Men Can Hit Their Wives, According to Muslim Cleric

Samir Abu Hamza, a Muslim Cleric in Melbourne Australia, also instructs his followers to force sex on their wives. His sermon received a harsh response from the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has reacted strongly to a story reported today in The Australian. A video of the Cleric's comments appear in The Australian. Kevin Rudd has demanded an Islamic cleric apologise for telling male followers they can force their wives to have sex and hit them if they're disobedient. The Prime Minister said Samir Abu Hamza's comments had no place in modern Australia. Hamza said, Under Islamic law, as described in a koranic verse, it was a man's right to demand sex from his wife whenever he felt like it.

"If the husband was to ask her for a sexual relationship and she is preparing the bread on the stove she must leave it and come and respond to her husband, she must respond,"

Mr Hamza told his male followers on the video sermon. Mr Rudd said Mr Hamza should apologise.

"Under no circumstances is sexual violence permissible or acceptable in Australia - under no circumstances,

said Mr Rudd. But according to Samir Abu Hamza, who runs the Islamic Information and Services Network of Australasia has questioned whether it is possible for a man to rape his wife. Despite concerns about his preaching being raised by female members of the Islamic community, Mr Hamza yesterday stood by his comments and blamed controversy over them on a hidden Zionist agenda run by the media.

"In this country if the husband wants to sleep with his wife and she does not want to and she hasn't got a sickness or whatever, there is nothing wrong with her she just does not feel like it, and he ends up sleeping with her by force ... it is known to be as rape. Amazing, how can a person rape his wife?"

"Could I say that these remarks have no place in modern Australia at all?"

Mr Rudd said.

"At all."

"I would call upon this Islamic cleric to publicly apologise and repudiate his remarks. Under no circumstances is sexual violence permissible or acceptable in Australia.

Under no circumstances are other forms of physical violence towards women acceptable in Australia. Nor are they acceptable in my view to mainstream Muslim teaching."

"So I would say to this Islamic cleric: Australia will not tolerate these sort of remarks, they don't belong in modern Australia and he should stand up, repudiate them and apologise."

said the prime Minister.