Obedient Wives Club

The Obedient Wives Club is an international Islamic organisation dedicated to teaching wives to be submissive to their husbands. It was formed in 2011, establishing branches in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Jordan.^[1] It was founded by Global Ikhwan, a business conglomerate associated with the banned Malaysian sect al-Arqam.^[2] As of October 2011, the club had an estimated 800 members in Malaysia.^[3]

The club promotes polygamy. It has published an explicit 115-page sex manual, titled Islamic Sex, Fighting Against Jews To Return Islamic Sex To The World, which encourages group sex between a man and his multiple wives.^[4][5] The club argues that the sexual submission of a wife to her husband will reduce the likelihood of the husband engaging in adultery; one of the group's leaders publicly suggested that it is a wife's responsibility to perform sex like a "first-class whore".^[6] In November 2011, the manual was banned by the Malaysian Home Ministry.^[2] Malaysia's women's minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has criticised the club, saying "To hinge fidelity, domestic violence and the fulfillment of a husband’s responsibilities purely on a wife’s capacity to be obedient, stimulate sexual arousal … is not only demeaning to wives, but to husbands as well."^[7] Some mainstream Muslim organisations in Malaysia have also disparaged the club,^[8] although the Mufti of the state of Perak offered support for the club's objectives, saying "Wives must be very obedient to their husbands."^[9]

The club opened a branch in Singapore in June 2011, attracting a handful of members.^[10] The country's Islamic Religious Council responded to the branch's establishment by saying "Happiness in a marriage goes beyond receiving sexual fulfilment from one's wife."^[11] The club expanded into Indonesia at about the same time, claiming to have approximately 300 members.^[12]

References

1. ^ Young, Damon (20 October 2011). "God, man and the Obedient Wives Club". The Drum. http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3579684.html. Retrieved 2 November 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "OWC sex book falls foul of Home Ministry". The Malaysian Insider. 2 November 2011. http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/owc-sex-book-falls-foul-of-home-ministry/. Retrieved 2 November 2011. 
3. ^ MacKinnon, Ian (14 October 2011). "Malaysia: The Obedient Wife Club... from the makers of the Polygamy Club". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/malaysia/8827091/Malaysia-The-Obedient-Wife-Club...-from-the-makers-of-the-Polygamy-Club.html. Retrieved 2 November 2011. 
4. ^ "Malaysian polygamy club 'encourages group sex'". Agence France-Presse. 14 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2 November 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/62tw6eGP2. Retrieved 2 November 2011. 
5. ^ Chong, Debra (12 October 2011). "Obedient Wives Club publishes explicit sex book". The Malaysian Insider. http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/obedient-wives-club-publishes-explicit-sex-book. Retrieved 16 November 2011. 
6. ^ Hookway, James (13 October 2011). "Malaysian Obedient Wives Club Launches Sex Guide". Wall Street Journal. http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2011/10/13/malaysian-obedient-wives-club-launches-sex-guide-to-fight-judaism/. Retrieved 2 November 2011. 
7. ^ "Malaysia’s Obedient Wives Club angers women’s rights groups". Reuters. 5 June 2011. Archived from the original on 2 November 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/62tvYc8Sm. Retrieved 2 November 2011. 
8. ^ Murdoch, Lindsay (14 October 2011). "Islamic sex guide says wives meet only 10% of husbands' desires". Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/world/islamic-sex-guide-says-wives-meet-only-10-of-husbands-desires-20111013-1ln5l.html. Retrieved 2 November 2011. 
9. ^ Looi, Sylvia; Farik Zolkepli (7 June 2011). "Perak mufti supports Obedient Wives Club". The Star. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/6/7/nation/8851110&sec=nation. Retrieved 3 November 2011. 
10. ^ Faris Mokhtar (19 July 2011). "Obedient Wives Club gains little traction in S’pore". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on 2 November 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/62u2FAWVM. Retrieved 2 November 2011. 
11. ^ Hodal, Kate (6 July 2011). "Outrage as Obedient Wives Club spreads across south-east Asia". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/06/outrage-at-obedient-wives-club-singapore. Retrieved 2 November 2011. 
12. ^ "Indonesian Branch of Obedient Wives Club Opens". Fox News. 19 June 2011. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/06/19/indonesian-branch-obedient-wives-club-opens/. Retrieved 2 November 2011.