Emir of Kano Muhammad Sanusi II has said he told his daughters when they were getting married that if their husbands slapped them, they should slap back.

Speaking at the National Dialogue Conference on Gender-Based Violence (GBV), themed “Islamic Teachings and Community Collaboration for Ending Gender-Based Violence,” the Emir emphasised the incompatibility of domestic violence with Islamic teachings and human dignity.

Sanusi, addressing the audience at the event organised by the Centre for Islamic Civilisation and Interfaith Dialogue (CICID), Bayero University Kano, in collaboration with the Development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) and supported by the Ford Foundation, said: “When my daughters are getting married, I say to them: if your husband slaps you, and you come home to tell me he slapped you without slapping him back first, I will slap you myself. I did not send my daughter to marry someone so he can slap her. If he does not like her, he should send her back to me, but he must not beat her.”

The Emir criticised men who resort to violence against their wives, describing it as prohibited in Islam.

“Beating your wife, daughter, or any woman is a crime. Let’s not even talk about using a handkerchief or a chewing stick—it is haram. Allah says all harm must be removed, and gender-based violence is harm that must be eradicated,” he declared.

Sanusi cited findings from his doctoral research on family law, which analysed cases in nine Shari’a courts in Kano.

He revealed that 45% of domestic violence cases involved wife beating, with many instances resulting in severe physical harm, including broken limbs and knocked-out teeth.

“The common beating that happens in our society is far from light. Women have been severely injured, and in some cases, husbands, along with their other wives, have assaulted one wife. We’ve even seen Qadis sentencing sons for criminal assault against their wives,” he added.

He urged society to teach daughters not to accept abuse and to raise sons with the understanding that violence violates the dignity of human beings.

“It is our responsibility to instil in our children that violence—whether against a wife, sibling, or any person—is unacceptable. It violates the basic dignity of a human being,” he stated.

The Emir concluded by emphasising the need for communal and religious efforts to end gender-based violence, urging collaboration to foster a society rooted in respect and equality.