German Court Cites Koran to Allow Domestic Violence in Muslim Marriages

A German court, in adjudicating a divorce case between a young muslim couple, applied the concepts of Sharia law that allow for a husband to strike his wife in deciding that the woman's basis for seeking a divorce, that her husband had battered her and made repeated threats to kill her, was not justified. Citing to the Koran, the judge wrote in his decision denying a speedy divorce:

"The exercise of the right to castigate does not fulfill the hardship criteria as defined by Paragraph 1565 (of German federal law)," the daily Frankfurter Rundschau quoted the judge's letter as saying. It must be taken into account, the judge argued, that both man and wife have Moroccan backgrounds.

"The right to castigate means for me: the husband can beat his wife," Becker-Rojczyk said, interpreting the judge's verdict.

Read the story here. I am near speechless. While my knee-jerk reaction is to be hyper-critical of the Germans, accusing them of quickening the pace of their march towards dhimmi status, I have to be fair and note that most Germans seem appalled by this decision and are seeking discipline of the judge.