Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has hit out at the Obedient Wives Club for the controversy it has created over the role of a wife in Islam.
She said a statement by the club's vice-president Dr Rohaya Mohamed for a wife to serve her husband as a first class prostitute could tarnish the sanctity of Islam.
"The suggestion by the club does not reflect the position and needs of the majority of women in the country," she told reporters Monday.
She said the statement could create a negative perception on women in Malaysia by other countries.
"As a Muslim leader, we should be careful when giving our views because it can create confusion (if wrongly interpreted)," she added
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim has hit out at husbands who treat their wives as sex objects instead of cultivating a good family life.
She said marriage was encouraged in Islam for couples to build a strong bond and a happy family – with both husband and wife shouldering the responsibilities.
“A man’s wife is not his courtesan. Loyalty in a marriage should not only be incumbent on the wife but a man, too, must be loyal to his wife.
“Therefore, there must not be husbands who try to cloud their wives’ (religious) understanding by telling them that their sacrifice in allowing their husbands to take another wife will ensure their place in heaven.”
Mashitah said this after the opening of the state-level Women’s Symposium by the Raja Perempuan of Perlis Tuanku Fauziah Tengku Abdul Rashid at Dewan 2020 here yesterday.
Mashitah expressed regret that some men not only cajoled their wives into allowing them to be polygamous but also forced them to ask for the other woman’s hand in marriage on their behalf.
Meanwhile, the Obedient Wives Club’s (OWC) message towards women was not in line with the teachings of Islam, said Puteri Umno.
Its chief Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin said Puteri Umno objected to the club’s position that women were the source of household and social problems.
“We feel that the club only prioritises nafsu (desires) as the main factor towards a harmonious home when there are other factors that cause a household to break down or create discord,” she said in a statement yesterday.
She urged Global Ikhwan Sdn Bhd, who formed OWC, to involve both husband and wife in finding an answer to household problems that would impact society.
“The organisation should not confuse the public and cause people of other religions to view Muslims as only prioritising sex,” she said.
The OWC Malaysia chapter was launched last Saturday and has around 800 members.
Its vice-president Dr Rohaya Mohamad had said disobedient wives were the cause of social ills such as prostitution.
