Would the woman want to spend her life without sex? She may still be very young. It would not be a short term act of charity but a lifetime commitment to look after her and provide for her 'every' need. A man may marry her and never have the urge to touch her, it is their choice.
They would have to be legally married in order for them to be able to be alone together (even for a cup of tea).
She could just marry someone that isn't married, work for herself, or he could give her money through a bank and then they don't even have to be in the same room as each other, or be supported by a relative.
One of these days you are going to have to visit me in Egypt and see some of the people you are talking about. Last year 2 jobs were going at the water works, over 2000 men turned up to apply for the 2 jobs.
So where are these women going to work? People do not all live the way we do in the West and they have no social security, no free medical care, no free education, etc. How are they going to support themselves?
What a coincidence, neither do I. Medical care isn't free, probably no social security (once my parents' generation gets done sucking it dry), and definately not free education.
Surely there are jobs that women can do but men cannot. And even if there aren't an abundance of them, I don't see why a man could not support a woman without marrying her or why a relative couldn't help or why there isn't some social safety net. They could avoid polygamy and problems altogether if they had a social safety net.
When I meet a Muslim man that doesn't want children I will let you know but everyone I have ever met or spoken with is desperate to have children.
There has to be at least a dozen somewhere ...
out of a half billion or so.
Who is we? There are areas of the world with a glut of women and some areas with a glut of men. The 1994 stats for the UK sensus state that the UK had at that time 22.31 million males and 23.84 million females of marriagable age. That is a surplus of 1.53 million females. If every person wanted to get married that would leave 1.53 million women with no hope of every finding a husband.
" We " as in the entire planet, not specific countries. Can't the women just leave and find a man somewhere else that has a surplus?
Unfortunatey that is largely what it has become in many cases but was not the intention. It is also seen by some as a status symbol (ie I can afford 2 wives). They will answer for it.
I read this....
Women (An-Nisáa)
4-3 And if ye fear that ye will not deal fairly by the orphans, marry of the women, who seem good to you, two or three or four; and if ye fear that ye cannot do justice (to so many) then one (only) or (the captives) that your right hands possess. Thus it is more likely that ye will not do injustice.
And then I read this next verse and it kinda sounds like Mohammed discourages it....
Women (An-Nisáa)
4-129 " Ye will not be able to deal equally between (your)
wives, however much ye wish (to do so). But turn not altogether away (from one), leaving her as in suspense. If ye do good and keep from evil, lo! Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful."
for all we know he played tiddlywinks with them.
Where is this 'so much' polygamy? As I say I have met one person that had 2 wives (one died this year of cancer and the second wife helped for 2 years to care for her) and I live in a country that is 98% Muslim (although I haven't met everyne in the country). Earlier this year Egypt news channel did a programme about a guy with 4 wives and it was very tongue in cheek (basically suggesting the guy was a bit cukoo).
2% may seem like a small number for a country allowing polygamy, but that's a lot when you think of it in terms of people on the Earth. I dont know how a man can handle one wife, let alone two, I'd think that would seem like a nightmare for most.
You make it sound like a requirement. A man can choose to financially support a woman without marrying her.
It sounded like a requirement to me because it was " marriage marriage marriage support marriage marriage marriage support".
I don't understand it either but I have spoken to Western converts that want to be in polygamous marriage. They love the idea of having lots of women and children around them, they also say they don't have a problem with jealousy as polygamy allows more children to be born.
There are very happy people in polygamous marriages and I am not going to say it is wrong. As long as all the parties have the choice then go for it, just don't ask me to join in.
They at least have to notify you if they're taking a new wife, right?