I told my daughters to retaliate if their husbands slap them,” says Emir Sanusi at a National Dialogue on GBV Prevention.
Muhammadu Sanusi II, the 16th Emir of Kano, has taken a firm stance against domestic violence, sharing a controversial yet empowering directive to his daughters. Speaking at the National Dialogue Conference on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Prevention in Kano, Sanusi revealed he instructs his daughters to retaliate if ever slapped by their husbands.
Sanusi underscored the alarming statistics of domestic violence in Kano’s Shariah courts, where nearly half of the cases over five years involved severe injuries to women. The Emir criticized cultural misinterpretations of Islamic teachings and declared all forms of violence against women as haram (forbidden).
He emphasized the importance of educating sons against abuse and empowering daughters to defend their dignity: “If you dislike her, send her back to me, but do not raise your hand against her.”
The event, held at Bayero University Kano and supported by the Ford Foundation, brought together faith leaders, youth groups, and policymakers to align Islamic principles with modern strategies to combat GBV.
