Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II on Monday said he expects his daughters to retaliate if their husbands slap them.
Sanusi made this statement at the national dialogue conference on gender-based violence (GBV) prevention from an Islamic perspective.
The event, themed “Islamic Teachings and Community Collaboration for Ending Gender-Based Violence,” was organised by the Centre for Islamic Civilization and Interfaith Dialogue (CICID), Bayero University Kano, in collaboration with the Development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC), with support from the Ford Foundation.
The Emir said he always warns his daughters before they get married that they should not return to him with complaints of being slapped unless they have defended themselves.
Sanusi revealed troubling statistics, stating that 45% of cases across nine Kano Shariah courts over five years were related to domestic violence, including wife-beating. His research into family law highlighted the severity of these cases, with women suffering broken limbs, lost teeth and other severe injuries inflicted by their spouses.
He said: “You can interpret certain verses to justify light beating, but in reality, no one adheres to the rules of restraint. What we witness are cases of severe violence where women are beaten, punched, and kicked. My research in Kano’s Shariah courts revealed that not one case involved ‘light beating.’ Instead, women suffered extreme harm, including broken bones and teeth.”
The Emir emphasised that any form of domestic violence, including beating, is explicitly prohibited in Islam.
“Beating your wife, daughter, or any woman is haram (forbidden). Violence against another human being violates their basic dignity. We must teach our daughters not to tolerate it and educate our sons that it is unacceptable,” he said.
“If my daughters are ever slapped by their husbands, they know I expect them to slap back. I did not send my daughters to be abused. If you dislike her, send her back to me, but do not raise your hand against her.”
