Doctor at Gaza’s Islamic University says wife-beating ‘should be therapeutic, not vindictive’

A video clip of a supposed doctor in Gaza is going viral yet again for its horrifying message.

MEMRI Reports, the official X account of “Washington DC-based Middle East Media Research Institute for news on the Middle East & beyond” posted the clip in 2021, in which Dr. Ziyad Miqdad, Head of Fatwa Committee at the Islamic University of Gaza, is quoted as encouraging the beating of wives. The video is making the rounds again amid the conflict in Gaza.

Watch:

Dr. Ziyad Miqdad, Head of Fatwa Committee at the Islamic University of Gaza: Like a Father Beats His Son, or a Mother Her Daughter, Wife-Beating Should Be Therapeutic, Not Vindictive #Hamas #Gaza #ViolenceAgainstWomen #wife_beating #Islam @IUGAZA pic.twitter.com/3p3o20eOma

— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) July 19, 2021

“The purpose of [wife] beating is to warn the wife that the life of the family is in danger, and that the marital relations are in danger and that she should be cautious and not let the family be destroyed and that our children are our future are not [adversely] affected,” the translated captions read. “The beating should be symbolic. In case the beating is for real, certain terms and provisions must be met. First of all, the purpose of the beating must not be to exact revenge or to cause injury.”

“So there are certain restrictions to this beating,” a female interviewer asked.

“Yes,” Miqdad responded. “First of all, the goal, should be to mend [her ways] and protect [family] life. Secondly, when you beat [your wife], you should avoid hitting sensitive parts like the face or vital organs, and so on. It should not be a hard and vindictive beating. We are talking about your wife. There is a saying: The beloved’s fist is as sweet as raisins. The husband’s beating of his wife – if it happens at all – should be like a guy  beating his sweetheart.”

“Join me in picturing what beating someone you love should look like. It is like when a father beats his son, or when a mother beats her daughter for doing something wrong. It should be a theraputic beating, rather than a vindictive one,” he said. “The goal is to correct the wife and warn her that she did something wrong, and only in cases when she does not respond to admonishment and to [the husband] forsaking [her in bed]. Beating should be the last resort. Therefore, this [Quranic] verse protects marital life and the family.”