Jun 20, 2019

CAIRO — The grand imam of Egypt’s Al-Azhar said on his May 10 Ramadan television program that a wife must not leave the house without her husband’s permission, which he deemed a necessity for the household's stability and cohesion. Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb stressed during his program that it is normal for a wife to ask permission to go out, except when visiting her parents. He added that a woman can only go to work if her husband approves. Otherwise she must remain at home.

Tayeb made another controversial statement May 20, when he said that equality between men and women goes against nature.

Tayeb dropped yet another bombshell May 30 with another fatwa allowing husbands to beat their wives as long as no bones are broken, sparking great controversy on social media in Egypt and the Arab world. It was not long before Tayeb retracted it June 5, calling for regulations to criminalize the beating of women.

Some Egyptians supported Tayeb, but others deemed his remarks restrictive to women’s freedom and in direct conflict with the constitution. Mahmoud Mhanna, a member of the Supreme Council of Scholars at Al-Azhar, said that according to Sharia, a woman must obey her husband.

“Tayeb did not say anything strange or new. His statements are in line with the Islamic religion. The majority of old and modern scholars agree that a wife has to ask her husband’s permission before leaving the house. For some scholars, women have to ask permission even to visit their parents. According to Sharia, a man is also allowed to hit his wife but not brutally,” Mhanna told Al-Monitor via phone.