all the comments on various blogs, Iv'e come to the conclusion that the majority of women and their children don't really fair well in it all. I'm not saying it's like that for everyone but a lot of women are miserable because I think there's huge pressure on the wives, both of them, because when it boils down to it, they are more or less single mothers with a part time dad. This then has a knock on effect on the children, as one of the comments on my post titled 'one big happy family' said, the mother can influence her children to either love or resent their father. 
So, I think the man who wants to marry more than one woman should think it through very carefully, and make sure that if he does decide to take steps in that direction he will be completely committed to them both and it's not simply because he feels it's his right and 'Islam allows it'. Islam permits polygamy but only if the wives are treated fairly and equally, just so long as he remembers. If a Mormon family like the Dargers in the USA are able to all live together successfully and make it work, then there's no reason why a Muslim family can't do it in Britain. Finally I'd like to thank all those who have taken their time to read my blog, I sincerely hope I haven't offended anyone with anything I've posted. I started my blog by asking, happy ever after? I really do hope it is.

Benefits scam?

The Qur'anic verse that sanctions polygamy is in chapter 4, The Women verse 3:
"And if you feel that you will not deal justly with the orphan girls, then marry those that please you of (other) women, two or three or four. But if you feel that you will not be just, then (marry only) one or those your right hand possesses . That is more suitable that you may not incline (to injustice)."
 So we've seen that Islam permits polygamy but, there are conditions that come with it. If a man chooses to have more than one wife he has to treat them both fairly, that means providing clothing, accommodation and living expenses, and  spending equal amount of time with them both. It's difficult as it is in this day and age to pay the bills and make sure the maintenance of a household runs smoothly, so how does the man practising polygamy afford to keep two families? 'Imran' from the video in my previous post is a successful businessman, so he can afford to keep two wives happy. What about those that don't have a large income?
During my online research I've found that the benefits system is a means by which these men are able to have more than one wife. I found an article that says, on the 19th of July 2012 a House of Commons legal brief revealed that polygamous families would get extra benefits in the beginning of 2013. This would mean that 2nd and 3rd wives will receive a single parent's allowance while the original couple will get the married person's allowance. Hold on a minute,  if the benefit is the standard single mothers allowance, how is that any different to everyone else? I mean, there are hundreds of men out there who've fathered children by 2-3 different women, I'm sure they get the same kind of benefits. I don't understand how the government recognises polygamy in all this. I believe that by labelling it a benefit for Muslim polygamists, it has created many misconceptions and negativity for Islam in the media yet again. Many people have voiced their concerns and objections in protest to this, the words outrageous unbelievable and insanity have been used, I can understand their concerns because they obviously feel as though the Muslims are sponging off the government in order to provide for their extra families. I think that both the government and the media are to blame for giving misleading information, likewise I think that the men in polygamous marriages are also to blame. If they can provide for their families from their own pocket, fine, if not they shouldn't be allowed to exploit the benefits system.