Religious charity 'advised' over sermon which condoned marital rape

The National Secular Society has said more needs to be done to stop charities promoting violence against women, after the regulator gave "advice and guidance" to a mosque whose sermon said men can "hit" wives who refuse to have sex.

The Charity Commission told the NSS last week it would close its case into An-Noor Masjid and Community Centre, an Islamic charity which runs a mosque in Birmingham.

The NSS reported the charity to the commission in September after it uploaded a sermon which said a man is "allowed to hit" his wife if she refuses "intercourse".

Charity: sex on demand is "highly stressed right of the husband"

In the sermon, which was uploaded to the charity's YouTube account in September, volunteer lecturer Mahamed AbdurRazaq (pictured) said if a woman refuses to have sex, the husband can give her "advice" and "admonition" and refuse to sleep in the same bed as her.

But if "that doesn't help", the husband is "allowed to hit her" and "shake her" as long as this does not "bruise" or "break bones", he said.

AbdurRazaq said the "minimum right" of the husband is that his wife "has to listen to him when he commands her" and "specifically even more so when it comes to intercourse".

He said "if he asks for it at any time, it's his right for her to accept and obey him" and this is a "highly stressed right of the husband".

The wife should agree to have sex "straight away", "without delaying" and without showing "dislike" or that she is "being forced to do it", he said.

He said a wife who refuses sex has "no right" to nafaqa (financial support) from her husband.

AbdurRazaq added that a person who is "serious about marriage" should not "give any attention" to "the doubts of the feminists and the kuffar [non-Muslims]".

An-Noor Masjid registered as a charity in 2010 with "the advancement of religion" as one of its charitable objects. Its website indicates it holds classes for children.

The NSS also alerted the Charity Commission to the Ghamidi Centre in 2021 and Utrujj Foundation in 2022 for condoning violence against women. Last year it also referred Muhammadi Masjid Bradford to the commission for implying women cannot refuse their husbands' demands for sex. All three charities are Islamic and registered under "the advancement of religion".

NSS: "If a woman has sex because she's threatened with violence, that's rape."

The commission said it provided the charity's trustees with "regulatory advice and guidance" aimed at "improving the trustees' governance" of the charity.

It said is "unable to disclose" the exact advice and guidance it issued to the trustees. According to The Times, the commission said the charity has suspended AbdurRazaq from further speaking engagements.

It also told The Times: "Anyone who advocates violence against women has absolutely no place in charity and we will not hesitate to act in such cases."

NSS head of campaigns Megan Manson said: "If a woman has sex because she's threatened with violence, that's rape.

"Charities which promote the idea that men are entitled to sex on demand, and they can hit women who refuse, are putting women in danger and setting back women's rights by decades.

"We're therefore extremely concerned no further action has been taken against An-Noor Masjid other than 'advice and guidance'.

"We know there is an ongoing issue of religious charities promoting or condoning violence against women and rape culture. If the charitable purpose of 'the advancement of religion' is enabling this, this must be reviewed immediately. No organisation should be permitted to exploit charity status, and the tax breaks this entails, to promote misogyny and violence against women."

Media coverage:

Charity watchdog chided for letting off mosque accused of misogyny – The Times