Due to the successful passage of a law in November 2008, the lawful practice of polygamy

Polygamy

Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...

in the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan

Iraqi Kurdistan

Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...

is almost impossible. When Kurdistan was divided (from 1994 to 2005), polygamy was abolished under areas controlled by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan

Patriotic Union of Kurdistan

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is a Kurdish political party in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was founded on June 1, 1975, by coordinations between Jalal Talabani and Nawshirwan Mustafa...

 while legal under regions controlled by the Kurdistan Democratic Party. The severe restrictions on polygamy provoked a fierce outcry within the Islamic community, many of which feel polygamy to be their right as Muslims as it is ordained by the Qur'an

Qur'an

The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...

. Feminist

Feminism

Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...

groups, on the other hand, viewed the legislation as a semi-victory; as they will not stop until they have fully abolished polygamy in the region.