It’s 2017, and yet violence against women appears to have been recommended by a religious leader, and even published in a national newspaper.
Local Malay-language newspaper Berita Harian had the unenviable task of clarifying why it thought it was fine to feature a column by Ustaz Mohammad Zaid Isahak — the piece bore the headline “How to manage stubborn wives”. The Muslim leader then did a rundown of the steps to be taken progressively, according to a quote from the Quran. Although to be fair, the cleric did suggest other measures such as gentle reasoning, leaving the wife temporarily and giving her the cold shoulder for a couple of days.
But the part that everyone took issue with was the last resort method advised by the ustaz — physical punishment, if all the above fails. It came with rules, as the ustaz listed down in point form:
- The beating cannot leave a mark
- The beating cannot be done on the wife’s face
- The beating must be done with the confidence that it will change her from stubbornness
Outcry
The angry reactions came in volleys via social media, including one from Muslim Member of Parliament (MP) and the Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Social and Family Development, Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim.
Published in @BeritaHarianSG, mainstream Malay newspaper. “How to handle a stubborn wife”, w/ advice that includes beating your wife. pic.twitter.com/aISzLXJiyl
— Kirsten Han 韩俐颖 (@kixes) October 14, 2017
I don’t read Malay, but have seen Malay-speaking friends sharing this w/ horror & disgust, gobsmacked that a mainstream daily published it.
— Kirsten Han 韩俐颖 (@kixes) October 14, 2017
. @MSFSingapore : Every1 has a right 2 b safe frm family violence
🇸🇬BeritaHarian: How 2 Manage a Stubborn Wife- if u hit, don’t leave marks pic.twitter.com/J96ve0bSgl
— Sööree (@sooreemario) October 15, 2017
Clarifications
Berita Harian, the Office of the Mufti, and the cleric who wrote the column himself scrambled to explain the context and to dispel any notions that spousal abuse is accepted in Islam.
Ustaz Mohammad Zaid, the executive Imam of Al-Mawaddah Mosque, clarified that the quote was not a license to beat up spouses (or even verbally abuse them), and that it should be interpreted in the modern context.
“As a Muslim, it is best that we follow Prophet Muhammad’s example in caring for the family with the utmost compassion,” he said, adding that men are not allowed to physically abuse their wives, according to Islamic rules.
The cleric, however, did not explain why he included the part about beating wives in his published column.
Irwan Hadi, the head of the Office of Mufti, provided a detailed explanation of the quote from the Quran, categorically declaring that it is not true that the excerpt says spousal abuse is okay. He cited an interpretation that the quote is only intended for men to only express “displeasure and anger” in lieu of physical beating.
“This interpretation in my humble opinion is most closest to the example of none other than Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) whose actions are the best interpretation for the Quran.”
