THE ASSAULT ON TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE--BY MUSLIMS IN EUROPE

Rome, 2 April (AKI) - Polygamous marriages are illegal in Italy yet are reportedly on the rise. While few Muslim immigrants or Italian converts to Islam admit such unions, Muslim scholars put the number nationwide at 15,000-20,000, La Repubblica daily reports.
"There is no doubt that the phenomenon exists, and that the number of polygamous unions growing as the number of Muslim immigrants to Italy increases," the paper said, adding that there are also cases of polygamous Italian converts to Islam.
No official statistics have been gathered on polygamous marriages in Italy, and estimates vary wildly from hundreds to tens of thousands, according to the paper.
The Catholic charity Caritas estimates there are just over 1.2 million Muslim immigrants in Italy, approximately one-third of a total of over 3.6 million immigrants.
The Italian state does not issue family welfare cheques to more than one wife per husband, unlike in Britain, where Read More...
CATHOLIC MARRIED COUPLE FIGHTS FOR RIGHT TO BE REFERRED TO AS MARRIED

From Scotsman: A Devout Catholic couple who object to their marital status being listed alongside civil partnerships have won the first round in an employment tribunal action against Scotland's largest police force.
Lucille and Frank McQuade, who have been married for 26 years, claim that Strathclyde Police is guilty of religious discrimination after altering its civilian employee records to change their status from "married" to "married/civil partnership".
Speaking after an earlier tribunal hearing, Mrs McQuade, 46, who until recently worked as a CID clerk with the force, said: "The concept of homosexuality is not compatible Read More...
U.K. -- HAREMS TO RECEIVE WELFARE BENEFITS

"Even though bigamy is a crime in Britain, the decision by ministers means that polygamous marriages can now be recognised formally by the state, so long as the weddings took place in countries where the arrangement is legal.
"The outcome will chiefly benefit Muslim men with more than one wife, as is permitted under Islamic law. Ministers estimate that up to a thousand polygamous partnerships exist in Britain, although they admit there is no exact record.
"The decision has been condemned by the Tories, who accused the Government of offering preferential treatment to a particular group, and of setting a precedent that would lead to demands for further changes in British law."
Like implementation of Sharia law?
"Islamic law permits men to have up to four wives at any one time - known as a harem - provided the husband spends equal amounts of time and money on each of them." FOR MORE HERE
THE HUMAN RIGHT TO ENGAGE IN PERVERSE SEX TRUMPS ALL OTHER RIGHTS

The European Court of Human Rights has convicted France of discrimination for preventing a lesbian from adopting a child. She was turned down by French adoption authorities for lack of a male role model in her household.
A majority ruling found that article 14 and 8 of the Human Rights Convention had been violated. France was ordered to pay the woman 10,000 euros in damages. Article 14 forbids discrimination. Article Read More...
A MAJORITY OF FRENCH BIRTHS ARE TO UNWED MOTHERS

Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) -- France became the first non- Scandinavian country in western Europe to record a majority of out-of-wedlock births.
Of the 816,500 births registered in France last year, 50.5 percent were to unmarried parents, up from 48.4 percent in 2006 and 40 percent 10 years ago, according to a report today by Insee, the Paris-based national statistics agency.
``What's led the rise in out-of-wedlock births is that a lifestyle that was once confined to Paris is now the norm even in rural areas,'' Guy Desplanques, head of Insee's demographics department, said in a telephone interview. ``Marriage is no Read More...
IRELAND: FIVEFOLD INCREASE IN MARRIAGE BREAKDOWN OVER 20 YEARS

I suppose the increase in materialism and consumerism that was brought about by the "Celtic Tiger" boom obliterated the closeness to the earth and much of the faith.
DUBLIN (AFP) — There has been a fivefold increase in marital breakdown in Ireland in the last 20 years, according to a new study released Friday.
The Iona Institute, an organisation dedicated to the strengthening of society through marriage and religious practice, said that by 2006, 200,000 people had seen their marriage fail, compared with 40,000 Read More...














