I recently read this incredible article in the Egyptian Gazette in early January about this remarkable and very brave lady Nadine Albdir [a brilliant heroine] who wrote this in Al – Masry Al Youm on December 11, 2009….
‘Let me be wedded to four, even five or nine, is possible; let me chat with them, and choose them according to their different shapes and sizes, handpicked, multi- denominations and religions; it won’t spark a civil war, as a woman can unify them.’
The article provoked uproar, not only in the Egyptian media and legal circles but also in the other Arab Muslim Countries, especially Saudi Arabia. Her controversial and surprising article was entitled ‘My Four Hisbands and I.’
The Holy Qur’an and Islamic Law do not permit polyandry, although Muslim Men can have up to four wives.
Magdi el-Galad, Editor-in-Chief of Al- Masry Al Youm, has been put in an untenable position but he insists that he will not prevent the publication of further articles by the Saudi writer.
Lawyer Khaled Hafez Fouad, Vice President of Egypt’s opposition People’s Democratic Party, submitted a complaint to the nation’s Chief Prosecuter, accusing Al Masry Al- Youm and Albdir of promoting debauchery, because of her article proposing polyandry for women.
In an interview with Arabia satelite TV channel, el- Galad described Albdir as an excellent journalist, who likes to express her views and ideas in a lighthearted manner.
‘She recognises that women in Arab and Gulf countries, in particular, suffer from discrimination and inequality from men. Few women in these countries attain political rights while in Saudi Arabia they are not even allowed to drive cars,’ he said.
As for Albdir’s article, it comes at a time when certain Western countries are waging a fierce war against Islam and the construction of minarets and mosques. Arab Muslims have to stand up for themselves , expressing their opposition to what goes against their religion, including polyandry.
Readers may remember that case of Lubna Ahmed Hussein, a 35 year old Sudanese woman, who nearly received 40 lashes for wearing tight trousers in a restaurant in Khartoum last summer. Many international human rights organisations spoke out in her defence, while a lot of Arab journalists stood their guns.
The media have a big influence around the globe, including the Arab world. For example, there was the Turkish soap Opera , Nur, broadcast in 20007 by a lot of Arab satelite channels including  MBC of television Saudi Arabia.
Nur tells the story of Nur and her lover Muhannad. After watching it , three women in Shabwa province in eastern Yemen asked for a divorce, because they wanted the same freedom as Nur and for their husbands to treat them the way Muhannad treated her.