“I told my daughters to retaliate if their husbands sl@p them” — Emir Sanusi

The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has made a bold declaration in the fight against gender-based vi@lence (GBV). Speaking at the National Dialogue Conference on GBV prevention, he revealed that he advised his daughters to retaliate if their husbands ever slapped them.

The conference, themed “Islamic Teachings and Community Collaboration for Ending Gender-Based Vi@lence”, was organized by the Centre for Islamic Civilisation and Interfaith Dialogue (CICID) at Bayero University Kano, in collaboration with the Development Research and Projects Centre (DRPC) and supported by the Ford Foundation.

Emir Sanusi reveals the prevalence of domestic violence in Kano, citing data from nine Shari’a courts over five years.

He reported that 45% of domestic vi@lence cases involved wife-be€ting, describing the disturbing severity of these incidents.

“We had women whose limbs were broken, whose teeth were knocked out, and who suffered be€tings from their husbands and even other wives,” Sanusi said.

“I told my daughters to retaliate if their husbands sl@p them.”
His research revealed that no cases of wife-be€ting adhered to the Islamic guidelines of “light” discipline often misinterpreted from religious texts.

The monarch condemned domestic vi@lence unequivocally, calling it both a cr@me and a violation of Islamic teachings.

He criticized the misuse of Quranic verses to justify vi@lence against women, emphasizing that Islam forbids harm to any individual.

“B€ating your wife, daughter, or any woman is haram and must be eradicated,” Sanusi stated.
He further called for societal re-education on the rights and dignity of women.

“We must teach our daughters not to tolerate abuse and our sons that vi@lence against another human being is unacceptable. It violates the basic dignity of a person,” he urged.

The Emir’s comments come amidst rising awareness of GBV in Nigeria, with advocates calling for stricter enforcement of laws to protect women.

His stance reflects a progressive shift within traditional and religious leadership towards combating gender inequality and domestic ab$se.