'My first wife is upset a little' - Kyrgyz scholar on polygamy

Chubak Aji Jalilov is regarded as a charismatic and popular religious scholar

When a religious leader in Kyrgyzstan broadcast he had married a second wife, and told other men to follow suit, it's no surprise there was mixed reaction on social media.

Chubak aji Jalilov revealed in a video, posted by Nasaat Media on YouTube, "I have not divorced from my first wife. She is a little bit angry now."

However, a repost of the video has been viewed 60,000 times - rising by about 5,000 views per hour (at time of writing) - since the footage was published.

According to the Kyrgyz constitution, polygamy - the practice of marrying more than one woman - is restricted in the central Asian country of approximately six million citizens, most of whom are Turkic-speaking Muslims.

Kyrgyzstan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, and is home to six million people

During the Kyrgyzstan elections in 2015, only one party answered 'yes' to the question of whether polygamy should be legalised.

The practise of polygamy is illegal in many countries. In July, two Canadian religious leaders were found guilty by the Supreme Court of polygamy. Winston Blackmore, former bishop with Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), was married to 24 women, and his former brother-in-law had five wives.

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Jalilov claims he is not hiding his second marriage from anyone. His second wife is a 30-year-old widow with a child who lived in Turkey and he is encouraging other men to take a second wife.

Why is the former mufti - Muslim legal expert - giving this advice? He blames the fact many Kyrgyz women are leaving the country for Russia, Turkey and China.

"They should be taken care of and provided for in Kyrgyzstan," Jalilov says, adding he is providing food for a poor fellow citizen. He says women should allow their husbands to marry again but not everyone is pleased. "My first wife is upset a little, but I think everything will get straightened out. She has the right to be upset and to be jealous."

Some people say he has done the right thing: "According to Sharia law, men do not have to ask permission from their first wives [to get married again]." says Jyldyz Sultanova.

Blogger Daniar Aitman, did not agree and wrote on Facebook this was a "challenge to the secular state and civil society.

"Jalilov wants to show that he wanted to spit on secular laws and women's rights, spit on the Criminal Code and the Constitution. Jalilov wants to show that in Kyrgyzstan, the Constitution is not first, but the Koran."

Aitman reminded readers Jalilov had lobbied to legalise polygamy for many years but failed, and describes the scholar's latest action as a way to "achieve his goal one way or another."

However one reply to Aitman claimed this was not news: "Nowadays, every second person has two wives. Presidents also have two wives, the only difference is that they publicly dump their [first] wives, whereas Chubak Jalilov did not dump his first wife and took responsibility for another one. If the second wife agrees [to be the second wife], what is the problem?"

Meanwhile another reply urged men to divorce the first wife before marrying another. "In 10 years, the deputies will push through this law and in 20 years we will live according to Sharia law."

On her Facebook page, Aziza Abdurasulova, who is head of the human rights organisation Kylym Shamy, said Chubak aji Jalilov has "knowingly broken the law and is encouraging citizens to do the same. Therefore Kylym Shamy will file an official statement to Bishkek prosecutor's office."