A 36-year-old cleric in Meerut is confronting a bizarre ultimatum from his wife, who is threatening to end her life if he does not shave off his beard.
In a letter to District Magistrate Pankaj Yadav, Arshad Badruddin, a cleric who leads prayers at the mosque, and describes himself as a "true follower of Islam," elaborates on his marital woes and the demand put forth by his 33-year-old wife Sahana, The Times of India reported today.
Badruddin and his wife married in 2001 and they have four children.
"Soon after our marriage, my wife demanded that I should shave and not keep beard as she likes clean-shaven men like Bollywood actors Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan. She has also brought a smartphone and chats with gair mard all day and night," the letter said.
According to Badruddin's letter, Sahana also threatened to commit suicide after the Muslim cleric tried to curtail the use of her smartphone, and she recently tried to hang herself when he refused to go Eid shopping for "western clothes for the children and herself."
The cleric is reportedly worried that his four children will pick up the "bad habit" of using the mobile phone from their mother. "I am irritated by her behavior. When I scolded her recently, she started crying and threatened to commit suicide after poisoning our children," the letter said.