Moscow's Mufti Eldar Ayautdinov told reporters yesterday that the legalization of polygamy in Russia would solve a number of social problems because women outnumber men, according to RIA Novosti.
“In my opinion, the law of polygamy should be legalized, especially since some religions, including Islam, allow it,” Alyautdinov said.
The mufti urged to take into account the fact that the number of women in Russia exceeds the number of men, according to the Federal Statistical Service of the State, by 10 million. “In addition, there are many situations in Russia when women remain widowed or divorced,” the mufti noted.
“The polygamy legislation would become a guarantee of women's rights,” said Alyautdinov. “Socially, such women are not protected today.”
He pointed out that such issues should be explored by competent authorities with involving experts in Islamic law
Earlier, the head of the spiritual administration of the Muslims of the Russian Federation, Sheikh Ravil Genodin, said it is appropriate to legalize polygamy in the Islamic regions of the country.
Polygamous marriages are not recognized in the Russian Federation. The Family Code of Russia states that a marriage can only be contracted between a man and a woman, neither of whom is married to someone else. Furthermore, Russia does not recognize polygamous marriages that had been contracted in other countries. However, polygamy de facto exists in some Russian regions, for example in Tatarstan, Chechnya, and Dagestan.
