Conservative figures in Egypt are furious over an Egyptian moviemaker’s plan to produce a drama series about a woman with several husbands.
Filmmaker Mustafa Mahram told Al-Arabiya that there was no reason he should not go ahead with the series, “Hajja Zahra and her Five Husbands, because “it happens in real life.
Egyptian lawyer Nabil Al-Wahsh is submitting a complaint to the public prosecutor to prevent the filming of the series on the grounds that it is an affront to Islam.
“These are poisonous ideas that people are calling for and we must fight them, he told Al-Arabiya. “How can this be in accord with the law and the religion? When this matter is turned into a drama, we cannot remain silent.
The issue is feeding off religious sensitivities which were already enflamed by an Egyptian newspaper’s recent publication of a Saudi writer’s opinion piece regarding polyandry in Al-Masry Al-Youm.
In her article, “My Four Husbands and I, author Nadine Al-Budeir asked why Muslim men were allowed to marry several wives but Muslim women could not do the same.
“Allow me to choose four, five or even nine men, Al-Budeir wrote in the article. “I’ll pick them with different shapes and sizes, one of them will be blond and one will be dark. They could be tall or short.
Both the writer and the newspaper editor have been threatened with legal action after the article sparked controversy among Muslim authorities and politicians.
Hafez Abu Seada, secretary general of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, said there were several reasons the issue was sensitive.
“This is related to two things that are taboo in Egypt, he told The Media Line. “It’s related to the issue of sex with different people, in particular for women, and it’s also related to Sharia.
Abu Seada explained that all the laws pertaining to personal issues such as marriage, family life and divorce in Egypt are based on Muslim law.
“They are considered sacred, he said. “So it’s sensitive.
According to Egyptian law, a man can take up to four wives on condition that he informs his existing wife that he is taking a new wife. If he does not inform her of this, she has the right to file for divorce.
For a woman to take more than one husband, however, is a crime.
“It doesn’t mean that a woman has many husbands at one time, Abu Seada explained. “According to Egyptian law and Sharia, a woman must remain unmarried for three months after her divorce so if she marries within those three months, it’s as though she has two husbands, and that’s a crime.
Dr Rima Sabban, a sociologist at Zayyed University in the United Arab Emirates, said that the reason the issue of polyandry has engendered such controversy is related to a shift in cultural norms in the Arab and Muslim world.
“Islam and Muslims have historically been known for tolerance, knowledge, creativity and acceptance, she told The Media Line. “In my opinion, this is happening because Muslim societies are going into a sort of Dark Age, because we have problems like our masses being uneducated and so many socio-economic problems. This is affecting the collective level of thinking and imagination and the rise of extreme fundamentalism in the society.
Abu Seada agreed that the issue of polyandry speaks to a wider lack of tolerance.
“We have to work on promoting freedom and the values of human rights for the people, he said. “The long term pattern is to make people more tolerant and discuss any ideas, regardless what it’s about.
Mahram’s series is still in the writing stages and is scheduled to start filming in March.
The series is planned to be screened during the month of Ramadan, a time of year when Muslims set into their living rooms at the end of the day to break the daily fast together.
Viewer ratings soar during this month, and it has, in recent years, become the main season for launching new Arabic television series.
Mahram said the series had nothing to do with religion and dealt with a new concept prompting discussion about the dangers involved rather than promoting it.
“If this wife becomes pregnant, then who would this child belong to, since she has several husbands? he asked.
