Do Second Wives Have Equal Rights in the United States?

Answers from author, imam at a New York City mosque, and founder of the Cordoba Institute for interfaith relations.

BY: Imam Feisal Rauf

Index of Questions:

  • DO SECOND WIVES HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS IN THE UNITED STATES?
  • WHAT DO THE STAR AND CRESCENT MEAN?
  • FOLLOW YOUR HEART, OR STAY UNHAPPILY MARRIED?
  • IS IT A SIN TO MARRY FOR SEX REASONS?
  • CAN MUSLIMS FOLLOW ASTROLOGY AND OTHER METHODS OF DIVINATION?

    Do second wives have equal rights in the United States?
    I am engaged to a Muslim who is now going overseas to marry another woman, but wants me to wait for him. I understand he can marry more than one woman, and have no problem with this. But will the first wife be the "legal wife," and will I have the same rights as a "second" wife?

    This is an example from the area of personal law, where Islamic law and local law diverge. Islamic law allows a man to have more than one wife, but simultaneously requires equal financial support and rights be given to each wife, and support for the children.

    However, Muslims also have to obey the law of the land they live in. Therefore, all Muslims who live in America have to respect the law of the land unless the courts make special provisions for personal law matters to be judged in accordance with Islamic law.

    If your fiancé marries another woman and brings her to the United States she will be considered his legal wife by U.S. law. She will be protected by the state. He may love you and spend time with you as his second wife, and may support you and treat you according to the rules of Islamic law, but the state will not recognize this union, and you will not be able to enforce your rights under Islamic law.

    What do the star and crescent mean?
    What do the star and crescent mean in Islam? So many different opinions.

    The sighting of the new crescent moon is how the Prophet and his contemporaries, the earliest Muslims, established the beginning of the new month. This was especially important for determining the first day of the fasting month of Ramadan, or the month of pilgrimage. However, there is no religious or theological significance to the crescent and star, and they still have none as such.

    Some scholars believe that the crescent was introduced into Islamic symbolic consciousness as a continuation of pre-Islamic design motifs, and record its use in the minting of coins as early as the late 600s--that is, within the first century of the death of the Prophet--and was also used on pottery decorations.

    Because Christians erected a cross on the dome or highest point of their churches, and as Muslims co-habited with Christians and members of other faith traditions, the need arose to distinguish their mosques from churches and other houses of worship--especially where the architectural styles were not different. The crescent and the star thus developed as symbolizing Islam. These tendencies accelerated during Ottoman times, as Muslims engaged with European nations and felt an increasing need to establish symbols that differentiated them from European and mainly Christian nations, where the cross played a prominent part as a component of many flags.

    Continued on page 2: »

  • To comment on this content you must be a registered user:

    Sign-Up or Log-In

    About Beliefnet

    Our mission is to help people like you find, and walk, a spiritual path that will bring comfort, hope, clarity, strength, and happiness. More about Beliefnet.

    Help

    Media Kit

    Subscribe

    Legal

    Copyright © Beliefnet, Inc. and/or its licensors. All rights reserved. Use of this site is subject to Terms of Service and to our Privacy Policy. Constructed by Beliefnet.

    Advertisement
    DiggDeliciousNewsvineRedditStumbleTechnoratiFacebook