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May 18, 2020 Special Dispatch No. 8758

Wife-Beating Guidance By Qatari Official Dr. Ahmad Al-Farjabi On Al-Jazeera TV: Some Women Must Be Subdued By Muscles; Women Almost Unanimously Agree That Beating Is Better Than Letting The Wives Ruin Their Families

May 18, 2020
Qatar | Special Dispatch No. 8758

Dr. Ahmad Al-Farjabi, a shari'a expert from the Qatari Ministry of Religious Endowments, said in a May 6, 2020 interview on Al-Jazeera Network (Qatar) that Muslims are not the only people who beat their wives and that when a man suspects his wife might turn out to be rebellious, he should take the measures prescribed by the Quran, the third of which is beating his wife. Dr. Al-Farjabi added that even Western psychologists have said that wife-beating is "inevitable" for women who had been beaten while they were growing up and for women who have no respect for their husbands. He said that these kinds of women must be "subdued by muscles," and that some kinds of women "may be reformed by beating." Al-Farjabi also said that he has even heard from women at his lectures that it preferable to beat one's wife than to allow her to ruin the home and lose her children. For similar statements from Dr. Ahmad Al-Farjabi, see MEMRI TV Clip No. 226

To view the clip of shari'a expert Dr. Ahmad Al-Farjabi on MEMRI TV, click here or below.

Islam  "Treats [Women's] Disobedience And Rebelliousness Right From The Start, When It Is Merely A Suspicion"

Interviewer: "Some say: 'You claim that Islam fights violence against women and domestic violence, and that the Prophetic guidance opposes these things, but at the same time, you allow husbands to beat their wives,' and this appears in the Quran itself. Allah says: 'Admonish them, forsake them in bed, and beat them.'"

Ahmad Al-Farjabi: "Islam is not the religion that invented violence. The Muslims are not the only ones who beat [their wives]. The international statistics show this. In some big countries, 2,000-4,000 women die yearly from being beaten by their husbands. These are non-Muslim countries. In another country, one-third of the police force is dedicated solely to protecting battered women.

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"The Quran says: 'As for those on whose part you fear disobedience...' The wondrous nature of Islam is revealed here. It treats [women's] disobedience and rebelliousness right from the start, when it is merely a suspicion."

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"The Admonishment Is Very Important Because Women Need It"

"'As for those on whose part you fear disobedience, admonish them.' This is the order of things. The admonishment is very important because women need it. Admonishment means frightening [the wives] about what Allah will do and reminding them of the consequences.

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"If this measure is unsuccessful, we move on to the next stage. After 'admonish them,' Allah said: 'And forsake them in bed.' Note that if we follow these steps, the beating will be altogether unnecessary.

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"'Forsaking in bed' means that the husband turns his back to her. This is very effective."

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"The Man Must Be Sure That His Wife Is The Kind Of Woman Who May Be Reformed By Beating"

"If this measure is unsuccessful, we get to the third option: 'And beat them.'

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"When we want to implement this beating, we must bear in mind the following: First of all, the man must be sure that his wife is the kind of woman who may be reformed by beating. Second, if he has to beat her, he must not break her bones or cut her skin. Third, he must not beat her in front of her children, and he must not accompany the beating with rebuke, curses, or verbal offenses. If the beating is excessive, and harm is done to her body, the judge might punish the husband and sentence him to be lashed."

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"The Women Have Said Almost Unanimously That It Is Better To Use The Rod On [A Wife] To Bring Her Back To Her Senses"

"We get a lot of criticism over the issue of [wife] beating, but the renowned American educator [Dr. Benjamin] Spock said: 'I deceived humanity in a book that had 15 editions and in which I said that beating is not good. I have now realized that there can be no good life without corporal punishment.' I would like to add that some Western psychologists have said that for three types of human beings, this measure is inevitable. You'd be surprised that this is a psychological analysis that has nothing to do with any religion. The first type is a woman who used to be beaten when she was growing up.

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"They said that the second type is a woman who looks down on her husband, does not value him and does not respect him. They say that such a woman needs to be subdued by muscles.

"Between you and me, I give a lot of lectures to women and I have asked the sisters to give an honest answer: Is it better to let the wife ruin her home, lose her children, and lose everything she has, or is it better to lift the rod and bring her back to her senses? The women have said almost unanimously that it is better to use the rod on her to bring her back to her senses."

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