Wife Beating in Islamic Law: Difference between revisions

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These conversations between Laleh Bakhtiar and "many, many scholars" most likely had never occurred, since Bakhtiar's approach to surah 4:34 fails once you realize Muhammad ''did'' violently push his wife Aisha, and allowed the companions to hit his wives, and reiterated the wife-beating command in his farewell sermon. Furthermore, her claims about the common usage of the relevant verb in the Qur'an are false. It is much more commonly used to mean to strike violently. Her claim also fails on grammatical grounds, as explained in other articles. Unfortunately for women, any Muslim scholar worth his salt would be aware of this and would have little difficulty in dismantling her weak arguments.
These conversations between Laleh Bakhtiar and "many, many scholars" most likely had never occurred, since Bakhtiar's approach to surah 4:34 fails once you realize Muhammad ''did'' violently push his wife Aisha, and allowed the companions to hit his wives, and reiterated the wife-beating command in his farewell sermon. Furthermore, her claims about the common usage of the relevant verb in the Qur'an are false. It is much more commonly used to mean to strike violently. Her claim also fails on grammatical grounds, as explained in other articles. Unfortunately for women, any Muslim scholar worth his salt would be aware of this and would have little difficulty in dismantling her weak arguments.
===Beat them only lightly, with a miswak===
This argument is discussed earlier in this article at the end of the section on Muhammad's attempts to moderate the severity of the beatings.


===Muhammad's farewell sermon===
===Muhammad's farewell sermon===
Ignoring Muhammad's comparison of women to domestic [[animals]], some may point to the [[The Farewell Sermon|authentic farewell sermon]] and his instructions to “beat them, but not severely,”. See the discussion on Muhammad's attempts to moderate the severity of the beatings above. However, what one considers to be a severe beating is subjective, in contrast to an outright ban, and within the context of Islam the definition of a “severe beating” is wholly dependent on what Muhammad or his followers saw as severe. A beating "without severity" leaves far too much room for domestic violence against women, and later scholars had to add more stringent limitations to further mitigate Muhammad's words.
Ignoring Muhammad's comparison of women to domestic [[animals]], some may point to the [[The Farewell Sermon|authentic farewell sermon]] and his instructions to “beat them, but not severely,”. See the discussion on Muhammad's attempts to moderate the severity of the beatings above. However, what one considers to be a severe beating is subjective, in contrast to an outright ban, and within the context of Islam the definition of a “severe beating” is wholly dependent on what Muhammad or his followers saw as severe. A beating "without severity" leaves far too much room for domestic violence against women, and later scholars had to add more stringent limitations to further mitigate Muhammad's words.
==Conclusion==
Wife-beating is divinely sanctioned in the Qur'an and Hadiths, and intended as a method for husbands to keep their wives under control. Despite some of the statements made by Muslim apologists, wife-beating is institutionalized in Islam. Muhammad was persuaded by Umar to allow his followers to beat their wives. He seems to have been concerned at the consequences of his instructions and attempted to mitigate them, and the Qur'an first mentions two other measures that husbands must try before beating their wives. However, Muhammad failed to commit to an outright ban. In the Qur'an, and reiterated in his farewell sermon, wife-beating is not merely permitted, but is part of a command. Muhammad showed indifference to at least one heavily beaten woman, gave the mildest of remarks about other men when their wives complained, on one occasion painfully pushed 'A'isha, and allowed Abu Bakr and Umar to slap his wives and hit other women.
The article also shows the deceptive means Muslim apologists use to cover up the fact the Qur'an and Hadith sanction wife-beating by using other verses of the Qur'an in an attempt to support their view that Islam promotes equality between men and women, that wife-beating is forbidden, and that surah 4:34 has been [[Misinterpreted Verses|misinterpreted]]. The problem with their argument is it only reveals the inconsistencies of the Qur'an, and their arguments have been easily [[Refutations|refuted]], by Islamic scholars and the Hadiths. This is an unfortunate situation for women in the Islamic world, who could have been better protected had Muhammad and the Qur'an clearly prohibited domestic violence.
==External Links==
==External Links==


*[http://www.hotpeachpages.net/index.html International inventory of domestic violence services] ''- Global list of abuse hotlines, shelters, refuges, crisis centres and women's organizations, plus domestic violence information in over 80 languages''
*[http://www.hotpeachpages.net/index.html International inventory of domestic violence services] ''- Global list of abuse hotlines, shelters, refuges, crisis centers and women's organizations, with domestic violence information in over 80 languages''
*[http:///www.answering-islam.org/Silas/wife-beating.htm Wife Beating in Islam] ''- by Silas''
*[http:///www.answering-islam.org/Silas/wife-beating.htm Wife Beating in Islam] ''- by Silas''
*[http://www.answering-islam.org/Authors/Arlandson/beating.htm Domestic violence in Islam: The Quran on wife-beating] ''- by James Arlandson''
*[http://www.answering-islam.org/Authors/Arlandson/beating.htm Domestic violence in Islam: The Quran on wife-beating] ''- by James Arlandson''
*[http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/LE25Ak01.html Wife-beating, sharia, and Western law] ''- Asia Times''
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130601213750/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/LE25Ak01.html Wife-beating, sharia, and Western law] ''- Asia Times''
*''Video:'' [http://www.filecabi.net/video/burka-beat.html Woman Hit For Not Wearing Burka]'' (warning, contains scenes of woman being slapped a number of times; may be disturbing to some viewers)''


'''News'''
=== National decrees ===


*[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1335024/Muslim-imam-Sheikh-Adam-lectures-non-violence-arrested-wife-beating.htmlMuslim imam who lectures on non-violence in Germany is arrested for beating up his wife] ''- Sheikh Abu Adam shouted Qur'an verse 4:34 at his wife as he beat her. She suffered a broken nose and shoulder and numerous cuts and bruises''
*[http://www.haaretz.com/news/saudi-judge-says-it-s-okay-for-men-to-beat-their-wives-1.275823 Saudi Judge Says it's Ok for Men to Beat Their Wives]
*[http://www.haaretz.com/news/saudi-judge-says-it-s-okay-for-men-to-beat-their-wives-1.275823 Saudi Judge Says it's Ok for Men to Beat Their Wives]
*[http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2010/03/its-in-koran.html Algeria: Prison for Violent Husbands is Against Koran, Mufti]
*[http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2010/03/its-in-koran.html Algeria: Prison for Violent Husbands is Against Koran, Mufti]
*[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/18/wife-beating-uae-sharia-law-court Wife-beating allowed under sharia law, UAE court rules]
*[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/18/wife-beating-uae-sharia-law-court Wife-beating allowed under sharia law, UAE court rules] - ''this article later had to be 'Removed for legal reasons'''
*[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2119846/Muslim-guide-marriage-tells-husbands-beat-hand-stick.html#ixzz1q7BCPLdj 'Pull her by the ear, beat her by hand or stick': How the Islamic guide to a happy marriage advises husbands to treat their wives] - ''Daily Mail, UK, March 2012''


==References==
==References==
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