DIVORCE IN TURKEY

Hokitika Guardian, 7 January 1927, Page 4

DIVORCE IN TURKEY

NO MORE POLYGAMY

The correspondent of the Change Tribune” wired to the London

•' Daily Telegraph ” from Constantinople on Thursday, September 30, as follows : “ There is wee in old Stamboul. Until mid-night next Monday, Octobei 4, any Turk may divorce his old wives and marry four new ones. Only four; but lie must make them last for the rest of his lile. Until midnight next Alonday any Turk's wife may be repudiated by her lord and master without cause or reason, but if she can so arrange things satisfactorily until 1

o’clock next Tuesday morning, there is no fear of any further repudiation. The days of multiple marriages and easy divorces for Turkish males are drawing to a close. It is the law. The. Swiss civil cotie, adopted by the Turkish National Assembly, goes into effect on Alonday night, supplanting the old Aloiianmiedan religious law which has governed family life and personal status in the Land of tho Crescent for centuries. Divorces and marriages, multiple or otherwise, contracted under the old law will remain valid, but under tbc new code divorces will become a matter of court adjudication with equal rights to husband and wife, and bigamy becomes criminal and punishable by live years’ imprisonment..

“Old Ali llassan told me all about it between sips of black coffee mid pull's from a bubbling narghile as we

sal at the table in front of tho coffee bouse on Hie steep street at Stamboul, from which one could watch the ferry boats and the harbour craft plying down the Golden Horn to the Asiatic

shore on the opposite side of the Tliispnoriis. Ali is old and fat, and knows the world, women and life. He has been round the world. Ho said:—

‘ Kffaudi. evil days have come upon the land. T can’t see any good in lots of these new notions. It is against the Law of the Prophet. Mohammed said if a man couldn’t get along with one wife lie could marry three more. I have had many in my time, hut T never wanted as many as that at one time. I believe it was a good system, although many people think it had something to do with all the wars Turkey has been in for the last GOO years. The Turkish nrmv always re-

ported that the men living with four wives were always the first to enlist for service at the front, and seemed more at home in battle than their unmarried brothers. Of course, any

man with harem experience knows more about fighting than a bachelor, hut I don't believe domestic troubles made the Turks warlike, because the husband didn’t really have to go to war to find peace. The Koranic Law gave him the means of ridding himself of undesirable wives whenever, and as often a.s he pleased. All he has to do is to drop three stones in front of ibis wife, and repeat three times, ‘ You are no wife of mine,’ and that finishes it. “ NO PEACE EOP HAMIT).”

“ Are these stones difficult to get here? ” I asked A 1 i.

*' The country is just covered with gravel pits,” he replied, replacing his amber mouth niece of narghile.

Hamit] Paslin. a friend of mine, was just telling me this morning lie woke the other night ant! fount] his second wife going through his pockets because she thought the day before she heard some stones rattle. Hamid had three pebbles tied up in his sash. He produced them forthwith and threatened to drop them and divorce her because she was suspicious of him. The wife cried and woke up the other wife, and both begged forgiveness, so Hamid relented. But- what kind of life is Hamid going to lead after next Monday? There will he no pence for him because his wife can do as she pleases then. She knows now if his toffee is not strong and his pilaff not hot and tasty he can divorce her: hut after Monday it "ill Tie different. If he wants to stav down here in the coffee house and nlav chess with me or go out with a Circassian dancing girl for a little diversion His wife can divorce him and get half his rugs, divans, and ."0 per cent, of his harem furniture.

C';in that be justice ? What is going to become of his authority in- his owl', house under this new law?”

Ali explained that he himself had two wives, one of his owil age, who had been with him for 30 years; the second 20 years old, whom he married live years ago.

Asked whether he contemplated divorcing them be!ore the old privileges expired, he slowly withdrew one hand from his voluminous trousers pocket and covered one hand with the other.

Ell'endi (.lie said slowly), 1 am an old man, with pride in the thought that the years have brought me wisdom. I know 1 can divorce my two wives now if I want to. and get two more before next Monday, lint I ask myself whether the new pair would he as good. It’s a question worthy of serious study and time. Fortunately, there are a lew days left, and ns 1 am a philosopher 1 wait and deliberate. Ali’s eyes dropped to his extended hand, and. uncovoering it, he revealed six small white pebbles in the wrinkled palm.