Americans Against Abuses of Polygamy
Jeffs and 11 members of his Fundamentalist Church of the Latter Day Saints (FLDS) were charged in 2008 by Texas authorities with a variety of felony charges, from bigamy to child abuse, following a raid on the group’s Yearning for Zion Ranch in tiny Eldorado, Texas. Seven of the men have been convicted and have received sentences ranging from 7 to 75 years; another goes on trial this month.
via Polygamist Prophet Warren Jeffs: One Step Closer to a Texas Court – TIME.
Head of the Forum for Islamic Women … Asma Kuftaro says her work with women has led her to estimate 30% of marriages in Damascus are polygamous, and as many as 50% in rural villages.
via Does polygamy exist among young Syrians? – Forward Magazine.
Polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs on Tuesday refused to sign a waiver that would have allowed his extradition to Texas, where he faces bigamy, aggravated sexual assault and assault charges over alleged incidents with underage girls at a church ranch.
via Washington Post: Sect leader Jeffs fights extradition to Texas.
In one corner is feisty Alberta farm wife Nancy Mereska, president of Stop Polygamy in Canada. Her grassroots group is so poor it had to put out a plea over the Internet for funds to pay for the travel expenses of one of their witnesses — a woman who grew up in a polygamous family in Utah.
via Polygamy test case ramping up | Mindelle Jacobs | Columnists | Comment | Toronto Sun.
Note: AAAP is cooperating with Stop Polygamy in Canada. One of our board members is scheduled to present testimony in the Canadian case.
The sheriff also said the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice has been to Colorado City in the past two weeks and is working with MCSO in investigating the complaints. Sheahan said he has seen an increase in defiance and incidents by Colorado City officials in the past year. He has also seen an increase in traffic back and forth between Colorado City and an FLDS compound in Texas
While polygamy is accepted in South Africa, the spiralling cost to the taxpayer of Mr Zumas cultural observance has led to bitter clashes between the presidents ruling African National Congress and the leading opposition party. News of yet another child and another marriage is bound to reignite the debate. Taxpayers are already spending more than £1.3m a year to support Mr Zumas current wives and some of his children.
via Jacob Zuma to become a father for the 22nd time after he has wed his next wife – Telegraph.
The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and its B.C. bishop, James Oler, want immunity from future criminal prosecution.Oh, not just immunity here; in the United States as well.They want to testify anonymously, using pseudonyms or hidden behind screens, and they dont want to answer incriminating questions.
via Daphne Branham, Vancouver Sun: Polygamists will stand up for their beliefs — but only to a point.
Polygamy is illegal in France and it was cited by one of Sarkozy’s ministers as one reason for the riots that ripped through the country’s suburban slums in 2005.
via Daphne Branham, writing for the Vancouver Sun. Foreign-born polygamists to be stripped of French citizenship – Think Tank.
A court case to determine whether Canada’s polygamy laws violate religious protection might have been sparked by a fundamentalist Mormon sect in southeastern British Columbia, but the legal challenge will also examine rarely discussed polygamous practices among North America’s Muslims.
via Court case won’t just look at Mormon polygamists; Muslims under scrunity too – Winnipeg Free Press.
AAAP Board Member Susan Stickers, MD, is quoted in this article. She has presented supporting material on the psychological and social impact of polygamy on Muslim women.
