Obedient Wives Club

A Malaysian Muslim group has launched the "Obedient Wives Club" to teach women to be submissive and keep their spouses happy in the bedroom as a cure to social ills. *How Do You Feel About This?*

• 1. Newly Wed Couples at a Mass Wedding Ceremony in Conjunction With The Launch of The "Obedient Wife Club" in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

  

  Approximately 800 other Muslim women in Malaysia are members of the "Obedient Wives Club" that is generating controversy in one of the most modern and progressive Muslim-majority nations, where many Muslim Malaysian women hold high posts in the government and corporate world. The new club, launched June 4, says it can cure social ills such as prostitution and divorce by teaching women to be submissive and keep their men happy in the bedroom.

• 2. Ishak Md Nor and His Two Wives Pose With Their Children After The Club's Launch in Kuala Lumpur

  

  "Islam compels us to be obedient to our husband. Whatever he says, I must follow. It is a sin if I don't obey and make him happy," One woman said.  The club, founded by a fringe Islamic group known as Global Ikhwan, has been dismissed by politicians and activists as a throwback to Medieval times and an insult to modern women of Malaysia. The same group has also previously set up a Polygamy Club.

• 3. At The Launch Of The Club.

  

  Despite the group's conservative Islamic background, Rohayah Mohamad, one of the founders of the club, openly talks about the virtues of marital sex even though most of her colleagues are shy about the topic. "Sex is a taboo in Asian society. We have ignored it in our marriages but it's all down to sex. A good wife is a good sex worker to her husband. What is wrong with being a whore ... to your husband?" she said. "This way, the family institution is protected and we can curb social ills," said Rohayah, the club's vice-president who is also a trained physician. She said wives must go beyond the traditional roles as good cooks or good mothers and learn to "obey, serve and entertain" their husbands to prevent them from straying or misbehaving. Indirectly, "disobedient wives are the cause for upheaval in this world" because men are not happy at home and their minds and souls are disturbed, she said. One Muslim man, Amirul Aftar, wrote: "I do not want a wife to submit to my every beck and call. I want a wife who understands me ... we are not your masters, we are your equal." Women's group, Sisters in Islam, said Islam advocates marriages based on mutual co-operation and respect. It said domestic violence happens regardless of women's behaviour. "Communication, not submission, is vital to sustain any healthy relationship," it said.