UAE candidate promises to promote polygamy to 'cure spinsterhood'

UAE candidate promises to promote polygamy to 'cure spinsterhood'
Khawla Abdul Aziz al-Ali says she wants to promote polygamy as a cure to spinsterhood.
1 min read
09 September, 2019
Khawla Abdul Aziz al-Ali wants to 'cure spinsterhood' [Twitter]
A candidate for the UAE Federal National Council for Shajrah has pledged to promote polygamy to “eliminate spinsterhood” as a part of her election campaign.

Khawla Abdul Aziz al-Ali said if she was elected, she would “offer suggestions and effective solutions with the concerned authorities to create the appropriate conditions to increase the stability of the Emirati household,” according to UAE Today.

Read also: UAE psychologist to train women to 'accept being second wife'

In her proposal, she referred to unmarried women as “Unussa” – a derogatory term in the Arab world used to smear women who are not married. The term, which is considered a slur, translates to spinster.

She stressed “all spinsters need care and attention” and she will ensure the relevant Shajrah institutions will work with the unmarried women to guide them to polygamy to create a happy family dynamic and to increase the “native” population of the state.

Read also: 'Make polygamy compulsory': Twitter debates state-enforced multiple marriage

Al-Ali even blamed families in the rise of “spinsterhood”, saying some women have been betrayed by their families who did not approve of them becoming second, third and fourth wife during the “earlier years of their lives.”

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