The Saudi Arabian legal system has given the world yet another medieval moment: Judge Hamad Al-Razine has ruled that husbands are allowed to slap their wives for over-spending or excessive shopping.
Judge Hamad Al-Razine held that “if a person gives SR 1,200 [$320] to his wife and she spends 900 riyals [$240] to purchase an abaya [the black cover that women in Saudi Arabia must wear] from a brand shop and if her husband slaps her on the face as a reaction to her action, she deserves that punishment.”
The judge was explaining why there was an increase in allegations of domestic abuse and why women shared some of the responsibility for these cases, noting that “women’s indecent behavior and use of offensive words against their husbands were some of the reasons for domestic violence in the country.”
He handles abuse cases in Saudi Arabia.
What is interesting is that there were women in the audience, who objected to the comments. Previously, conferences on women’s rights bar women from the room, here.
For the full story, click here.
Americans refuse to accept their responsibility in the maintenance of monarchies, dictatorships, warlords and tyrants across the globe. They then turn around and blame the abuses in those places on their people, scriptures and religion.What happens in Saudi Arabia has nothing to do with Islam.It has to do with American appetite for oil. There is no room for kingdoms in Islam.Apparently there is in American traditions.
To Bron98,
“TMG:
”These men really are afraid of letting women have their Islamic rights.”
I thought women did not have any rights under Islam?”
The simple answer to that question is Yes…on paper, women do have rights. In practice, there are some men (not all) like in societies similar to Saudi Arabia, that are too afraid to give women their rights. Women are left in ignorant of what they can and cannot do. Some women are forced to obey their husband’s version of Islam. I could go on but I won’t. Cheers.
“This comes from a country that is really more of a family-owned business than any nation that exists in modernity”
GWLSM,
Great description. Interestingly, while it is a model of modern business practices, it is simultaneously a living example of what 12th Century Feudal Society was like. Perhaps though that is not a coincidence.
Given everything we already know about Saudi society, is anyone really surprised by this?
I’m not surprised at all. This comes from a country that is really more of a family-owned business than any nation that exists in modernity and one that allowed a bunch of girls to burn to death in a school fire because they did not have the proper clothing on to make a run for it.
This comes from a place where women are routinely raped by their husbands, where they can be put to death for allegations of improper behavior, where pre-adolescent girls are ritually mutilated so they will never experience sexual pleasure.
Given all this my only surprise is that we don’t get reports like this every day.
When i was there if you couldn’t buy your way out of trouble the you faced it In a way it was a good thing because tehy gave him 24 Hrs to get his stuff strait then he turned his self in adn he took his punchment if he stold somethng they cut off his hands or hung him in public at the square. And there prison is nothing like ours there is no TV, Air, telphone, Beds like we know them what they get is what there family takes them.
Sick and evil societies, usually fundamentalist, treat women badly. The real truth is that hey are frightened of women and their intelligence. These men, also in general, personally have doubts about their own sexuality. Then too some are merely misogynists.
How are they doing on torture?
Do they Think?
Barbara:
Nothing, I am hoping it happens soon to all of the Islamic world. We are waiting for them to join the civilized world and participate. After all they are somewhat responsible for our achievements by re-introducing Aristotle and other greek works to us.
Those young men could have created and produced rather than died for nothing in the end.
I lives there for 5 yrs its not as they say the women there can’t go out unless they are with a male so the male has all the rights they put there camel above any female they makes rules so that a women can’t do anything but what she is told if she wears the same abya ( they don’t enjoy )every yr it shows that her husband is not providing her with the new and that shows badly on him if he has more then one wife he has by law to make sure every wife has the same so its not the womens fault if he says she has to have anew one then she has no choose but to obey. Also When i say a male that may be a 8 yr old child i couldn’t drive there but a child could. Also the child has the right to tell the women what she can or can not do he even has the right to hit her or more. Also if a women reads and her husband doesn’t know she can read he can kill her So what is so wrong about being westernized?
TMG:
”These men really are afraid of letting women have their Islamic rights.”
I thought women did not have any rights under Islam?
I’m not a Saudi woman but withholding marital affection from their husband is rather dangerous. In a country where women can be hanged/beheaded just for getting raped. What worked in Africa will not work in Saudi Arabia. There simply will be more men raping their wives.
With that being said…that judge is truly sick beyond belief. To announce that slapping women is ok if they spend lavishly is sickening. These men really are afraid of letting women have their Islamic rights.
It’s only a matter of time before they are westernized. To get the right to vote I am under the impression that many women in this country withheld marital affection from their husbands until it passed.
Any Saudi women want to reply on that methodology?