Dar al-Fatwa Rejects Domestic Abuse Law

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

Lebanon's highest Sunni Muslim authority on Friday rejected a bill aimed at protecting women against domestic violence and marital rape, saying it would lead to the demise "of the family as in the West."

"Islam is very aware of and concerned with ... resolving problems of poor treatment ... but this should not happen by cloning Western laws that encourage the breakdown of the family and do not suit our society," Dar al-Fatwa said in a statement on its website.

Dar al-Fatwa also slammed as "heresy" a clause in the bill that criminalizes marital rape, accusing those behind the draft law of "inventing new types of crimes."

"This will have a negative impact on Muslim children ... who will see their mother threatening their father with prison, in defiance of patriarchal authority, which will in turn undermine the moral authority" of fathers, it said.

"We must continue to follow sharia (Islamic law) as concerns the Muslim family," it added.

The bill, drafted by feminist organizations, lawyers and forensic experts, was approved by Lebanon's cabinet in 2010 and is currently under study in parliament.

Should it be passed, the law would come under the penal code -- under which cases are referred to a criminal court -- rather than personal status laws, which are ruled on by religious authorities in multi-confessional Lebanon.

The bill criminalizes marital rape and calls for police intervention should a woman notify authorities of abuse by her husband or another family member.

If found guilty, defendants would have to undergo rehabilitation or face prison should they fail to do so.

Domestic abuse and harassment continue to be taboo in Lebanon, considered the most liberal country in the largely conservative Arab world, with very few women filing complaints as police generally turn a blind eye and send the victims home.

Comments 27
Default-user-icon wilypagan (Guest) 24 June 2011, 18:25

If these types of sexist pronouncements don't cause women to abandon the religion of the paedophile, I don't know what will...

Missing peace 24 June 2011, 18:53

back to the middle ages....

Default-user-icon zizo (Guest) 24 June 2011, 19:00

Although the Law may not be perfect, it is a good start to find a solution to these issues.
Everyone has the right to express his/her opinion, including relegious people as long as they dont cause strife. The most important issue here is to go with the demoncratic process. Does the majority of the people want this law, if so, let it be.

We cannot afford to enact laws based on Halal and not Halal. The only thing this will do is bring us back to the middle ages as in Saudi Arabia.

Default-user-icon BigLOL (Guest) 24 June 2011, 19:11

I wonder what Hezbollah thinks about this law.

http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArchiveDetails.aspx?ID=274040

Default-user-icon zizo (Guest) 24 June 2011, 19:14

Although the Law may not be perfect, it is a good start to find a solution to these issues.
Everyone has the right to express his/her opinion, including relegious people as long as they dont cause strife. The most important issue here is to go with the demoncratic process. Does the majority of the people want this law, if so, let it be.

We cannot afford to enact laws based on Halal and not Halal. The only thing this will do is bring us back to the middle ages as in Saudi Arabia.

Default-user-icon MUSTAPHA O. GHALAYINI (Guest) 24 June 2011, 19:20

from the beginning of my comments in this forum, i am not atheist but against religion and fanatism.
wherever u find religion based politics,u find blood and wars.
religion is a very private matter which should stay at home.
the solution to this calamity is always :CIVIL MARRIAGE.
until our sheiks imams ayatollah cardinals and batrak are against CIVIL MARRIAGE, we will be a filthy confessional religious backward system.

Default-user-icon Le Phenicien (Guest) 24 June 2011, 19:27

Voilà , that's it !! Now you Lebanese understand the Sunni Wahhaby dogme , imported by Hariri , applied by Mufti Kabbani & co , that are actually at Dar el Fatwa .
This is the Democracy and civilisation they want to impose in Lebanon and on the lebanese !!!
I would like to hear the comment of Dr Geagea and Sheikh Amine Gemayel , the political allies of Hariri and Farouche defenders of Mufti Kabbani and Dar el Fatwa !!
The Christians in Lebanon are fed up with the Saudis Wahhabies and Salafis , this is the real war that is goin on in Syria , in Tripoli and Akkar , done by the same Sunni fundamentalists , that are equipped and financed by the same source , Al Saoud and their slave Hariri .

@ Bigdig / You can wait for a long time to have an answer from Mustafa Ghalayini or any other Sunni , not one single Sunni will ever DARE say NO to his Mufti !! The day this happens , will be the day of freedom and the end of our problems in Lebanon and all over the world coz They are the problem .

Default-user-icon Al Hux (Guest) 24 June 2011, 19:58

http://www.manartv.com.lb/adetails.php?eid=52473&frid=21&seccatid=19&cid=21&fromval=1

Welcome to a brave new world.

SHN:"... I would not deny that HA's wish is to establish an Islamic Republic system one day, because we believes that establishing an Islamic government is the only way to bring stability to a society and is the only way to settle social differences, even in a society that is composed of numerous minorities."

Iran foreign minister: Egypt revolt step toward "creating an Islamic Middle East"

Senior Iranian cleric says uprisings herald creation of "Islamic Middle East"

Default-user-icon MUSTAPHA O. GHALAYINI (Guest) 24 June 2011, 20:19

mufti kabbani and his wahaby masters,hassan and his farsi masters,are helping the alawi regime tighten his grip on bilad el arz,but the results will backfire.
CIVIL MARRIAGE IS THE ANSWER to all our clowny religious leaders.

Missing arze1964 24 June 2011, 20:19

Eliminate Religions from aspects of the Lebanese lives.. What purpose do these morons surve? .. Religions are based on books of fairy tales....Its a business that feeds on the poor

Default-user-icon UNCF (Guest) 24 June 2011, 20:38

The mind is a terrible thing to waste, I'm told Le Fini is not a wasteful man but just to be safe he was not supplied with one.

Default-user-icon Ameer Daou (Guest) 24 June 2011, 21:14

So children seeing their mother threatening their father with prison is horrible but the father who is actually beating up the mother is okay? AND cloning West laws? Seriously?

The Fatwa's opinion won't affect the parliamentary vote.

Default-user-icon Bubba (Guest) 24 June 2011, 21:22

Hizbullah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem "we reject the amendments to the penal code proposed by some MPs. These amendments to consider forced marital sex as rape and are to be tried as a crime law contradicts the Sharia law."

Missing peace 24 June 2011, 21:46

to le phenicien the ignorant: the hezb also supports this and agrees with the sunnis on this point!!!

so pls stop your lying here or get lost in dahyie....

Default-user-icon Anton (Guest) 24 June 2011, 21:47

Guess who stands behind, in front of and to the sides of Dar Al Fitna? Mafia Hariri and his Sunni Christians, aka lovers of life, freedoms, human rights, women's rights as well as all the lefts and rights... UNTIL NOW that Dar Al FITNA spoke. Hey, Nayla Tueini, Nayla Moawad, Solange Gemayel, Ladies Nadim and Sami Gemayel, Strida Geagea, Battikha Mestwiyeh... WHERE ARE YOU?

Default-user-icon Christopher Rushlau (Guest) 24 June 2011, 21:56

I think we can predict with a high degree of confidence that this pronouncement will only encourage "defiance of patriarchal authority".

Missing peace 24 June 2011, 22:23

religions were invented by men to control the people... then men took the religions to make women inferior and shut them up.

"religions are regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false and by the rulers as useful".... (seneca the younger)

just look in lebanon: every ruler uses his religion to make people afraid of the others! to make people think that they are constantly threatened....to divise the country to better rule them! so when the common people only think or behave in terms of religion they forget the real problems of the country!

Thumb tar_de_moutonnoir 24 June 2011, 22:35

@wilypagan you mean Catholicism?

Default-user-icon Christopher Rushlau (Guest) 24 June 2011, 22:51

I used to be shocked at how Lebanese curse each other in discussion sites on Naharnet. It seemed they were afraid to challenge their worthless politicians, so they challenged each other instead. But the USA has the Israel lobby making things here worse, by comparison, than Lebanese politicians are making things there. And US people are not cursing anyone about this Israel lobby and its disasters--they are just being polite and quiet and well-behaved (applauding when the sign lights up in the television studio). So Lebanon is closer to healthy politics than the US is.

Default-user-icon Someone (Guest) 25 June 2011, 00:31

Religions is evil; send those bearded wackos back to the stone age!

Default-user-icon Someone else (Guest) 25 June 2011, 01:10

I'm with Someone, let's start with this one

http://images.naharnet.com/images/8676/w300.jpg

Default-user-icon Joe (Guest) 25 June 2011, 01:33

Unfortunately its a common knowledge that women in Islamic cultures and societies are second class citizens. Its not politicaly correct to admit it and thats why no one want would publicly admit it. Thats one classical factor as to why the Middle East will always trail the rest of the world. Somehow men are so insecured about their manhood and in order to substitute their insecurity and boost their ego, abuse become a normal way of life for the.

Default-user-icon John from Koura (Guest) 25 June 2011, 02:15

Both M14 and M8 leaders pander to the religious leaders. All praise to the independent Left who are not controlled by Saudi Arabia or Iran.

Default-user-icon Qawmi Karl (Guest) 25 June 2011, 03:35

Comrade Qawmi John, the independent left has left the building. Today it is itself controlled by the guys controlled from Saudi, Iran and Syria. The current crop leftists leaders got their job after the "resistance" whacked all their true leaders who were fighting Israel under the Lebanese resistance banner. But hey comrade Qawmi John who cares as long as we got the ideology and the right rhetoric to go with it we'll help Sayed Hassin with his theocracy. When he does what Ayatollah Khomeini did with his independent left after they helped him topple the Shah, well we'll sing The Internationale as we stand in front of the firing squad smoking our last unfiltered cigarette or as we unsuspectingly open the door of our home in exile to the turbaned assassin with the silencer.

Thumb ado.australia 25 June 2011, 10:00

Disgraceful!

Thumb shab 27 June 2011, 11:22

Religion has, is, and will always be root to all evil and the reason for Lebanon's destruction.

Default-user-icon angel (Guest) 10 August 2011, 20:26

The law got to pass. We need to protect society from criminals.