British imams telling men to beat their wives if they say no to sex should face criminal investigations, top Tory says

Top Tory Chris Philp has demanded criminal investigations into imams who encouraged men to use physical violence against their wives.

The Shadow Home Secretary was driven to action following a Mail on Sunday exposé, which revealed how three Islamic preachers had used their soapbox to issue the shocking sermons.

Yasin Munye from the Hackney Islamic Community Centre said men could hit their wives if they refuse to be 'called to bed for intimacy'.

Mahamed AbdurRazaq, from the An-Noor Masjid and Community Centre in Birmingham, advised 'admonishing' wives in the first instance for refusing sex, but failing that said the man would then be 'allowed to hit her, a hitting that does not bruise and that does not break bones'.

And Aqeel Mahmood, of the Green Lane Masjid also in Birmingham, delivered a 47-minute lecture insisting that a husband has a right to 'discipline his wife in case of rebellion', including leaving the house without their husband's permission.

On Tuesday, Mr Philp wrote to both the Metropolitan Police and West Midlands Police demanding criminal probes into the three cases.

His letters, seen by the Daily Mail, see him condemn the comments as 'abhorrent' and warn they 'have no place in British society'.

The Tory frontbencher adds: 'Women in ethnic minority communities should not be abandoned because we are too afraid to call out violent misogynist comments and practices.

'We should also not allow cultural sensitivities to get in the way of enforcing the law.

'These comments directly incite violence against women, which is a criminal offence.

'I would therefore be grateful if they can be criminally investigated.'

On Tuesday, Mr Philp's colleague Nick Timothy, the shadow Justice Secretary, also wrote to the Crown Prosecution Service demanding prosecutions of 'these barbaric preachers'.

Mr Timothy's letter pointed out that the CPS has previously acted when Met Police officers were found to have sent misogynistic messages in a private WhatsApp group, and against Christian street preachers who spoke negatively about homosexuality.

On Sunday, the Met Police said it was 'assessing' a complaint against the Hackney mosque. The Met, and West Midlands Police, were both approached by the Mail for comment.

A spokesman for Green Lane Masjid in Birmingham told the Mail on Sunday that it 'unequivocally rejects violence, domestic abuse, coercion and all other forms of violence and abuse'.

Hackney Islamic Community Centre and the An-Noor Masjid did not reply to requests for comment.