Michigan Imam Defends 'Beating' of Wives Who 'Misbehaved,' Under Certain Conditions
An imam in Detroit is shown in a video clip explaining to students the role of “wife-beating” and justifying the act under certain conditions.
In the video clip, Shiite Imam Bassem al-Sheraa educates the class at the Az-Zahraa Islamic Center on what the Quran is talking about when it refers to a “beating,” Fox News reported.
The “beating,” according to the imam, can be used to admonish a woman when words do not work.
“When the Quran refers to beating one’s wife, it is referring to a beating that does not cause pain and that should be done using a sewak dental twig,” the Middle East Media Research Institute wrote last month in paraphrasing the imam’s words.
“The Quranic verse that people cite in order to attack Islam, claiming that Islam permits wife-beating … Who says that ‘beat them’ means that the beating should cause pain?” al-Sheraa said, according to MEMRI’s transcript of his remarks.
Detroit Imam Bassem Al-Sheraa: Wife-Beating Serves to Remind Her That She Misbehaved pic.twitter.com/kl62ITDLqu
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) June 3, 2019
“The Prophet Muhammad explained this Quranic verse. He said that ‘beat them’ means beating them with a sewak. A sewak is a twig one uses to clean one’s teeth,” he said. “That’s the sewak.”
According to the transcript, he said the beating is not supposed “to cause pain.”
“The beating is not meant to cause pain. According to Islamic jurisprudence, if you beat [your wife] and any part of her body becomes red, you have to pay compensation,” al-Sheraa said.
He went on to explain to the class that the “beating” is supposed to remind the wife “that she has misbehaved in cases when words [of admonishment] do not make her change her ways.”
“First, the husband follows ‘forsake them in bed.’ He turns his back to her. But what if she says: ‘I’m better off [like this]. I don’t want to see your face. Turn around’?” al-Sheraa said.
“He can snub her, refuse to talk to her. … But what if she says: ‘I don’t care’?”
Al-Sheraa compared the “beating” to slapping a child’s hand when he reaches to touch an electrical socket or is about to eat something dangerous.
“It is just like when your child reaches to touch the electrical socket or a fire,” he said. “What do you do? You go like that!”
“It is just like when your child picks up something dangerous and is about to eat it,” he added. “You hit his hand like that as a reminder. This is a reminder and a means of clarification. This is what the ‘beating’ means.”
The Detroit-based imam has sparked controversy before.
Earlier this year, al-Sheraa claimed Jews ran brothels and employed usury to gain power, in addition to killing prophets, according to MEMRI.
“[The Jews] employ tricks and fraud in matters of religion and moral values. They distort [sacred texts], and therefore it is said that the Jews would often kill their own prophets,” the imam said.
“The Jews permitted usury and have been usurers. They are still proud of this. Look at the global banks, the billionaires,” he said. “All those are from among [the Jews]. Their culture is a culture of usury.”
“In addition, they allowed their women to engage in [prostitution]. Pardon my language, but the brothels of Europe were established by them,” al-Sheraa asserted.
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