KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians were left surprised by viral photos showing a non-Muslim man in Sarawak allegedly marrying not one but two wives, sparking questions over its legality.
The buzz began with a now-removed Facebook post featuring images from the wedding reception held by the groom and his two brides at a local restaurant.
"Congratulations to the groom and the two brides! I wish the three of you everlasting love as you journey through life together," the caption read, as reported by an on-line portal.
The trio was captured pouring a champagne tower, cutting a five-tier wedding cake, and partaking in celebratory tosses on stage.
According to SinChew Sarawak, the groom reportedly operates a noodle stall at the Farley Mall food court.
Several viral posts suggested that one bride is local, while the other is from Indonesia.
While many netizens offered congratulations, others raised questions about the legality of a non-Muslim individual marrying two wives in Malaysia.
"How come? Why? Boleh kah (Is this permitted)? Gimana ceritanya boleh jadi begini (How could this happen)?" queried a Facebook user.
"Can Chinese marry two wives? In the past, it was understood that they could only marry one. Correct me if I'm mistaken," wrote a netizen.
Another netizen wrote: "This marriage is recognised only in Sarawak.
"According to the National Registration Department of Malaysia, only Muslims are legally permitted to marry more than one person."
"As far as I understand, as a Malaysian citizen, non-Muslims are only allowed to marry one person under Malaysia's Civil Marriage Law. This means only one wife is legally recognised under civil law," added another netizen.
Sarawak's Women, Childhood, and Community Wellbeing Development Minister, Datuk Sri Fatimah Abdullah shed light on the matter, clarifying that non-Muslims are only permitted to marry one spouse under the country's existing civil and customary laws.
She said Malaysian law distinguishes between two types of marriages: those for Muslims (Islamic marriage) and those for non-Muslims (civil marriage).
Additionally, in Sarawak, native customary marriages are recognised.
"Under our legal framework, non-Muslims are legally allowed to marry only one person, whether it's through civil or customary marriage.
Muslim marriages, on the other hand, follow their own set of rules."
Fatimah added that her ministry's jurisdiction does not cover matters related to marriage law enforcement.
She refrained from commenting further on the specific case, stating that such issues fall under the purview of the National Registration Department.