MOSCOW -- The leader of a predominantly Muslim republic in southern Russia defended his decree allowing polygamy, saying Thursday that it was needed for men who cannot produce a son with their first wives.
Ruslan Aushev, president of Ingushetia, decreed earlier this month that men could legally take up to four wives, in line with Islamic tradition. He asked the Russian parliament to amend federal laws and allow polygamy in his region.Russia's Justice Ministry said the decree contradicted federal law and should be rescinded.
Aushev, a retired general, said Thursday that his decree "reflects life in Ingushetia" and the region's longtime tradition of polygamy. He also said men often must wed multiple times because their first wives do not produce male heirs.
"Imagine a man whose wife produced five daughters. He says: 'Listen, I need a male inheritor' and his relatives say the same," Aushev said.
Aushev ruled out marriages by force and without consent of a woman and her relatives.
"Assume that a man's wife falls gravely ill, and she herself tells him: go take another wife to take care of the children," he said.
Valentina Matviyenko, Russia's deputy prime minister and the only woman in the Cabinet, sharply criticized the decree.
"I respect various religions and traditions, but as a woman I am outraged by the very possibility of one man having several wives," she said Thursday, according to the Interfax news agency.