In Jordan, woman found married to four in rare polyandry case

A rare polyandry case in the Middle Eastern kingdom of Jordan has sparked controversy when the four husbands take a dispute over the pregnancy of their shared wife to court.

The London-based Arabic daily al-Hayat reported this week that a court in Jordan’s northern town of al-Ramtha is considering the case, which reportedly involves two Syrian men, a Jordanian and a Saudi Arabian.

Each man claimed to be the real impregnator of the wife, denying awareness that she was married to another man, according to al-Hayat. The court resorted to DNA tests to resolve the dispute.

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Many people expressed their shock that such an incident took place in a Muslim society. In many Muslim countries, polygamy is common practice but polyandry is legally and religiously prohibited.

“This is a strange story and the law does not protect dupes,” a person commented on al-Hayat’s report, referring to the four husbands.

Another slammed the marriage as “disguised prostitution.” One commentator asked whether the court was “ruling with God's law or with Hollywood law.”