[Guaranano]

Salam

A few years ago I had the misfortune of watching a Q&A session on tv with this "scholar" advising an abused wife to put up with domestic violence at the hands of her husband. He explained that all family units should follow a hierarchy – the man of the house (husband/father) makes all the decisions and has the right (or even the obligation) to deny his wife her personal autonomy (eg. he has every right to stop his wife leaving the house). He then explained a woman is 'naturally emotional' and needs to be led, and that she should always obey her husband. Even if he is abusive.

He argued that a woman who puts up with mental and physical abuse will be rewarded for her Sabr on the day of judgment. He then justified such an extreme position by painting a picture of the dystopian lawlessness and anarchy that would prevail without leaders – his point was that women have to be led in the same way people have to be led. Even if the leaders are ruthless, tyrannical and despotic.

Leaving aside the ugly chauvinism described above, what I'm finding difficult to come to terms with is this authoritarian streak in Islam which I find regardless of what tafsir I read. Don't get me wrong, I am no anarchist but I strongly believe that forcing people to adhere to inflexible, sometimes draconian rules (and punishing free thinking souls who refuse to conform) impedes human progress. It's tragic that a number of Imams (even eminent ones like Al-Sudais) went out of their way to condemn the protesters in Tunisia, Bahrain, Egypt, Libya and Syria as 'unislamic'. It is even more tragic that they are technically right, if we are to follow mainstream interpretations of the Qur'aan and Sunnah.

Please share your thoughts.

JazakAllah Khair.