Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, grand imam of Egypt's famed Al-Azhar institution, said polygamy was the result of a "lack of understanding of the Koran" (AFP Photo/ Vincenzo PINTO) |
Cairo (AFP) - The grand imam of Egypt's famed Al-Azhar institution, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, has described polygamy as an "injustice" for women.
"Polygamy
is often an injustice to women and children," said the influential cleric,
in quotes published on Twitter late Friday by Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's most
prestigious seat of learning.
The
practice is the result of "a lack of understanding of the Koran and the
tradition of the Prophet," he added.
Tayeb also
addressed the issue in a weekly Friday television show, telling viewers:
"Those who say that marriage must be polygamous are all wrong".
He added
the Koran says that in order for a Muslim man to have multiple wives, he
"must obey conditions of fairness -- and if there is not fairness it is
forbidden to have multiple wives".
After the
grand imam's comments sparked fervent debate on social media, Al-Azhar on
Saturday clarified that he did not call for polygamy to be banned.
In his
Friday comments, Tayeb called more broadly for the way women's issues are
addressed to be revamped.
"Women
represent half of society, if we don't care for them it's like we are walking
on one foot only," he said in the remarks published on Twitter.
The grand
imam's approach was welcomed by Egypt's National Council for Women.
"The
Muslim religion honours women -- it brought justice and numerous rights which
didn't exist before," said the Council's president Maya Morsi.
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