Egyptian TV Debates Husband’s Right to Marry Second Wife Without Knowledge of the First

TEL AVIV — A verbal conflict erupted during a television program between Egyptian member of parliament Gada Ajami and Egyptian Salafist cleric Waleed Ismail over a bill presented to the Egyptian legislature that would make it illegal for a man to marry a second wife without the knowledge of the first.

The bill is called “Prison for a Husband Who Marries a Second Woman Without the Knowledge of the First.”

The Salafist cleric claimed that sharia law does not stipulate that a husband must inform his wife of his intent to marry another.

Ismail went even further, saying that a woman who tries to stop a second marriage is preventing herself from getting into heaven.

“A woman who demands a divorce because her husband married another woman won’t get to smell the smell of heaven,” he said.

During the discussion, MP Ajami vented her anger over Ismail’s comments and responded, “You are an extremist and this extremism is what’s leading our society to ruin.”

“You’re a woman and don’t shout at me,” the cleric fired back. “I’m not afraid of you. Yes, I’m an extremist and I’m not afraid. I’m with IS but you are the ones destroying our country.”

In a different part of the discussion, Ismail clashed with a legal expert after he insisted that sharia law must be followed to the letter.

“Yes, we need to cut off the hand of the thief as required by Islam,” he stated.

“Your place isn’t here, isn’t with us,” legal expert Maha Abu Baker responded. “Islam is a cultured religion that is meant to evolve all the time.”