Muslim man forbids wife from breastfeeding newborn in Kerala

A Muslim man in Kerala left doctors shocked with his strange demand that his wife not be allowed to breastfeed their new born until five calls for prayer from the mosque over a period of 24 hours were completed.

Abu Bakr insisted that the same policy was followed when the couple had their first child. When the hospital authorities tried to advise him that the newborn’s health could be at risk, he took his wife and baby out of the hospital.



"He plainly refused to allow his wife to breastfeed the baby. This was purely based on some superstitious belief, which he claimed was part of his religion. The baby's father was advised by a Muslim preacher that new born babies do not need to be breastfed before the calls for prayer were completed," the hospital GM, Rasika Kamar said.

Further, Bakr told the authorities that he followed the same custom with his elder child, who is completely healthy despite not being breastfed until 24 hours after being born. The preacher asked Bakr to mix honey with water from Makkah and feed the baby till the first breastfeeding.



Bakr’s wife and her mother were frightened that Bakr would divorce her if she did not follow the instructions, they told hospital authorities.

Bakr also said that he led his life according to the rules laid down by the preacher.

This article originally appeared on Huffington Post