In the light of the furore caused by Charles Saatchi's assault on his wife Nigella Lawson, the decision by the UK's Home Office to allow a radical Saudi preacher to come to Britain this week is interesting.Correction: they just don't want to admit they're making a horrific mistake letting such an awful man into the country.
Mr Saatchi said he accepted a police caution for assault only to prevent a cloud hanging over the couple for months to come.
There was popular outrage at photographs published in a newspaper, and widespread condemnation which re-energised the debate about domestic violence.
Now entering the fray comes the popular Saudi preacher Muhhamed al Arefe who is a Sunni Muslim with pronounced views on Islam.
In the past he is alleged to have made anti-Semitic and anti-Shia Muslim views.
He certainly takes a different view of what in the UK is considered domestic violence.
He argues that a man "may use beatings to discipline his wife", but he says, "he must beat her lightly".
This caveat may explain why the Home Office, post Woolwich/Nigella, feels this is the sort of foreign preacher this country needs.
Despite our enlightened cleric's dubious views on Shia Muslims and Jews, which the Swiss felt were not the sort of the thing people should be propagating in the land of cuckoo clocks, the Home Office seems to take a different view.
Mr al Arefe is expected to preach at a London mosque at the weekend.
The Home Office told Sky News it would not comment on individual cases.
This serves as an example of how there are Muslim sects out there with nothing but hate for other sects too. The claim that beatings must be light is taqqiya, and even then, that's still legitimizing domestic violence. And tragically, the UK government is allowing him to enter and stir up more misogyny in the Muslim community.
You have beaten wifes in your countries. Statistics say that 8 to 9 wives per are beaten in Europe.
ReplyDeleteIslam teaches Muslims to respect their wives. Wives have the same obligations and responsabilities in Islam as men. In Judaism, women are beaten and knotted in toilets every day. Christians known for pedophiles also beat women to death, a month ago a christians extremist has beaten his wife to death. A jewish rabbi beat his little son of 3 monts to death because he said it was a sacrifice for God.
Why don't you talk about that?????