Muhammad said: “If a husband calls his wife to his bed [i.e. to have sexual relation] and she refuses and causes him to sleep in anger, the angels will curse her till morning.” — Bukhari 4.54.460
And: “By him in Whose Hand lies my life, a woman can not carry out the right of her Lord, till she carries out the right of her husband. And if he asks her to surrender herself [to him for sexual intercourse] she should not refuse him even if she is on a camel’s saddle.” — Ibn Majah 1854
But international pressure can get results.
An update on this story. “Afghan’s Karzai says will amend controversial law,” from Reuters, April 27 (thanks to all who sent this in):
KABUL (Reuters) — Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Monday the Justice Ministry was amending a controversial law which contains harsh provisions on women that critics have called a step back toward Taliban-era controls.
The law, which applies to Shi’ite Muslims who make up about 15 percent of Afghanistan’s population, requires women to satisfy their husbands’ sexual desires. Opponents say this could be used to justify marital rape.
Other controversial passages require wives to get permission when leaving the home unless for employment, education or medical reasons, and allow a man to order his wife to wear make-up.
Karzai said the law would be changed to bring it in line with the constitution, which guarantees equal rights for women, and international treaties the country has signed.
“The law is under review and amendments will take place,” Karzai told a news conference with visiting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
“I assure you that the laws of Afghanistan will be in complete harmony with the constitution of Afghanistan, and the human rights that we have adhered to in our constitution and in the principles of the international treaties,” he added….
That’s hardly reassuring, given that Karzai evidently saw no contradiction between the Afghan Constitution and the prosecution of Abdul Rahman for apostasy.