CBNNews.com - JERUSALEM, Israel - A newly married Israeli Arab will be tried for assaulting his wife for refusing to wear a Muslim veil.

According to the indictment filed in Jerusalem Magistrate's Court, Nidal Arafeh, 28, a resident of the east Jerusalem Arab neighborhood of Beit Hanina, beat his 22-year-old wife for a period of months.

Arafeh assaulted her, locked her in a room and threatened to shoot her. He pulled her by her hair, threw her into doors, and put cigarettes out on her chest.

The judge ordered the defendant to be remanded until his trial because of his violent behavior and a criminal record, which includes two convictions and jail time.

His bride, whose name is abbreviated in the indictment for her protection, is staying with her mother.

The defendant's father, who knew his daughter-in-law had confided in her mother about the beatings, said she should have spoken up sooner.

"Why didn't she complain four months ago?" he asked.

Source: The Jerusalem Post