UAE court says it is okay to beat your wife

Abu Dhabi (UAE): A court in UAE has ruled that it's okay for a man to beat his wife and children as long as he leaves no marks on their body.

UAE's highest court said this while giving it's verdict in a case where a man beat up his wife and adult daughter. The court said the man was guilty of harming the women but noted that Islamic codes allow for discipline if no marks are left.

It added that children who have reached adulthood — cannot be hit.

``Although the (law) permits the husband to use his right (to discipline), he has to abide by the limits of this right," an Abu Dhabi daily quoted chief justice Falah al-Hajeri as saying in the ruling released on Sunday. The man's daughter was 23, hence too old to be disciplined in this fashion, it noted.