Compatibility of Islamic Laws with Modernity: A Study of Polygamous Marriage in Relation to the Status of Women in the Islamic World

This article analyzes core materials from the Islamic faith like the Qur’an and how they apply to issues of gender, crime, divorce and marriage. There is a particular focus on polygamous marriage within the Islamic world. The article frames the debate over the applicability of old traditions like polygamy to the modern world and how these practices clash with and compare to other traditions in both the West and the Islamic World. The article also compares the Islamic perspective with some Western perspectives which claim that practices like polygamous marriage “discriminate” and “debase” the status of women. The core purpose is to better understand how Islamic societies interpret marriage and gender relations through a comparison of a series of cultural, religious and legal perspectives.