Polygamy in Egypt

Polygamy is legal in Egypt, but not common.

Legal status

Polygamy is legal in Egypt.^[1]

In 2019, Ahmed al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, caused controversy by ruling that polygamy is unlawful for Muslims, but he did not call for a legal prohibition of polygamy.^[2][3]

Prevalence

As of 2020, less than 1% of Muslim men in Egypt live with more than one spouse.^[4]

References

1. Mashhour 2005, p. 580.
2. Jansen, Michael (22 March 2019). "Muslims in Egypt divided over calls to end polygamy". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
3. Sadek, George (18 March 2019). "Egypt: Grand Imam Issues Religious Opinion Calling Polygamy Oppression of Women". Law Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 17 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
4. Kramer, Stephanie (7 December 2020). "Polygamy is rare around the world and mostly confined to a few regions". Pew Research Center. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.

Bibliography

• Mashhour, Amira (May 2005). "Islamic Law and Gender Equality: Could There Be a Common Ground?: A Study of Divorce and Polygamy in Sharia Law and Contemporary Legislation in Tunisia and Egypt". Human Rights Quarterly. 27 (2). Johns Hopkins University Press: 562–596. doi:10.1353/hrq.2005.0022. eISSN 1085-794X. ISSN 0275-0392. JSTOR 20069797. S2CID 143533446.