Egyptians need preacher who justified violence in opposition to ladies arrested

CAIRO — The Arabic hashtag “Arrest_Mabrouk_Attia” trended in Egypt over the previous few days, as social media customers demanded the arrest of the Islamic preacher after he justified violence in opposition to ladies.

Al-Azhar College professor Mabrouk Attia sparked widespread controversy over comments he made Oct. 21 in the course of the “Taking place in Egypt” program on MBC Masr channel to a lady who was overwhelmed and tortured by her husband.

He stated that ladies are inclined to exaggerate in terms of complaining, and no man would resort to this diploma of violence until strongly provoked, accusing wives of bringing home violence upon themselves.

The Speak Up initiative, a feminist initiative to assist victims of violence in all its kinds, shared the video on its Twitter account and commented, “When will violence in opposition to ladies cease being justified so casually within the media? The worst half is that that is taking place within the identify of faith at a time when faith is the farthest from selling such hurt. This system host was certainly shocked, however there are literally thousands of feedback applauding the preacher.”

Regardless of the broad rejection on social media, many assist the preacher.

Amal Fahmy, director of the Tadwein Center for Social Gender Studies, advised Al-Monitor that it’s time to confront non secular discourse that incites violence in opposition to ladies and chorus from tolerating makes an attempt to justify violence, particularly contemplating that clerics have affect over society.

She stated that ladies can not tolerate the violence they face at house and on the road, not to mention the unfair laws.

She famous that such feedback by preachers depart their mark on younger folks and provides males the sensation of entitlement to beat and insult their wives, and typically even rape them, within the identify of faith.

Fahmy additionally identified that confronting such preachers will present society that not everybody who speaks within the identify of a selected authority is certified to take action or is able to influencing folks.

In accordance with a 2015 study — titled “Survey on the Financial Value of Gender-Primarily based Violence,” printed by the governmetal Nationwide Council for Girls, the Central Company for Public Mobilization and Statistics and the United Nations Inhabitants Fund — 5.6 million ladies in Egypt expertise violence by the hands of their husbands or fiances yearly, whereas about 200,000 ladies are yearly uncovered to problems in being pregnant on account of home violence and a pair of.4 million ladies undergo a number of forms of accidents on account of this type of violence. 

Additionally, based on the research, 46% of beforehand married ladies ages 16 to 64 have been uncovered in Egypt to a type of violence by the hands of their husbands in the course of the 12 months previous the survey (2014); 32% of respondents stated that they skilled bodily violence, whereas 12% skilled sexual violence. 

Fahmy stated that Egypt doesn’t have a regulation on home violence, as such crimes are coated by the Egyptian Penal Code beneath completely different descriptions. She stated that if a battered spouse recordsdata a grievance to the competent authorities stating that her husband beat her, the case is handled as a quarrel between the 2 events and never labeled as home violence.

She careworn the necessity to enact complete laws for all points of violence in opposition to ladies — psychological and materials — not solely bodily, and added that there must be an moral code that stops such instigators of violence from showing on any sort of media platform.

In accordance with a booklet titled “The Prison Legislative Framework for the Most Necessary Crimes of Violence In opposition to Girls” issued by the Nationwide Council for Girls in 2020, the Egyptian regulation in its varied branches is devoid of a complete definition of violence in opposition to ladies, as there is no such thing as a particular definition within the Penal Code or the prison legal guidelines for a selected crime or a particular chapter on violence in opposition to ladies. 

All types of violence in opposition to ladies are included within the provisions of the Penal Code beneath completely different descriptions or names, based on the booklet. 

Amna Nosseir, professor of Islamic Thought and Philosophy at Al-Azhar College, denounced Attia’s statements and stated that Islam doesn’t justify beating ladies in any method and beneath any circumstance. She cited the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad, who stated, “A girl completes a person, an honorable man treats ladies with honor and integrity, and solely a vile and dishonorable man humiliates and degrades ladies.”

She stated that verse 34 of Surah al-Nisa — “As for these from whom you worry treason disobedience: advise them, then abandon them of their beds, then self-discipline them” — which some take as an excuse to beat their wives, is misinterpreted.

Nosseir defined that “self-discipline” on this particular verse means leaving the marital house, not committing bodily violence. Even leaving the marital house shall be preceded by a number of different Quranic instructions. When offended along with his spouse, a person shall advise her, abandon the marital mattress and keep away from speaking to her. Leaving the home comes on the finish of the checklist, she famous.

She concluded, “I hope that we are going to discuss these issues primarily based on Islam, and never primarily based on the private opinion of a cleric. It’s essential to watch out when selecting phrases and opinions to speak about ladies. In the meantime, the media mustn’t make clear such irregular opinions that aren’t acceptable for contemporary ladies.”