Religion, male violence, and the control of women: Pakistani Muslim men in Bradford, UK

Abstract

This article examines Pakistani Muslim male violence in the public and private spheres in Bradford, UK, and explores the relationship between this and ideas of culture and religion. It contrasts male and female attitudes to Islam: some men are using it to justify violence against women, while women of all ages and backgrounds are using it in a very different way, as a source of strength and to negotiate (with ingenuity and humour) the cultural and religious requirements which men try to impose on them.