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In Malaysia, a Muslim woman can be a doctor, an engineer, a minister, even a pilot, but not an Islamic expert. The privilege of becoming one of the powerful ulama is reserved for men.

But Endon Mahmood, 62, is breaking down the barriers and encouraging Muslim women to fight outdated interpretations of Islamic tenets.

Ms Endon is the wife of Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, but unlike other VIP wives she is not afraid to ruffle feathers.

She rose to prominence after publicly admitting she had breast cancer and that she consulted a US-based Indian expert on alternative medicines.

Ms Endon, who is of Malay-Japanese parentage, also campaigns to preserve baba-nyonya culture - the unique tradition developed by descendants of 15th-century Chinese seafarers who settled in Malaya and inter-married with the local Malays. Islamic purists frown upon such 'un-Islamic' interests.

Last week, she riled the Muslim conservatives, including many in her husband's ruling United Malays National Organisation party, by launching a campaign with other activists to revive monogamy for Muslims.

Among their slogans: 'Monogamy Is My Choice' and 'One Husband, One Wife'.

Activists want the government to give Muslim women the legal choice to divorce their husbands if they take a second wife.

'Monogamy has kept my marriage to Pak Lah happy for four decades,' Ms Endon said. (Mr Abdullah, who takes over from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in October, is affectionately known as Pak Lah.)

'Our happiness is built on the principles of equality and mutual support . . . monogamy is the choice for my family,' she said. 'Marriage is a contract between two persons, only two.'

Activists say polygamy often caused misery in Malay homes as husbands easily abandoned the family to marry again.

Non-Muslims are legally barred from practising polygamy.

Historically, few Malays practised polygamy but a fundamentalist wave in the past three decades has seen a significant upsurge in Muslim men marrying more than one wife.

Consequently, the divorce rate among Muslims is seven times higher compared to non-Muslims, said Zainah Anwar of Sisters in Islam, a leading Muslim rights group behind the monogamy campaign.

She said the government does not even keep a registry of married Muslim couples for women to check whether prospective spouses are already married.

'Muslim women enter the marriage blind, unprotected and increasingly end up discarded victims,' she said. 'Endon's marriage is an example for all Muslims.'

But most observers say that even with Ms Endon's backing, the campaign is unlikely to make headway except perhaps in urban centres where the high cost of living prohibits most Muslim men from practising polygamy.

Indeed, polygamy is widely accepted, even encouraged in the rural hinterland, where government officials offer incentives and special medals to willing young women.

Government media also promote polygamy and state government has made divorce as well as marriage cheap and hassle free.

Ms Endon's endorsement of the campaign has been controversial, with government and opposition backbenchers questioning her role.

'Monogamy is against Islam,' said Abdul Hamid Othman, the government's chief Islamic adviser, restating the government's position.

Some activists fear that despite Ms Endon's support, conservative clerics would brand them as un-Islamic or pro-West if they were too persistent in their campaign.

'It is a serious charge for Muslims,' said activist Ruzana Udin. Serious enough that the activists don't demand a ban on polygamy, only try to make the practice unpopular.



A rising star upsets Islamic purists