The 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has called for a clear and unequivocal stance against violence towards women, declaring that any form of physical abuse, including a slap, is a punishable crime that Islam categorically forbids.

Speaking at the National Dialogue Conference on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Prevention on Monday, Sanusi emphasized: “Beating your wife, beating your daughter, or beating a woman is prohibited. It is a crime.”

The conference, themed “Islamic Teachings and Community Collaboration for Ending Gender-Based Violence,” was held at the Convocation Hall of Bayero University Kano (BUK).

It was organised by the Centre for Islamic Civilisation and Interfaith Dialogue (CICID) in partnership with the Development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC).

Sanusi’s remarks underscored the need for stronger community collaboration and adherence to Islamic teachings to address and prevent gender-based violence effectively.

Sanusi said: “Now I said it before, and I know I’ve been attacked for it, and I’ll continue saying it. When my daughters are getting married, I say to them, if your husband slaps you, and you come home and tell me my husband slapped me, without slapping him back first, I will slap you myself.

“Because I did not send my daughter to marry somebody so he can slap her. If you do not like her, send her back to me. But don’t beat her.

“And we must teach our daughters not to take it. And also teach our sons that it is not allowed to happen. It is not acceptable.”

According to the monarch, the problem is that the Hanafi school actually permits light beating (beating with handkerchief) of a wife by his husband, if harm is not to be inflicted and the aim is to correct her, which is the purpose of Maliki law.

However, he said, those rules are never applied when beating a wife; nobody who is angry remembers to look for a chewing stick or a handkerchief. They just slap a woman, punch them and kick them, which results to assault and battery.

“We had women whose limbs were broken. We had women whose teeth were knocked out. We had women who were victims of constant beating with sticks. We had women where the husband and his other wives beat one of the wives.

“Let’s not even talk about handkerchief or chewing stick. It is just haram. It is prohibited. It is not allowed. It is something that is punishable in a court of law.”

The former CBN governor urged parents to teach teach their daughters not to take any beating from any man and as well teach their sons that it is not allowed and that violence against persons violates the basic dignity of a human being.

Director of Partnerships and strategic communications, Dr Hassan who highlighted the dRPC’s 22 years of supporting over 200 Muslim opinion leaders to attend study tours in Egypt, said the conference is aimed at strengthening and repositioning communication, advocacy and model change to prevent GBV in northern Nigeria.

“The Muslim Opinion Leaders for Gender-Based Violence Prevention Project (MOLS4GBV Prevention Project) is an initiative of dRPC to address the issue of GBV in Northern Nigeria by leveraging the influence and authority of religious leaders.

“This project operates on the understanding that religious leaders, particularly MOLs, hold significant sway in shaping their communities’ beliefs, attitudes and behaviors.

Through this initiative, the MOLs are engaged to act as advocates for GBV prevention, using Islamic teachings to challenge harmful cultural norms and practices that perpetuate violence against women and girls.

“As part of the global commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, this National Dialogue Conference seeks to harness the teachings of Istam which emphasize justice, dignity, and the protection of women.

“The event will align Islamic perspectives with contemporary approaches to GBV prevention while fostering dialogue among diverse stakeholders including faith-based organizations, women and youth groups, traditional institutions, and government, to discuss actionable pathways to prevent GBV in society.”

Director, Centre for Islamic Civilisation and Interfaith Dialogue (CICID), BUK, Dr Taofeek Abubakar Hussain said the aim of the event was to unravel the wrong perception around Islam by bringing stakeholders to enhance perspective to promote prevention of violence against women