In the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) highest judicial body, it has been deemed just fine for men to beat their wives and children. The only stipulation is that such beatings shouldn't leave marks.
Ruling Shows Strong Deference to Islamic Law
According to CBSNews, the ruling clearly shows a strong deference to Islamic law. The ruling was made based on a case that was heard earlier in the month, in which a man had beaten both his wife and adult daughter. He was said by the court to have crossed the law's line, because his wife had visible injuries in the beating.
"The beating left the wife with injuries to her lip and teeth and the 23-year-old daughter suffered bruises on her knees and hand. In ruling against the defendant in that case, Chief Justice Falah as Hajeri stated that there were conditions when domestic violence was acceptable."
Translation of Law Questionable
The laws translates like this. If a man hits his wife and/or minor children, it is condoned. However it is only considered acceptable if no marks are left. It doesn't specify if those marks need to be left where they could plainly be seen. For example, what if the marks were not visible? Is this considered acceptable by Islamic law?
Once a child reaches puberty, it is considered inappropriate for the father or husband to beat them. However children under that age may be beaten. The law, however, prefers to call it discipline.
It is beyond disgusting that laws like this one exist in this world in this day and age. It is devastating to think that women and children can be physically harmed by a husband or father for any reason whatsoever. Dynamic Dads strongly condemns these recent rulings.
As a Christian, the Spirit of God has already been planted within you, now it's your job to cultivate the seed of His nature. And it is not going to be an easy thing to do all the time.
The farmer's seeds must push through a layer of dirt in order to reach the sunlight. That dirt outweighs that little seed, and it will have to struggle hard to break through. In the same manner, God's Spirit has to push through the dirt we call our flesh.
Our flesh may be innately selfish, rude and indulgent. The Spirit of God inside of us is none of those things. Thus, there is resistance; there is conflict. And in marriage, these can pose numerous problems in the way we communicate with our spouse.
Take the case of James, who comes home after a rough workday. The computer program he'd worked on around the clock for weeks wasn't running. After a tense meeting with his concerned boss, James headed home exhausted.
When he opened the door to greet his pregnant wife, he was confronted with the words, "I hope you won't work all hours of the day when the baby is born!" Without saying a word, James watched his wife set out the meal she had prepared hours earlier. He knew he was desperately in need of something, but couldn't put his finger on it.
Then there is Charlotte, a homeschooling mother of four, who also had a tough day. Shortly after her husband left for work, one child developed a fever combined with nausea.
After a stressful day of serving as both impromptu nurse and schoolteacher, Charlotte was preparing dinner when her husband entered and said with a smile, "This house looks like a disaster area. What did you do today?" Not returning the smile, Charlotte became defensive as she set the table. She also needed something, but felt too overwhelmed to express it.
What James and Charlotte needed was an act of kindness. James needed a hug and a "Boy, I'm glad to see you, you hard-working man." Charlotte needed her husband to notice her overwhelmed state and come to her aid.
Every spouse needs kindness daily. Many of us feel that life is like an overworked, fast-moving engine. In mechanical terms, an engine receives a constant supply of motor oil to prevent friction and overheating. Likewise, random and intentional acts of kindness lubricate marriage relationships, easing life's friction.
Hat tip: From Doug Weiss, Charisma Magazine
Counselors will be on hand today at a Colony elementary school where a 9-year-old student died after apparently hanging himself in a bathroom.
A staff member at the school found Montana Lance of the Colony unconscious about 1 p.m. Thursday in the nurse's bathroom at Stewart’s Creek Elementary. No students saw the boy, school district spokeswoman Karen Permetti said.
Montana was taken to Baylor Medical Center at Carrollton, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
This morning, many parents dropping their children off at the school, in the 4400 block of Augusta Drive near North Colony Boulevard and Main Street, were unaware of the death.
Stephanie Rodriguez said a PTA meeting was canceled last night without explanation. She said the fourth-grader's death was hard to fathom.
"It's very sad," she said. "I just can't imagine why this happened."
Rodriguez, the PTA treasurer, said her 9-year-old son was so troubled by the incident that he had to sleep with her last night.
Permetti said a letter would be sent to parents today informing them of the death.
"This family is in our thoughts and prayers at this time with their grief," she said.
Students, parents and staff members at the school will have the chance to speak to grief counselors today and throughout next week.
Permetti said she was unaware whether Montana was a victim of bullying.
"Our district is extremely proactive in any bullying activity," she said. "We just don't tolerate that."
Brown has said that he "didn't grow up with all the advantages in life" and that his working mother needed welfare benefits for a short time. During various periods of his childhood, Brown also lived with his grandparents and his aunt. Brown has stated that at the age of twelve he was brought before Judge Samuel Zoll in Salem, Massachusetts for shoplifting record albums.
Zoll asked Brown if his siblings would like seeing him play basketball in jail, and required him to write a 1500 word essay on the topic as his punishment. Brown said, "That was the last time I ever stole, the last time I ever thought about stealing... The other day I was at Staples, and something was in my cart that I didn’t pay for. I had to bring it back because.... I thought of Judge Zoll."