On Valentine’s Day, Malaysians rebuke minister for proposing husbands use ‘gentle but firm touch’ on ‘stubborn wives’
- Deputy Minister for Women Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff made the suggestion in an Instagram video that was part of a series on ‘tips for mothers’
- Her remarks were the latest instance of an official coming under fire for perpetuating what some activists say is an entrenched culture of misogyny in parts of Malaysia
The remarks by Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff, the Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, was the latest instance of a government official coming under fire for perpetuating what some activists say is an entrenched culture of misogyny in parts of the country.
Commenters on social media said the hardline Islamist political party that Siti Zailah is part of, the Parti Islam se-Malaysia (Pas), had a long track record of platforming these views.
In an Instagram video posted on Saturday as part of a series on “tips for mothers”, Siti Zailah said that under Islam it was permissible for a husband to hit his wife if she engaged in untoward behaviour even after being told not to do so, and after the husband signalled his displeasure by “sleeping separately from her”.
“If she remains undisciplined, then he can engage in physical touch that is gentle, educating, full of love, that does not hurt but shows firmness,” said Siti Zailah in the two-minute video.
On Monday, a collective of 11 leading local women’s rights groups including Sisters in Islam and the Women’s Aid Organisation in a statement urged the 58-year-old deputy minister to resign immediately over remarks they said were “grossly in error and a demonstration of failed leadership”.