Blue Like You

Archive for the ‘Polygamy’ Category

This is going to be an interesting one to watch - The Criminal Code vs. The Charter.

Anyone willing to wager a bet?

Do we have a Canadian law against polygamy or not? And if evidence surfaces that the law is being broken, is it not incumbent on the police to investigate ?

I suppose that if you live in a province that has a two-tiered justice system, and prefers to busy itself with little bans on law-abiding citizens’ rights rather than concentrating on more important issues like the flagrant abuse of women in certain ethnic communities, then you can’t expect anything else.

A letter in today’s Post responds to John Turley-Ewarts’ June 2 editorial (Sharia by Stealth) with a suggestion:

It is regrettable that neither the Ontario Provincial Police nor the Ontario government appears to have the backbone to enforce their own polygamy laws. However I do not believe the situation is hopeless for these ladies.

I cannot believe that any woman would want to continue in a relationship with a man who has behaved in the manner described in this article. Therefore the logical course of action would be for these women to sue for divorce. That would bring the issue into the provincial courts, where they could claim the maximum possible for alimony, child support, division of family assets, etc.

I am sure the prospect of the possible financial consequences of their polygamous tendencies would have a salutary effect on any Muslim men contemplating this course of action and put an end to the practice.

Michael Edwards, Bloomfield, Ont.

Yes, well, all good in theory. However, the reality is that this type of divorce would be highly emotional and very expensive. Yes, perhaps the duplicitous husband could end up paying the bills, but there are no guarantees. Meanwhile, the woman and her children have to undergo a grueling divorce process.

And what about the emotional abuse inflicted on the poor woman when a powerful religious figure warns her:

“You will have to stand beside [your husband] in these difficult times,” Hindy told her. “You should stop causing problems to him. You will not get anything by divorce except destroying your life.”

Where is the feminist outrage, ladies?

Here’s a novel idea. How about we actually enforce the law so that this type of abuse does not continue? If an actual consequence is seen to be likely, perhaps it would discourage such men from even entertaining the idea in the first place.

Either that, or let’s strike down the law.

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Update: Gee, I wonder what’s next ?

This one’s from a few days ago - Tory MPP pushes for Ontario polygamy probe.

Barbara Kay also had a few words to say, as did Macleans’ Chris Selley

Saturday Update : This story makes Europe News - Harems and Hypocrites.

Originally published in Front Page Magazine. BTW, this is a MUST-READ!!!

John Turley-Ewart on how the McGuinty government is trying to worm out of taking action regarding the practice of polygamy in Toronto - Islamic Polygamy continues to get a free pass from Ontario’s Liberal government.

Why is the Toronto Police Department ignoring the evidence?

And why is the McGuinty government turning a blind eye to this abuse?

Important Update : Safa Rigby responds in the Comment Section on the previous post .

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The media torch for the polygamy exposé in Toronto has now been passed to the National Post . John Turly-Ewart picks up the story today, and reveals that Safa Ribgy recently learned that her husband had not one, but two other wives:

…She’d followed her husband’s advice that she leave Toronto and live in Egypt for a year on the grounds that it would be better for their children to spend more time in a Muslim country. Now she knows it was a ruse. During her time there, he married two other women…

I really don’t understand why the CBC doesn’t base a series on this story, rather than Little Mosque on the Prairie. It would seem so much more realistic and relevant. Oh my, what a politically-incorrect notion that was! The Thought Police will surely get me now.

In any case, you can see the cultural brow-beating of Muslim women in this statement by Imam Aly Hindy , when Ms. Rigby confronted him about performing a marriage ceremony when he knew that her husband was already married:

“You will have to stand beside [your husband] in these difficult times,” Hindy told her. “You should stop causing problems to him. You will not get anything by divorce except destroying your life.”

Wow! Talk about emotional abuse.

Meanwhile, the Conservative opposition raised the question in Queen’s Park. Liberal MPP Ted McMeekin replied with the following bafflegab :

“Polygamy is a serious crime in Ontario. It’s not something that’s tolerated. As you know, the best advice I can give the honourable member opposite is that if she has any evidence that someone is engaging in multiple marriages, she should report it, because our Registrar General and our official reporting mechanisms have no evidence that that’s happening. As you know, Mr. Speaker, marriage is a contract. A contract requires a licence, and once a marriage occurs, it has to be registered. There are no multiple marriages being registered in the province of Ontario.”

As Turley-Ewart points out, just because a marriage hasn’t been officially registered, doesn’t mean that a crime wasn’t committed according to Section 293 of the criminal code:

…Contrary to Mr. McMeekin’s assertion in Ontario’s Legislature, there is no suggestion that a polygamous marriage has to be registered before the government can act. Indeed, the wording of Section 293 suggests the drafters sought to render illegal exactly this sort of situation.

By turning a blind eye to polygamy, Premier McGuinty is giving licence to shariah by stealth…

Dalton McGuinty is very good at appearing to do something with his fondness for bans on minor issues, but when it comes to really important stuff like upholding the law, then he runs for cover.

Meanwhile, the Safa Rigbys of Toronto live under the shadow of his tacit acceptance of Sharia law.

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Related : B.C. launches probe into polygamous community - CTV.

Tuesday Update: Good for Lisa Macleod - Tory MPP pushes for Ontario Polygamy Probe (Star).

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.

Where is the McGuinty government in this? I thought they rejected Sharia Law in Ontario.

Turns out, Muslim women are being hurt by the secret polygamy practices of their husbands (GTA’s Secret world of polygamy - Star):

"Polygamy is happening in Toronto; it’s not common, but it’s happening," said Hindy, imam at Salahuddin Islamic Centre .

Hindy, hardly a stranger to controversy, is well known for his friendship with the family of Omar Khadr, the young Canadian detainee at Guantanamo Bay, and his outspoken views on the implementation of Islamic law. In the past five years, Hindy said he has officiated or "blessed" more than 30 polygamous marriages; the most recent was two months ago. Even some imams in the GTA have second wives, he added.

"This is in our religion and nobody can force us to do anything against our religion," he said. "If the laws of the country conflict with Islamic law, if one goes against the other, then I am going to follow Islamic law, simple as that."

So now we have another example of the McGuinty government turning a blind eye to law-breaking , this time at the expense of Muslim women who have been betrayed by their polygamous husbands.

Why aren’t we hearing about charges being brought against these men?

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Meanwhile, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal has no problem challenging Christian religious freedom.

More great discussions going on at Jack’s Newswatch and Halls of Macadamia (If you’re good with gay marriage… )

The Politic - Polygamy Amongst Ontario Muslims.

Star - I do, I do, I do. The last taboo.

I just happened upon this editorial by Jacob Brinkman Reaume posted on the National Post blog site - We’re lost in the fog of a moral disaster . Reaume’s premise appears to be that here in Canada we really have very little ground to stand on when attempting to restrict polygamy from a moral viewpoint.

When we abandon the notion of an absolute truth (read ‘God’) , then we put ourselves at the mercy of the State to define morality for us. When it comes to polygamy, the only legal club we could possibly have against it is prosecution in cases of underage girls being forced to have sex. That becomes difficult when the victims refuse to testify or even acknowledge abuse.

The comments following the piece are interesting and demonstrate the wide variance of opinion on this matter. Please feel free to weigh in with your own thoughts here.

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Update : Shane at the Politic has a somewhat related post - Gay rights do not equal cohabitation rights in England.

Wally Oppal is inching ever closer to actually laying charges in Bountiful - B.C. may charge men of sect: A-G.

Good for him.

Meanwhile, in Ontario we not only allow it - Our tax dollars support it.

It looks like the Toronto Sun opened up a can of worms when they reported yesterday that “hundreds of GTA Muslim men in polygamous marriages — some with a harem of wives — are receiving welfare and social benefits for each of their spouses”.

Today, Tom Godfrey writes about the backlash - Polygamy Under Fire.

An abuse of the welfare system by GTA Muslim men allowed to live in polygamous marriages under a controversial Ontario law was met with shock and outrage yesterday.

Politicians and the public reacted angrily to an exclusive story in yesterday’s Toronto Sun about how the men collected social benefits for up to four wives.

Mumtaz Ali, president of the Canadian Society of Muslims, said hundreds of members of his community in polygamous marriages have been collecting welfare for some time.

The Ontario Family Law Act recognizes wives in polygamous marriages as spouses, providing the marriages were conducted legally under Islamic law abroad.

Ali said Muslims now want the polygamous marriages to be recognized under federal immigration laws so they can legally sponsor their wives here. Immigration spokesman Karen Shadd-Evelyn said only one marriage is recognized in Canada…

My concern with that last paragraph should be quite obvious to my readers. Ontario recognizes polygamous marriages, and now the pressure is going to be put on the feds.

Since we obviously already give tacit approval to polygamous living arrangements in Canada in terms of financial support and by turning a blind eye, why not give it legal recognition and stop the pretense?

Or is the real problem that the ’slippery slope’ argument might then indeed be valid, and no one wants to admit it?

This is actually not news, but Ontario (and especially Toronto) tax payers should be aware that “hundreds of GTA Muslim men in polygamous marriages — some with a harem of wives — are receiving welfare and social benefits for each of their spouses, thanks to the city and province…”

Today’s Sun features a report (Harems pay off for Muslims) that explains how Canada is “way ahead of Britain in this respect.”

I’m just so proud.