A German mosque which told men to beat their unruly wives has deleted a advice from their website suggesting men to beat their wives following a storm of criticism.
The Islamic Centre Munich (IZM) in the city of Munich, the capital of south-eastern Germany’s Bavaria region, published the advice on its website.
In a 25-point information sheet on ‘Women and Family in Islam’, it told men what to do in times of “great marital difficulty”.
Men were advised to follow three steps. First, they should reprimand their wives, then they should sleep apart from them and finally they should beat their wives.
But, after the advice was picked up by the media and sparked a huge controversy, these passages have now been deleted from the website.
A spokesperson for the German Muslim Society (DMG), to which the Munich Islam Centre belongs, said: “The criticism was understandable and justified.”
The Islam Centre Munich, which had previously claimed the advice was intended in “symbolic terms”, is now planning to relaunch its website with different text.
DGM President Khallad Swaid said: “On the new homepage it will clearly say that it is forbidden to beat women.”
But Islam expert Ahmad Mansour, 43, said: “It is hypocritical to claim the debate is ended with these claims.
“Equality between men and women is still a major issue between many Muslims and members of the community. A new website will not make any difference.”
And Cumali Naz, integration spokesperson for the socialist Munich SPD party, said: “If the IZM propagates that violence is a legitimate solution to marriage conflicts, that contradicts the fundamental values of our society. Calls for violence have no place in our society.”
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Story By: Kathryn Quinn, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
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