Wife of imam tells of persistent abuse

Salt Lake Tribune reported Apparently angry with how his dinner was prepared, Imam Shuaib-ud Din on Jan. 2 punched and kicked his wife and beat her head against a freezer until the door broke, the woman alleged in a petition for a protective order. The next day, the imam - the recently fired religious leader of the Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake - threw a kitchen knife at her and threatened to kill her, according to a petition for a temporary protective order filed last week by Ayesha Siddiqa Din.

This woman needs help.

The order, signed by 3rd District Judge John Paul Kennedy on Jan. 16, requires that the imam not contact his wife. It also requires him to stay away from their home and that he may not take his two children out of Utah, among other restrictions. The allegations of abuse - and the Islamic Society board's reaction to them - have sparked a schism in the Muslim community, with many members criticizing the way the board has handled the situation. Shuaib-ud Din was not available for comment Monday. But a family representative in Chicago, where he has taken refuge, insisted that while there were marital concerns, the allegations in his wife's petition are "lies," inherently one-sided and do not tell the whole story.

What is the whole story? Does it include the fact that the Qur'an (4:34) tells him he can beat her?

.... In her petition, Ayesha Siddiqa Din told authorities that her husband "has been extremely violent towards her throughout their relationship and has often beat her leaving bruising and injuries that would have been visible had it not been for the fact she is required to wear a 'hijab,' " a religious head-covering.

Maybe that is why they want their women to wear the hijab or the nijab (which only exposes they eyes).

The imam's representative denied the allegations, saying his wife was often in the company of other women and separated from men, providing ample opportunity for people to notice if she were hurt. "When you associate with other women, you don't cover," the representative said.

But if only women witnessed the injuries, a man's testamoney is valued the same as two women.

"To say that he did this regularly is an absolute lie."

How frequenty did he do it, and is it ok, as long as it is not every day?

Shuaib-ud Din's wife states in her petition that she is ending her relationship with the imam for fear of more violence and the safety of her children. She and the children are reportedly staying with friends in the Salt Lake Valley. She says her husband has "threatened to take her children out of the country if she ever tried to end the relationship" and has confiscated her "green card," ID and passport, the petition states. The imam's representative maintained that these issues run much deeper than a story about domestic strife.

Yes, they relate to how Muslims treat women, and how we think women should be treated.