Sheikh Mohamed Al-Mallah, an Egyptian cleric who recently appeared in a debate about marital rape, claims women are “categorically not allowed” to deny their husbands sex and, if they do, they are “rebelling against Allah.”

Al-Mallah, espousing the fast-growing Salafi ideology that keeps women hidden from view, began by (partially) quoting the prophet of Islam.

The Prophet Muhammad said: If a man summons his wife to bed and she refuses, the angels curse her. They curse that woman, okay?

For the record, here’s the full verse: “If a man calls his wife to his bed and she refuses, and he spends the night angry with her, the angels will curse her until morning.”

Al-Mallah went on to say women must not deny their husbands sex because, if they do, the men could stray from monogamy and fall away from other Islamic morals. This is somehow supposed to be the wife’s fault, according to this guy.

One of the reasons for marriage is so that the husband can remain chaste. If the wife denies her husband [sex], it opens the way for the husband to seek abomination and adultery. Besides, you cannot call this religious concept “rape” when Allah allowed this contract between husband and wife. How can this be rape?! Did he kidnap her and is now having sex with her? No! She is his wife, and when he summons her, she must comply.

Fortunately, Al-Mallah explained that there are some “religious” reasons why the woman may not be forced to comply.

If, however, she is ill or is menstruating or something like this, the husband must not force her to do it. But if she does not have a religious excuse that allows her to avoid this, she is categorically not allowed to deny her husband sex. If she does so, she is rebelling against Allah. It is inconceivable for her to deny her husband sex.

Al-Mallah’s attitude is outdated and incredibly appalling, but it doesn’t represent all Muslim sects. Egyptian Cleric Sheikh Sayyid Zayed, who was debating Al-Mallah, said a wife being forced to have sex with her husband is actually more than just rape.

In the name of Allah, Allah’s blessing upon His Prophet. This is not merely rape. It is the murder of the wife’s humanity as well. It is the killing of her emotions and thee annihilation of her honor. The word ‘rape’ is the mildest term one can use here.

This debate shows how archaic religious traditions can impede the rights of women, but it also shows how two equally devout believers can have entirely different interpretations of religious scriptures and oral traditions. Here we have two people of the same faith who couldn’t disagree more, one with an idea that throws us back to the Stone Age and the other with an enlightened view of women’s bodily autonomy.

(via MEMRI TV)

