Muhammad Sanusi II, the Emir of Kano, revealed that he advises his daughters to fight back if their husbands physically abuse them.
Highlighting the prevalence of domestic violence, he noted that 45% of cases in nine Shari’a courts in Kano over the past five years involve wife battery. Sanusi shared this perspective as part of the advice he gives his daughters before marriage.
He shared this information during the National Dialogue Conference on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention, which focused on the theme: ‘Islamic Teachings and Community Collaboration for Ending Gender-Based Violence.’
Sanusi stated: “One could interpret that verse to mean that a husband has permission to lightly beat his wife, and no one would call it haram if all the rules are followed. However, in a society where those rules are not enforced, when someone is angry, they often forget to seek a chewing stick or a handkerchief.”
He said, “Women are often slapped, punched, kicked, and beaten. I recently wrote a doctoral thesis on family law, where I researched nine Shari’a courts in Kano. Over a five-year period, 41% of cases involved maintenance issues, 26% were related to harm, and of those, 45% were cases of wife beating or domestic violence. Upon analyzing the cases, not a single one involved a ‘light’ beating.”
I’ve said this before, and I know it’s controversial, but I’ll keep saying it. When my daughters get married, I tell them this: If your husband ever slaps you, and you come to me complaining without standing up for yourself and slapping him back, I will slap you myself. I didn’t raise my daughters to endure abuse. If he doesn’t want to be with you, he should return you to me—but he has no right to hurt you.
