Conflicts between religious exefcise and gay rights and "cudgels"

[Susan Freiman]

Paul Diamond wrote:
> Interestingly, there is a similarity of argument on same sex issues in the 
> US, and the removal of discrimination in the UK on the subject of Islam 
> (although very different subject matter).   Recent developments in the UK 
> include the Muslim marriage contract and welfare payment for 2nd -4th wives 
> to reflect a new social norm.
>
>   
>

This is very interesting.  Where can I find out more (on line) about it?

The discussion is very relevant to me, probably more than others on the 
list, because I live in Israel.  The Bedouins in the Negev often have a 
number of wives.  Quite apart from the security question (they bring 
extra wives in from Gaza - so I'm told), we have the question of paying 
welfare benefits to all the families, and the question of citizenship.

In practice, we tend to be pretty compassionate in who gets benefits - 
our hospitals care for wounded from Gaza, and we're taking in a lot of 
refugees from Darfur and the Sudan.  But I enjoy playing with the legal 
questions.

Susan