I must give credit to the Toronto Star for continuing to push this story-line regarding the problem of polygamy in the Toronto Muslim community, and all the incipient harm that the practice is causing.
The case of Fouad Boutaya is particularly intriguing and somewhat tragic. It is tied into a previous report on the situation of Safa Rigby whose sad tale was revealed in the Star on May 24 . It was Safa’s story that encouraged Boutaya to disclose his own, because they are both the victims in the same case of polygamy.
To make a long story short, Safa Rigby married Hossny Ismail and they had 5 children. Meanwhile, Fouad Boutaya married a woman and had 2 children with her. Then Ismail and Boutaya’s wife decided to get married, even though she was still legally married to Boutaya . The religious ceremony was performed by Imam Aly Hindy .
Need a program? I don’t blame you.
The murky issue here is that the cloak of religious rights is being used to defend a polygamous union that has hurt both Rigby, Boutaya, and their combined 7 children. As Boutaya points out:
"This is not Islamic. Nothing about this marriage was Islamic," said Boutaya, who now has sole custody of his two children. "They used Islam to hide their affair."
According to the article, NDP MPP Andrea Horwath has been trying to get the government to address the issue of polygamy for years. But governments of all levels and stripes seem reluctant to get involved.
Once again, political correctness is undermining Canadian values. And the irony is that the very people who are being hurt are the ones that come to Canada with the hopes of a better life, and a strong belief that Canada is different – That a law here means something and is not to be broken.
And now their hearts and lives are broken instead.
