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Obedient Wives Club Not Taking off in Singapore
Yen Feng - Straits Times Indonesia | July 19, 2011

Newly wed couple smiles during their wedding in Selangor near Kuala Lumpur on June 4, 2011. A group of Malaysian Muslim women say they will fight divorce, domestic violence and other problems - by appealing to wives to be more obedient. "The Obedient Wife Club" being launched is aimed at drawing women who will be taught how to please their husbands better to prevent them from straying or misbehaving. (AFP Photo) Newly wed couple smiles during their wedding in Selangor near Kuala Lumpur on June 4, 2011. A group of Malaysian Muslim women say they will fight divorce, domestic violence and other problems - by appealing to wives to be more obedient. "The Obedient Wife Club" being launched is aimed at drawing women who will be taught how to please their husbands better to prevent them from straying or misbehaving. (AFP Photo)
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DrDez
5:55pm Jul 19, 2011

I dream of equality..... sniggers

Seriously I feel this is nothing more than an excuse to train women to be sex objects - The very thing we hear Muslims complain about ie the sexual influence of the west

It is nothing more than a sex club - In Europe people pay good money to join such societies... ahhh well perhaps there we have it


Valkyrie
4:34pm Jul 19, 2011

DD,

Like Roland, I believe in equality.

Will this movement destroy the popular saying about the way to a man's heart is through his stomach?

I strongly believe that it's more to do with "bouncing butt****" than obedience. Of course the men who support this are proponents of polygamy. Global Ikhwan is an example.

Women have similar rights as men and we men must never forget that.

After all....who's always on the receiving end?

DrDez
3:57pm Jul 19, 2011

Yes Roland - me also

and there is that word again PB... Responsibility....


Roland
2:56pm Jul 19, 2011

DrDez - to answer your question: I prefer equality in my marriage with all its perks and responsibilities one has to his/her partner and the children of this partnership (if there are any).

I do pity though all men who can just stand straight if their wives are behaving like slaves to their masters. And I do pity all these women who are (in most cases due to their social and/or religious affiliation)) forced to play such a role in a marriage.

Personally - I would feel extremely uncomfortable with a subordinate partner - my preferred partner gives and also receives mutual respect the same way any conscious individual is entitled too - without any interference from any side!

mrsheep
1:44pm Jul 19, 2011

Is the club also an obedient husband club? Now fetch my slippers.

Singapore. The Obedient Wives Club has not gained widespread public support in Singapore, despite its growing popularity in the region.

About 20 families have asked to join the club - which encourages women to submit to their husbands and meet their sexual needs - since a proposal was made last month to set it up here, said its Singapore representative Azman Ari.

The 45-year-old businessman said that this number was 'on the low side'. But, he added, it was not reflective of the club's popularity worldwide.

'We have had a lot of support from the Muslim community in Jordan, Malaysia and Indonesia,' he said.

'Rather than ask who would support such a club, why not ask, 'Which husband would not want his wife to be 100 per cent obedient to him?''

Founders of the club, which was launched in Kuala Lumpur last month, claim its ethos is in line with Islamic teachings for building strong families.

They say sexually fulfilled men are less likely to stray. Therefore, marriages are less likely to break down.

The club now has about 1,000 members worldwide. It was founded by the Malaysia-based business group Global Ikhwan, which also supports polygamy. Branches in Paris, London and other parts of Europe are reportedly scheduled to open by the end of the year.

Despite its apparent appeal elsewhere, the club has not gained a significant foothold in Singapore, where 15 per cent of the population is Muslim and where the divorce rate among Muslims is declining.

In 2006, there were 1,944 cases of Muslim couples splitting up compared with 1,626 last year.

So far, the majority of Obedient Wives Club members in Singapore are the friends and family of Mr Azman. He heads the club with his sister Hamidah Ari and a professor of literature, Dr Darlan Zaini, 70. Most are also men, he added.

Anyone can join the club - even non-Muslims. Activities planned for members include talks, seminars and counselling workshops for couples.

Since news of a possible branch here broke last month, the Association of Women for Action and Research and the Singapore Muslim Women's Association have denounced the club for having what seems to be a regressive stance on women's rights.

Some wonder if the club reflects a growing religiosity among Muslims.

The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) said last month that the club's views were 'simplistic'. It said in a statement to the media: 'Happiness in a marriage goes beyond receiving sexual fulfillment from one's wife.'

The club's Singapore representatives disagree, however. Dr Darlan argued in an e-mail message to The Straits Times last week that 'complex human problems can be solved by simple means and ideas'.

Rather than demean women, he believes the club will make husbands more aware of their responsibilities as leaders of the household.

This was the view taken by the club's supporters.

Accounts manager Abdul Rab Taib, 48, who has been married for 20 years, said that submissive wives encourage husbands to be more loving and caring.

He added: 'It's about having the right intention. If the intention is to be kind and protect our wives, then I think joining the club can benefit my family.'

Kamaliah Ismail, 52, a housewife, said it was her obedience that kept her by her husband's side for the last 30 years. He was paralyzed from a stroke many years ago.

'God sees what is in my heart. Because I am obedient, my family is blessed,' she said.

Muslim leaders contacted by The Straits Times mostly declined to comment, saying that Muis - the nation's top Islamic authority - has already made clear its stand against the club's views.

Ustaz Abdul Rahman Sahid of the Darul Aman Mosque in Jalan Eunos said that until the club made its plans clear, he saw no real benefit to Muslim women.

He added that the club's founders might consider changing its name: 'What do you mean by 'obedient'?

'If women choose not to join, does that mean they are disobedient?'


Reprinted courtesy of Straits Times Indonesia. To subscribe to Straits Times Indonesia and/or the Jakarta Globe call 021 2553 5055.