In a recent episode of the chatshow Mind Na Karna, Pakistani actor Mariyam Nafees sparked a lively debate by sharing her perspective on polygamy with host Ahmad Ali Butt. The conversation began during a game segment of the show where Ahmad and Mariyam were presented with various scenarios to decide whether they minded something or not.
Mariyam firmly stood her ground against polygamy and declared that she does object to men having multiple wives at the same time. “If men enter a new marriage one at a time, then I don’t mind. If they are marrying simultaneously, then I do mind that,” the Jaan-e-Jahan actor stated.
Kicking up an animated banter, Mariyam and Ahmad found themselves reacting to various statements, including one that questioned whether every man should emulate the example of Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik and marry three times.
The Neem starlet delved into the complexities of marriage, highlighting two distinct approaches: marrying sequentially or concurrently. While she expressed acceptance of the former, she raised concerns about the practicality and fairness of the latter. Ahmad invoked the religious permissibility for four marriages for men to which she replied, “Let me correct that. Our religion says, ‘If you can do justice (to all your wives) but you won’t be able to.’”
Ahmad presented a contrasting viewpoint, asserting that it is indeed possible for a man to marry multiple women simultaneously and adequately provide for each family, viewing it as a positive aspect of polygamy.
However, Mariyam begged to differ. “You can’t keep all four wives happy because it’s not possible.” The actor stressed the importance of providing equal justice to each spouse, a principle she believes is inherently challenging to uphold in multiple marriages. Although she acknowledged the religious allowance for polygamy, she cast doubt on the willingness of women to share their husbands willingly.
In a hypothetical scenario, she revealed that she would prefer her husband to leave her rather than enter into another marriage while still married to her. The actor said, “It’s permissible in our religion and I respect that but being a woman, I personally feel that very few women would be okay with sharing their husband. I wouldn’t. I would say yes you can marry someone else but then leave me.”
Mariyam further scrutinised former cricket captain Malik's marital history, noting that he did not marry three women simultaneously. In light of this, she argued that the sequence of his marriages was relevant and acceptable, suggesting that he may have ended previous relationships before entering into subsequent ones.
“I am not of the opinion that if you are in an unhappy marriage, you should stay in that toxic environment with your children,” she argued. “Shoaib did not have multiple wives at the same time. If someone wants to marry more than once like Shoaib, one at a time, I’m okay with that.
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