A club dedicated to promoting polygamy in Indonesia is actively touting "a quick way to have four wives" through classes across the country that cost hundreds of dollars.

Key points: Topics covered at the school include how to acquire four wives as well as how to avoid divorce

Topics covered at the school include how to acquire four wives as well as how to avoid divorce Supporters of the practice defend it as being in line with Islamic teachings

Supporters of the practice defend it as being in line with Islamic teachings Critics say polygamy is "psychologically and economically" harmful to wives

Though experts say most Indonesians find the idea of polygamous marriage objectionable, there is strong support for the practice in some sections of society.

The Indonesian Polygamy Forum (FP Indonesia) is capitalising on interest among conservative Muslim men in taking multiple wives by offering one-day seminars that claim to prepare their clients for polygamous marriage.

The organisation said it even provides a same-day marriage service for seminar attendees deemed ready to enter into a polygamous marriage.

Vicky Abu Syamil, a 32-year-old male who facilitates the workshops, said male participants are charged 3,500,000 rupiah each (roughly $350) to attend.

One of Indonesia's most well-known polygamists, Fadil Muzakki Syah, surrounded by his three wives, Siti, Yeni and Novita. ( Supplied: Jawapos.com )

Discounts for women who attend

Class sizes are limited to 20 people — most of them men — with a 50 per cent discount being offered to female attendees in an attempt to attract more women.

Topics covered include how to begin and maintain a polygamous marriage, how to acquire four wives within a short period of time, and how to avoid a divorce.

"We want to train and educate Muslims who are seriously willing to enter these marriages," Mr Abu Syamil told the ABC.

Mr Abu Syamil said he became a polygamist when he was 24 years old, and now has four wives.

"I married my first wife in 2006 and my second one in 2011. It was a long process to actually reach that big decision based on mutual understanding," he said.

Mr Abu Syamil said he was able to persuade his first wife based on "knowledge that came from heaven and was delivered by the messenger", referring to Islamic teachings.

The club, which was established in 2017, holds sessions that are attended by Muslims around Indonesia, with the next one scheduled for Jakarta in mid-April.

'Only one in a million men will refuse polygamy'

Another man touting the appeal of polygamy is Fadil Muzakki Syah, the son of a charismatic cleric, who has become infamous in Indonesia for living openly with three wives in Jember, East Java.

The Indonesian Polygamy Forum said these women participated in one of its classes. ( Supplied: Indonesian Polygamy Forum )

"I believe an old saying that among a million women, only one is willing to accept polygamy," Mr Muzaki Syah told local media outlet Jawapos.

"On the other hand, only one in a million men will refuse polygamy."

He has praised his first wife for not only letting him marry again but also being actively involved in "coaching" the second wife into their family. When he met another woman, a young widow, both his other wives were heavily involved in the preparations for the marriage.

While men who promote the practice tend to paint a picture of marital harmony, most wives in polygamous marriages suffer detrimental effects to their wellbeing, both "psychologically and economically", according to Nina Nurmila, a commissioner on Indonesia's National Commission of Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan).

A Muslim man who wants to take on secondary wives — an option not afforded to women — must prove his first wife is sick, disabled, or cannot have children, and that he has the means to care for all of his spouses and children equally.

There have been a series of protests against polygamy in Indonesia since the 2000s, but none have successfully convinced politicians to take action. ( Reuters: Darren Whiteside )

Wives 'at a disadvantage'

But Ms Nurmila, whose PhD research at the University of Melbourne focuses on polygamous marriages in Indonesia, said the existing spouses she interviewed described being emotionally and financially sidelined.

Secondary wives, she said, were often at a disadvantage as their marriages are rarely registered, meaning they had no legal recourse in the event of a dispute.

And critics say domestic violence is also more likely to take hold in polygamous marriages.

Once rare in Indonesia — former president Suharto frowned upon polygamy and banned civil servants from the practice during his three-decades dictatorial rule — a return to democracy has brought a niche but flourishing resurgence.

Indonesian local media reported that just 897 polygamous marriages were registered in 2018, but with most avoiding official registration, Ms Nurmila estimated that up to 5 per cent of people in Indonesia could be practicing polygamy.

The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), the country's peak body for Muslim organisations, said it had not received any complaints about the polygamy classes and nor does it plan to formally discourage the practice.

"Polygamy is not mandatory, recommended, reprehensible or forbidden, however it could be haram or forbidden if it would create damage to the family," the MUI's Aminuddin Yaqub told the ABC.

Ms Nurmila predicted that the practice was unlikely to be outlawed any time soon, with male politicians unmotivated to address the issue.

"I think this controversy will go on and on," she said.

"The struggle to outlaw polygamy I don't think will be successful in the next 10 to 20 years, until women can be represented [equally] in the legislature."