Saudi judge: OK to slap overspending wives

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, May 10 (UPI) -- Husbands in Saudi Arabia are allowed to slap their wives if they spend lavishly, a judge said.

CNN reported Sunday that Judge Hamad Al-Razine said that a woman deserves to be punished for profligate spending.

The remark was made at a conference on domestic violence, the U.S. network reported, citing Saudi media.

Al-Razine also said that a woman's "indecent behavior and use of offensive words against their husbands were some of the reasons for domestic violence" in the kingdom.

CNN reported that women in the audience protested Al-Razine's statement, and some said they were surprised to learn the remarks came from a jurist.