Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Saudi family therapist offers advice on how to ‘beat your wife’

'The goal is merely to make the wife feel that she was wrong in the way she treated her husband'

Samuel Osborne
Thursday 12 May 2016 16:52 BST
Comments
Saudi family therapist gives advice on how to ‘beat your wife’

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A Saudi Arabian family therapist has released a video giving his advice on wife beating.

In the tutorial, Khaled Al-Saqaby says he is "aware that this issue is a thorny one, which contains many hazards".

He adds: "But Allah willing, we will cross this bridge safely."

The footage was shot earlier this year then translated and released last month by the Washington DC-based Middle East Media Research Institute.

In the video, Mr Al-Saqaby suggests the aim of beating a wife "is to discipline, not to vent one's anger".

"The necessary Islamic conditions for beating must be met," he stresses.

The family therapist suggests the beating should not be performed with a rod or sharp object, but instead with a tooth-cleaning twig or handkerchief.

Khaled Al-Saqaby says wives should not be beaten with a rod
Khaled Al-Saqaby says wives should not be beaten with a rod (MEMRI)

He says: "The beating should not be performed with a rod... nor should it be a headband... or a sharp object, which, I am sad to say, some husbands use.

"It should be done with something like the sewak tooth-cleaning twig - or with a handkerchief."

He explains: "Because the goal is merely to make the wife feel that she was wrong in the way she treated her husband."

Before beating one's wife, Mr Al-Saqaby suggests a husband reminds her of "your rights and of her duties, according to Allah".

He then recommends the husband ignores his wife in bed, by turning his back on her or if he or she sleeps on the floor.

But he suggests the husband does not go to another house, as the point "is to discipline the wife, and not to air your dirty laundry in public".

(MEMRI)

Giving the main reasons a man may beat his wife, he says the first is arguments between the wife and her husband.

"Unfortunately, some wives want to live a life of equality with their husband," he says. "This is a very grave problem."

Saudi Arabia 'may jail woman who posted video of husband cheating with housemaid'

Other women make mistakes which may lead their husbands to beat them, he adds.

Mr Al-Saqaby suggests there are some situations where a wife may hit her husband, because of his "faulty upbringing" in which he may have seen his father hit his wife and be "imitating their behaviour".

He also says he is "sad to say" some women provoke their husbands to beat them.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in