A video lecture produced in 2005 by a popular Middle East Muslim cleric on the guidelines for beating one's wife is again gaining popularity in the region.
With women's rights becoming more of an issue for the Middle East, Muslim men are looking for ways to maintain their violent domestic traditions, while moving more in line with accepted international norms.
Abdullah Aal Mahmoud, the teacher in the aforementioned video, appears to provide just what many of them are looking for.
"If the husband wants to use beatings to control his wife" he "must not cause bleeding or bruises to her body," and "breaking bones is not allowed," explained Mahmoud.
Beating one's wife is acceptable, but taking it to the point of serious physical injury "violates the laws of Allah," he concluded.