Malaysia minister attacks 'Obedient Wives Club' By Jennifer Pak

BBC News, Kuala Lumpur Published duration 14 June 2011

image caption Being an obedient wife "could cure domestic violence and prostitution", the club says

Malaysia's minister for women's affairs says a club teaching women to be more obedient to their husbands is giving the Muslim nation a bad image.

The "Obedient Wives Club" was started by a fringe Muslim group earlier this month.

Its founders say domestic violence and prostitution could be cured by teaching women to keep their men happy in the bedroom.

They say women should be "better than a first-class prostitute".

That way, the men are less likely to stray or resort to violence, they say.

Human rights groups and religious officials have dismissed the club as an insult to both men and women.

'Slaves'

Malaysia regards itself as a moderate Muslim nation, with women holding key positions in the country.

The club is unlikely to gain much popularity but the minister for women, Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, says their activities have given Islam and the country a bad name.

In Kazakhstan she was asked by local journalists if Muslim women had rights in Malaysia and whether they were being turned into slaves by their husbands.

The club's founders say they expected this type of backlash.

This is the same group who launched a controversial polygamy club two years ago.