There is nothing in Christian, Jewish or Muslim teaching that can rightly be used to justify abuse of another person. However, there are teachings that can be misused and distorted to suggest that domestic violence may be acceptable or even God's will. When these teachings or interpretations of scripture are misused, they become obstacles to ending the abuse.
For example, one interpretation of Shalom Bayit, the Jewish teaching about peace in the home, places sole responsibility on the woman to "keep the peace" and obey her husband, which presents a serious roadblock to addressing domestic violence for a battered woman. Alternatively, an understanding that Shalom Bayit is everyone's responsibility offers help for the woman and accountability for the abuser.
Similarly, the Christian teaching that husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church is a challenge to husbands to treat their wives with respect and love, not with violence or control. This teaching can serve as a valuable resource to address and prevent domestic violence.
In Islam, domestic violence is regarded as oppression. The Quran identifies the categories of domestic oppression as aggression, wrongdoing, harsh treatment . . . and inflicting harm or injury. Actions that fall into any of these categories are in violation of the Islamic values of justice, equality, freedom, mercy and forgiveness. (Alwani & Abugideiri, 2003)
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