In the Muslim world, polygamy is still an issue up for debate, as some people tend to forget that there are a set of tight conditions that must be met for it to be "legal". Polygamy for Muslim men is permissible only "if" the man can do all wives justice by treating them equally. But, a recent televised debate about polygamy proved that not everyone sees eye to eye on the issue.
An episode of Deutsche Welle's new program "Jaafar Talk" saw two individuals get into a heated debate on the topic — Saudi lawyer Yousef Al Qa'eet (pro-polygamy) and Iraqi activist Mawj Al Daraji (anti-polygamy).
The now-viral video - part of the show's premiere - caused quite the stir on Arab Twitter. Hosted by Jaafar Abdul Kareem, the weekly program is set to host debates centered around issues that matter to people in the Arab world.
During the episode, Al Qa'eet claims that polygamy is a *need* for men due to their "sexual drive." In his opinion, men can't live without sex for the few days during which their wives are menstruating. A man, according to him, also can't abstain from intercourse for 40 days after a wife gives birth. Therefore, they "need multiple wives."
"I want a wife so that every time I want to have sex, I find her in front of me," he said.
Al Daraji clapped back at him, pointing out how sexist his rhetoric is.
"He cannot control himself for seven days? So I am just for sex, without feelings, without emotions," she responded.
When Al Daraji tells Al Qa'eet that she's been living with her husband for six years and has never heard of such needs, he tells her: "Your husband must be sexually frigid."
His outrageous statement pushed the show's host to interfere, demanding he apologize to Al Daraji. Al Qa'eet apologizes to remain as part of the episode.
The video took over Twitter
The debate garnered millions of views online as many criticized Al Qa'eet's flawed and sexist argument.
This wouldn't be the first time polygamy leads to similar online discussions. Unfortunately, every time the issue is brought forth on social media, two important facts are often overlooked.
1. In Islam, taking more than one wife is only permissible under a very tight frame of conditions.
2. Contrary to popular belief that states Arab women are OK with polygamy, the majority of them are completely against it.
Jaafar Talk aims to highlight several other topics in the next few months
In a statement to Stepfeed, Jaafar Abdul Karim, the famed presenter of DW's Shabab Talk - a program that ran on the network for eight years straight - told us more about his new show.
"Jaafar Talk aims to reach an even broader and more diverse audience in accordance with the show’s claim, 'diversity sparks dialogue.' The new talk show is considered the next logical step following eight successful years with the award-winning Shabab Talk, which gave young people a platform to talk about issues that break taboos," he said.
The new program aims to reach out to people in the Arab world regardless of age, religion, ethnic origin and sexual orientation. Its creators also want to stimulate and facilitate discussion between people of opposing opinions and beliefs.
When asked how he thinks his new program will affect audiences, he explained: "We believe that it is a human right to express and discuss one's opinions freely and without any restrictions. Jaafar Talk is offering a platform for this dialogue. People in the region feel that they are being listened to, that their voices matter. Diversity is important for society and so is respect for one another."