"Wife beating according to the Koran,” a video of the teachings of a Muslim cleric in Bahrain in 2005, is a making the rounds again in the Middle East. “Breaking bones is not allowed.”

The Muslim teacher, Abdullah Aal Mahmoud, in what is apparently a mark of progress for Muslim women’s rights, states that the Quran teaches the limitations “if the husband wants to use beatings to treat is wife.”

Among other restrictions, Mahmoud rules wife-beating should never be done in front of children and he “must not cause bleeding or bruises to her body.” Breaking bones also is forbidden.

“If the husband violates these rules, he violates the rules of Allah. If she has been hurt, the husband is liable for what he has done because the woman is not his merchandise. He cannot do to her whatever he wants. Even if the wife forgives the husband, it does not mean that Allah will do the same on judgment day."