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Original poster

Pakistan religious leader thinks "light beating" is a good way to get your wife to do as she's told

36 replies

Felascloak · 17/06/2016 17:05

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/pakistani-religious-leader-defends-telling-men-it-is-acceptable-to-beat-their-wives-lightly-for-a7085136.html

Sometimes I get so focussed on feminism in the UK I forget how utterly shit it is in other parts of the world. Wives have "responsibilities" that need monitoring by their husband. Including not dressing how the husband wants or refusing sex.
Ugh.

OP posts:
sausageeggbacon111 · 18/06/2016 11:06

I remember that Tower Hamlets council had CDs in it's reception area of a UK Imam who had on several occasions said exact that with reference to "light beatings". The rod used should be no wider than the pinky. No one shouted down the council over that and considering one of the councillors was a highly active feminist I was upset to see she didn't challenge it. Interesting now she is married she has dropped out of politics. I am use to the attitudes of third world men who see their wives as chattels but it was upsetting to see intelligent UK women pushed around by the religion. I have on occasion tried to do small things in the third world with reference to distribution of money in fair trade but it is hard work and many people involved in fair trade in the first world are just worried about being seen to do something good but they won't challenge the local customs and values.

Religion has a lot to answer for in my mind doesn't matter which one they all seem to be keep us down.

NeverEverAnythingEver · 18/06/2016 10:28

If you are not beaten lightly you should count yourself lucky and shut up about all the other instances of sexism, eh? Women, know your place.

I wonder if someone has come up with a scale to measure what "lightly" means.

LurcioAgain · 17/06/2016 21:49

Not saying you should have spotted it, Felas. Just kind of supporting the point that unless you're an out-and-out contrarian for the sake of it, it would be hard to find anyone here who isn't horrified by it.

Original poster
Felascloak · 17/06/2016 21:32

Sorry lurcio I missed the chat thread. Didn't mean to duplicate but I wanted to draw attention to it. I feel like there are things to discuss, but I'm not sure what. Its so depressing to think of women living in those kinds of relationships.
buffy "you'd be hard pressed to find someone to put the op down for overthinking it, that's all." Grin

OP posts:
drspouse · 17/06/2016 20:33

I remember reading something saying "you're never too poor to beat your wife". A bit crass but a reminder that you can't just focus on poverty and ignore women's issues as a "luxury".

BertrandRussell · 17/06/2016 20:23

The trouble is that you will insist on focussing on women. Feminism should be about equality- what about all the men who are beaten lightly by women every day? There aren't any articles in The Independent about them.....

LurcioAgain · 17/06/2016 20:17

There's a thread about this in chat where someone has actually played the cultural relativism card - I think I'm quoting correctly when I report them as having said "it's just their way. That's all". I'm glad to say everyone else on the thread has universally condemned their views as totally twattish.

BuffytheReasonableFeminist · 17/06/2016 19:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

supersoftcuddlytoys · 17/06/2016 19:34

I'm wondering why this thread has attracted so little attention?

supersoftcuddlytoys · 17/06/2016 17:38

I know what you mean OP. It makes 40 odd pages of quibbling over the lyrics in 'The Wheels On The Bus' seem a bit trivial really dont it?

OP posts: