Multiple wives will mean multiple benefit

Multiple wives will mean multiple benefits

ref: http://www.telegrap h.co.uk/news/ main.jhtml? xml=/news/ 2008/02/03/ nbenefit103. xml

Husbands with multiple wives have been given the go-ahead to claim extra welfare benefits following a year-long Government review, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.

Even though bigamy is a crime in Britain, the decision by ministers means that polygamous marriages can now be recognised formally by the state, so long as the weddings took place in countries where the arrangement is legal.

The outcome will chiefly benefit Muslim men with more than one wife, as is permitted under Islamic law. Ministers estimate that up to a thousand polygamous partnerships exist in Britain, although they admit there is no exact record.

The decision has been condemned by the Tories, who accused the Government of offering preferential treatment to a particular group, and of setting a precedent that would lead to demands for further changes in British law.

New guidelines on income support from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) state: "Where there is a valid polygamous marriage the claimant and one spouse will be paid the couple rate ... The amount payable for each additional spouse is presently �33.65."

Income support for all of the wives may be paid directly into the husband's bank account, if the family so choose. Under the deal agreed by ministers, a husband with multiple wives may also be eligible for additional housing benefit and council tax benefit to reflect the larger property needed for his family.

The ruling could cost taxpayers millions of pounds. Ministers launched a review of the benefit rules for polygamous marriages in November 2006, after it emerged that some families had benefited financially.

The review concluded in December last year with agreement that the extra benefits should continue to be paid, the Government admitted. The decision was not publicly announced.

Four departments - the Treasury, the DWP, HM Revenue and Customs, and the Home Office - were involved in the review, which concluded that recognising multiple marriages conducted overseas was "the best possible" option. In Britain, bigamy is punishable by up to seven years in prison.

Islamic law permits men to have up to four wives at any one time - known as a harem - provided the husband spends equal amounts of time and money on each of them.

A DWP spokesman claimed that the number of people in polygamous marriages entering Britain had fallen since the 1988 Immigration Act, which "generally prevents a man from bringing a second or subsequent wife with him to this country if another woman is already living as his wife in the UK".

While a married man cannot obtain a spouse visa to bring a second wife into Britain, some multiple partners may be able to enter the country via other legal routes such as tourist visas, student visas or work permits.

In addition, officials have identified a potential loophole by which a man can divorce his wife under British law while continuing to live with her as his spouse under Islamic law, and obtain a spouse visa for a foreign woman who he can legally marry.

"Entry clearance may not be withheld from a second wife where the husband has divorced his previous wife and the divorce is thought to be one of convenience," an immigration rulebook advises. "This is so, even if the husband is still living with the previous wife and to issue the entry clearance would lead to the formation of a polygamous household."

Chris Grayling, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said that the decision was "completely unjustifiable".

"You are not allowed to have multiple marriages in the UK, so to have a situation where the benefits system is treating people in different ways is totally unacceptable and will serve to undermine confidence in the system.

"This sets a precedent that will lead to more demands for the culture of other countries to be reflected in UK law and the benefits system."

Mr Grayling also accused the Government of trying to keep the ruling quiet because the topic is so controversial.

 

Muslim man will practice polygamous regardless of what western law says. After all, many western men are in illegal polygamous relation ship despite claiming otherwise. That is why many western women lost their rights. Thanks for their feminist movement.

Sister Martha wrote:

"I hope the Muslim Council of Britain discourages all men from taking another wife, unless he can support them and not sponge off the tax payers money".

I agree except sponge off stuff. The most important is educating muslim women rights in accordance to Quran and correct sunnah. I doubt Muslim Council of Britain is equipped to do that at this stage.



Walid

Sister Martha.

I agree with you that we shouldn't build homes on welfare, food stamps or section 8 and ghetto low-income houses etc. Those less fortune that were denied opportunity and stuck up with this situation must try to liberate themselves as much as they can.

Let we settle sister that both men and women need real Islamic education on this. I know four brothers who are all married more than one wife. Each wife lives in her own house (fully paid with their hard earning not mortgage haram scam). None of them ever bothered to go beyond their means despite they faced a tough/rough times. Their elder brother said once, what is enough for one woman in this country can cover two if there is real iman among real muslimah in this country.

These are fortunate ones. However, there are many brothers who don't have means and sometimes marry another wife in bad setting then create uncertain in their houses. Equally so, there are many sisters who jump on brother without consideration beyond financial means.  U can guess the result!!

The right question is deen only as sunnah shows well with big/little in hands. It is good to have financial muscle all the time or most of the time. But it is quite obvious financial setting can fluctuate. I don't think anyone can advocate as we see permanent future stability before commencing a new marriage.


May Allah show us the truth path of building stable homes.


Walid

Put the �western system� aside for a second, I do not know why it got dragged there again, this is just another example that people get married without thinking properly and for the wrong purposes.

 

Being on benefits shows you are having some kind of problem supporting yourself and wife, maybe the grown ups can ignore this because they get to indulge in there fantasy world at night, but what about the children of these families?

 

It would also be interesting to find out how many of these 2nd, 3rd, or 4th wives are British citizens or UK born Muslims (Regardless of origin). I think that would show a bit more the reality if these women marry because they �want to� or I am sorry to say �need to�.

 

Our prophet s.a.w married for the right reasons, but I do not know if that could be said for the people of today, regardless if it is there right or not.