Pakistan: ‘Lightly Beating’ Wives Okay, Says Council Of Islamic Ideology
Pakistan’s most populous province tried to protect women from abusive husbands earlier this year, but the Council of Islamic Ideology has responded by saying that “lightly beating” wives is okay in Pakistan. The council, which is commonly known as CII, is made up of Islamic scholars and clerics who directly advice Pakistani lawmakers. The council is incredibly powerful in Pakistan, and it has been outspoken in its opposition to giving protection to women.
When telling the nation that lightly beating wives is okay for Muslim husbands, it added that it is “un-Islamic” for Muslim wives to leave their abusive husbands and seek refuge in a women’s shelter, reports The Hamilton Spectator.
The CII weighed in on the issue after the bill protecting women from abusive husbands passed in Punjab, wanting to get involved before such legislation spread to other areas of Pakistan. The council recently completed its counter proposal to the Punjab legislation, and in no uncertain terms says that lightly beating wives is okay in Pakistan.
“A husband should be allowed to lightly beat his wife if she defies his commands and refuses to dress up as per his desires; turns down demand of intercourse without any religious excuse or does not take bath after intercourse or menstrual periods.”
While Western media first treated the statement as some kind of unfortunate misprint or misunderstanding, calling the CII to clarify, an official from the council confirmed that the report was printed correctly. Indeed, the Council of Islamic Ideology reiterated that, in Pakistan, lightly beating wives is approved by the nation’s most powerful religious group.
That is what the Quran teaches so one cannot fault them.
— Osmond Reynolds (@ossiryn) May 26, 2016
Of course, the CII did say that “some changes” to the wife beating recommendation could be made before it is forwarded to lawmakers.
At this time, domestic violence laws in Pakistan are very vague. Even in the most heinous, inhuman cases of spousal abuse, prosecution is rare in the Islamic country.
According to the CII, the recommendation of “lightly beating wives” is completely consistent with Koranic teachings as well as Sharia law. In addition to recommending that Muslim men lightly beat their wives if they refuse sex, refuse to dress as they are told, and/or refuse to bathe after sex or their period, the CII in Pakistan wants to legalize domestic violence against wives who refuse to cover their head or face in public. The CII also wants a woman beaten (they don’t clarify “lightly” or otherwise) if they “interacts with strangers; speaks loud enough that [they] can easily be heard by strangers; and/or provides monetary support to people without taking consent of [their] spouse.”
The 163-page recommendation by the CII that includes the recommendation that wives in Pakistan be lightly beaten for various transgressions is ultimately non-binding. However, it is an eye-opening look into how conservative Islam views women and their place in society.
The document would also completely ban women from appearing in print or on film, prevent female nurses from treating male patients, and give husbands permission to forbid their wives from visiting any non-related male.
“It shows the decadent mindset of some elements who are part of the council. The proposed bill has nothing to do with Islam and it would just bring a bad name to this country.”
Bari says that the proposal stands virtually no chance of being adopted in Pakistan. This is because Pakistan is much more progressive than many other Islamic nations when it comes to the rights of women.
In Pakistan, women have had the right to vote since 1947, which was only 27 years after women in the United States got the same right. Unlike the United States, Pakistan has also had a female head of state. The late Benazir Bhutto was elected prime minister back in 1988. Unlike many other Islamic nations, there are no federal restrictions on what women wear in public and women even have the right to drive, unlike women living in Saudi Arabia, an ally of the United States.
RT dawn_com "Key points in CII’s proposed #women protection bill https://t.co/Ayhfmq4y3G #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/5znCQ3LqHB"
— Zahra Lodhi (@ZahraLodhi1) May 26, 2016
Unfortunately for Pakistani wives and women in general, in rural areas, most women’s rights cease to exist.
While the secular lawmakers of Pakistan have the right to defy the CII and refuse to honor its recommendations, doing so can result in lawmakers being accused of blasphemy. In Pakistan, blasphemy can be punishable by death.
According to Bari, the CII is losing its stranglehold on Pakistan, and often politicians who have close ties to the council are only able to win roughly 10 percent of the vote. She adds that it’s time for Pakistan to demand an end to violence against women.
“Violence against women can’t be accepted, and it’s time for the nation to stand up to people who come up with such proposed laws.”
So, what do you think? Is the Council of Islamic Ideology’s recommendation that lightly beating wives in Pakistan a sign of more violence against women to come, or will it prompt the nation to dissolve the religious council?
[Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images]
