Marion Langer...

Marion Langer, the sociologist, says that there are two solutions only for covering the reduction in the numbers of men—either polygamy or inventing a method that elongates men’s ages! War is another reason beyond women’s being more than men in numbers. Wars in fact terminate great numbers of men and cause horrible decrease in their rates in proportion to women. In the First World War, the number of the casualties was 21,000,000. The S econd World War consumed about 50,000,000 men.

This huge number of casualties caused a big space in the numbers of men and created an international crisis that needed a decisive treatment. The Western nations, because they prohibited polygamy, faced this problem with puzzlement; therefore, they had to treat it by means of moral corruption that rumored profanity, prostitution, and bastards as well as moral disorder.

Using such a unique, nonesuch method befitting the nature of humankind and requirements of circumstances, Islam has treated this problem with polygamy through which individuals and societies are saved from many tragedies: “Marry such women as seem good to you, two and three and four; but if you fear that you will not do justice between them, then marry only one. 4:4) Having allowed polygamy, Islam has not opened its door at random.

Protecting women’s rights and dignity, it has specified justice and equality between wives as stipulations for the validity of polygamy. Nevertheless, the stipulation of justice is dedicat ed to the material requisites of life. The other emotional aspects are not controlled by human beings. Hence, man is incapable of achieving fairness among wives in the emotional matters: “You will never be able to maintain justice among your wives, no matter how hard you try.

(4:129)” Some people may claim that the Western woman does not need marriage since she is able to practice jobs and seek earnings. This claim is untrue. The actuality of the human nature and the inner instincts prove the opposite. Woman’s need for man is not rest ricted in material aspects only. It is in fact an urgent mental need without which woman cannot perfect her entity. The same thing can be said about man.

Fourth, some men are characterized by excessive sexual energy that requires extreme carnal need. This energy can be controlled by polygamy; otherwise, it may find a deviant course.