Kadyrov States That 'Four Wives Means Happiness'

• 14.12.2023, 8:25

And it's just "good" to have three.

Chechen head Ramzan Kadyrov has said that three wives are good, and four are happiness. He said this during a direct line with residents of the region.

"Two wives is the definition that you are a real man. Three is good. Four is happiness. This is what our prophet said," Kadyrov said. He also said he loves "this life and beautiful women" but at the same time remains a "deeply religious" man.

Polygamy is not officially permitted in Russia, but there is no punishment for it in the law. Therefore, in fact, such "marriages" do exist: they are not registered with the state authorities and are valid only from the point of view of Muslim customs.

Ramzan Kadyrov has on several occasions over the years called for the legalisation of polygamy. In 2006, for example, Kadyrov stated that a man can have up to four wives if he is able to support them. Kadyrov explained that it was not necessary to change the law to introduce polygamy; it could remain a private matter for each individual.

For a time in 1999, polygamy was officially allowed in Ingushetia, but almost immediately the local government decree authorising such marriages was suspended by federal authorities and the republic's own Supreme Court. In 2019, Moscow Mufti Ildar Alyautdinov proposed legalising polygamy, citing the fact that it "already exists in a number of regions, such as Tatarstan, Chechnya and Dagestan".