In Western culture– where a number of individuals are imprudently rethinking some of the most foundational elements of society (freedom of speech rights, the family unit, gender, etc.)–many are finding it difficult to oppose many Islamic customs, traditions and practices on moral grounds. One such example is in regards to Islamic polygamy.

The famous Islamic cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi mocks those in the West that find this type of marriage “abhorrent” pointing out the presence of sexual immorality in Western culture, saying “…their own men are free to have any number of girlfriends, without restriction and without any legal or moral accountability…” Al-Qaradawi goes on to state, “Let the two alternatives—plurality of wives or plurality of illicit affairs — be compared, and let people ask themselves which is the proper course of action, and which of the two groups is correctly guided!” This highlights two extremes (European licentiousness and Islamic inequality), which Sharia supporters such as al-Qaradawi use as a means to sway the public into tacitly approving polygamy.

In fact, some Europeans are even championing the practice. Sweden’s Center Party proposed legalizing the institution a few years ago. Even though the measure drew condemnation, head of Center Youth Hanna Wagenius stated, “We think it is important for the individual to decide how many people he or she wants to marry,” believing the party will eventually defend polyamorous marriage when the party’s youth assume positions of power and influence.

Even though polygamy is illegal across Europe, the practice still continues. Some states such as France, the Netherlands, UK, and Sweden enable the practice by recognizing such Islamic marriages under certain conditions (ex. conducted in country where polygamy is legal). The Gatestone Institute provides startling statistics on the prevalence of polygamy in some of the above listed countries:

…It is estimated that as many as 20,000 polygamous Muslim marriages exist in Britain. In France, as polygamy was legal until 1993, the minimum estimate as early as 2006 was around 20,000 polygamous marriages. In Germany, it was estimated in 2012 that, in Berlin alone, 30% of all Arab men were married to more than one wife…

…The sheer volume of polygamous marriages, however, attests to the fact that such marriages are also entered into in Europe, in secret, through Islamic marriage ceremonies conducted by imams. In most European countries, imams are not required to report these marriages to the authorities. Therefore, despite the probable knowledge of the authorities, this illegal practice is basically allowed to flourish unhindered…

Muslims who support polygamy oftentimes reference passages in the Quran or the life of Muhammad for justification, such as:

And if you fear that you will not deal justly with the orphan girls, then marry those that please you of [other] women, two or three or four. But if you fear that you will not be just, then [marry only] one or those your right hand possesses. That is more suitable that you may not incline [to injustice]. –Quran 4:3

Anas bin Malik said, “The Prophet used to visit all his wives in a round, during the day and night and they were eleven in number.” I asked Anas, “Had the Prophet the strength for it?” Anas replied, “We used to say that the Prophet was given the strength of thirty (men).” And Sa’id said on the authority of Qatada that Anas had told him about nine wives only (not eleven). –Bukhari 5:268

It’s interesting that a Europe which prides itself on equal rights for men and women would essentially look the other way at a practice that diminishes the value of women. Europe must step back and reflect on the influences which made it great in the first place. If it wants to effectively defeat Sharia’s ideology, Europe first needs some moral grounding.