Al-Tayeb, a leading Sunni scholar, said the practice came from “a lack of understanding of the Qur’an” CAIRO: The grand imam of Egypt’s Al-Azhar Institution, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, has sparked a debate on social media with comments on polygamy, saying it can be an “injustice for women and children.” Al-Tayeb, a leading Sunni scholar, said the practice came from “a lack of understanding of the Qur’an.” “Those who say that marriage must be polygamous are wrong, we have to read the (Qur’anic) verse in full,” he said. Speaking on his weekly television program and on Twitter, Al-Tayeb said that monogamy was the rule and polygamy was an exception. He said Islam requires the condition of fairness, and “if there is not fairness it is forbidden to have more than one wife.” The Imam also advocated a broader revamp of the way women’s issues are addressed. “Women represent half of society, if we don’t care for them it’s like walking on one foot only,” he posted on Twitter. The comments sparked a fervent debate on social media, prompting Al-Azhar Institution to clarify that the grand Imam was not calling for a ban on polygamy.