British imams urging husbands to beat disobedient wives face police and regulator scrutiny

Online recordings from several British mosques feature imams including Yasin Munye, Mahamed AbdurRazaq and Abu Sa’ad Muhammad telling husbands that a light hit is permissible if a wife refuses sexual relations. The sermons have drawn criticism from domestic-abuse charities, scholars and politicians, who say the rhetoric encourages coercive control and marital rape. The Metropolitan Police said they are assessing a complaint, and the Charity Commission has launched probes into the Hackney Islamic Community Centre and other venues.

The National Secular Society and experts like Rakib Ehsan argue that lax policing allows a “religious manosphere” to flourish. Government figures such as Andy Burnham and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood have pledged to tackle violence against women, while opposition MPs have demanded urgent action against the preaching. Mosque representatives claim to reject violence, but the controversy highlights tensions between multicultural policy and safeguarding.