A top spiritual leader in the Palestinian territory of Gaza told a television audience last week how and when men can beat their wives, advising not to hit them in a way that “makes the face ugly.”
It says in the Quran that in some specific cases, a husband may beat his wife (in a way that wouldn't impose serious harm upon her), so this isn't something new in Islam. It's completely wrong, sexist, misogynistic, immoral, infringes upon others' basic human rights, but certainly isn't something new.
