Muslim women concerned about Domestic Violence

Tamale, Dec. 5, GNA - Hajia Hajara Telly, Northern Regional President of Muslim Women Association of Ghana (MOWAG) has described the Domestic Violence Bill as a good document aimed at reducing violence among families, particularly in marriages.

She however, called for a critical scrutiny and review on aspects of the Bill that talks about marital rape to suit the Muslim brethren to promote goodwill among Muslims.

Hajia Telly said this in a day's workshop in Tamale on Domestic Violence on the theme: "Domestic Violence, Islamic Perspective." About 40 Muslim women and some Christian mothers attended the forum.

The president of MOWAG said if the Bill was passed into law without changing some aspects, it would go contrary to Islamic beliefs and that no Muslim women would be prepared to send the husband to court because of marital rape.

She explained that Islam teaches that a woman should be prepared to stop whatever work including cooking to obey the husband when he demands sex and that women would be endangering their marriages if they took their husbands to court because of sex.

She said the Bill would also address the early marriage situation among Muslim communities to give meaning to education and eliminate ignorance and illiteracy.

Hajia Hajara Abubakari, Secretary of MOWAG said as a means of helping Muslim communities to have better understanding of domestic violence, MOWAG was liasing with other NGOs in the Metropolis to embark on door-to-door education.