Excerpt: What is it about the
word polygamy? Just uttering it raises eyebrows, elicits snide remarks, or
prompts crude jokes. Since the 19
th century, when the concepts of
orientalism and colonialism came to dominate western thought, combining the
words polygamy and Islam has conjured up visions of swarthy Arab men surrounded
by sexual playthings. More recently, the word polygamy has come to represent
patriarchs in the Fundamentalist Church of Later Day Saints, having sexual
relations with underage girls.
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