The 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, has strongly condemned domestic violence, urging women to stand up against abuse in their marriages.
Speaking at the National Dialogue Conference on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Prevention from an Islamic Perspective, the monarch called for an end to harmful practices and emphasized the dignity of women.
Sanusi revealed that he has always advised his daughters to defend themselves against physical abuse in marriage, stating:
“When my daughters are getting married, I say to them, ‘If your husband slaps you, and you come home and tell me he slapped you without slapping him back first, I will slap you myself. 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.”
Citing his doctoral research on family law, the emir revealed alarming statistics from nine Shari’a courts in Kano State over a five-year period.
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41% of the cases over a five-year period had to do with maintenance. 26 percent had to do with harm. And out of those, 45 percent were cases of wife beating, domestic violence. And when we go to the content analysis, not one case of wife beating was light beating.
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. We’ve had cases of Cardis having to send her sons to trial for criminal assault because of the nature of the beating against their wives. This is the common beating that happens.
Sanusi expressed concern that these acts of violence are far removed from Islamic teachings, which prohibit harm. He criticized the misuse of religious texts to justify domestic violence, stressing that:
“Beating your wife or beating a woman is prohibited. It is a crime. Allah says all harm must be removed. Gender-based violence is harm, and it must be removed. It just does not make sense.”
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The former emir urged parents to raise their daughters to resist abuse and their sons to respect the sanctity of human dignity. He said that violence against anyone—spouses, siblings, or children—is unacceptable and violates the basic dignity of human beings.
Sanusi also denounced the cultural normalization of “light beating” in marital disputes, arguing that in reality, such rules are never applied, and violence escalates to harmful levels.
Sanusi’s bold stance reflects his commitment to advocating for women’s rights and equality in line with Islamic principles.
He called for society to address the roots of domestic violence and uphold the dignity of all individuals, ensuring that future generations are taught respect and compassion.