Shahrizat excoriates the OWC

Shahrizat said the club’s views were not representative of the majority of women. — Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 — Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil today lambasted a club promoting wifely obedience as a solution to marital infidelity, saying the concepts espoused could blemish the perception of Islam and women.

Last week, a group calling itself the Obedient Wives’ Club emerged urging wives to avoid marital problems by fulfilling their husbands’ sexual needs in the manner of prostitutes.

“The suggestion by the club does not reflect the position and needs of the majority of women in the country,” the women, family and community development minister said today.

“As a Muslim leader, we should be careful when giving our views because it can create confusion.”

The group has drawn stinging and free-flowing criticism since going public with its tenets for a blissful marriage.

Among others, it has been accused of promoting the subjugation of women, demeaning the female gender, and promoting the idea of women as sexual objects.

Shahrizat later said the club’s concept will taint the view of Malaysian women on the global stage.