It is okay to beat your wife, but gently, says UAE high Court
October 18, 2010 – 5:49 pmWell, it must be tough for women who are unfortunate to be born in the Middle East. The highest court in the United Arab Emirates has ruled that a man is permitted to beat his spouse and children as long as he does not leave any marks or bruises.
Said Chief Justice Falah Al Jajeri in his latest ruling on this controversial issue, “Although the [law] permits the husband to use his right [to discipline], he has to abide by the limits of this right,”
According to Islamic law, males of the home are allowed to use some degree of physical discipline against any family members if warning them and refraining from sex with his wife does not solve the problem.
This ruling came about after a UAE national slapped and kicked his wife and daughter leaving them with many bruises and bodily injuries. The court said that physical marks were evidence of abuse and this is not permitted by the law. If a man hits with such force so as to leave bruises, he has abused his “hitting privileges.”
What is not so surprising is that many men in the Middle East think that disciplining family members including spouse with violence is a great solution. Said Dr Ahmed Al Kubasi, Head of Sharia studies at one the UAE colleges “If a wife committed something wrong, a husband can report her to police. But sometimes she does not do a serious thing or he does not want to let others know, when it is not good for the family. In this case, hitting is a better option.”
What the Islamic court in UAE has failed to understand is that it is very possible to kill someone with a blow to the skull without leaving any mark(s) on the outside. So for the time being, women in the Middle East better behave because men have been given the “license” to hit them.
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