Famous Malaysian singer helps husband find young ‘co-wife’ so she can focus on career, shocks fans, divides opinion
- Singer attends matchmaking events to help husband find woman
- Polygamy common in Malaysia, legal under strictures of Sharia Law
A well-known singer in Malaysia has sparked an online debate after she helped find a younger second wife for her husband so she can focus on her career and personal development.
Azline Ariffin, 42, also known as Ezlynn, shot to nationwide fame with her energetic and avant-garde song Hi Hi Bye Bye in 2003 and boasts 173,000 followers on Instagram.
Despite not releasing any new songs in the past two years, she remains active on Malaysian television shopping channels like Suke Shop, selling food products to her fans.
In early March, Ezlynn publicly revealed her polygamous marriage to her 47-year-old husband, Wan Mohd Hafizam, whom she married in 2021.
Last March, Hafizam married his second wife, a 26-year-old doctor.
The arrangement was Ezlynn’s idea and she helped select the new wife with her husband.
The celebrity said she made this decision so that the co-wife could accompany her husband while she could focus on her career.
“I’m a busy person, my work requires me to travel long distances, and I often feel uneasy. I need someone else to help me with household chores,” she said.
On March 31, Ezlynn posted a photo of herself and her husband on Instagram, saying: “We’re still together, still going strong”.
Polygamy is legal in Malaysia where Islam is the national religion and men can have up to four wives. However, the practice is outlawed for non-Muslims.
Each marriage after the first one must meet the requirements stipulated by Islamic Sharia law in individual states and special permission must be obtained.
Although polygamous marriages represent a small proportion of the total, the practice is not uncommon.
More than 1,000 men reportedly apply for polygamous marriages at Sharia courts in Malaysia every year.
Ezlynn said she accepted polygamy after attending a lecture about how obedient wives have a better chance of entering paradise after death.
To find a suitable co-wife, she attended many matchmaking events. Eventually, her husband found the new wife by himself.
Ezlynn revealed that both she and the co-wife spend alternate weeks with their husband.
“As women, we naturally feel jealous, but for me, if the husband can fulfil his responsibilities and provide enough love and care, women won’t mind sharing,” she said.
Ezlynn also stressed that polygamy is not for everyone.
“If the wife cannot accept it, then don’t do it because it will cause emotional harm to the wife and children,” she said.
Her decision has sparked a heated discussion on social media.
One online observer found Ezlynn’s actions “hard to understand”.
“I think it is necessary to ensure that men understand their responsibilities to their wives in a polygamous relationship and in raising children before choosing polygamy,” the person said.
But a supporter praised her as an independent woman.
“She is willing to share her husband with someone else and prioritise her career over love, which is a very wise decision,” they said.
