The Muslim Woman

It is unfortunate but true, that a woman is always treated as a ‘sex object’ in all cultures. It is more so true in the ultra-conservative Arab society, where a woman is often stigmatized for having ‘breast cancer’. To talk about breast cancer is considered taboo in the middle-east countries. However, as a welcome relief, more and more Arab women are openly speaking about the disease to help their fellow comrades fight this ‘social stigma’. Robin Roberts, the anchor of ‘Good Morning America’ spoke to three women in the United Arab Emirates, determined to bring breast cancer awareness among their fellow countrywomen. Among them, Fakhira Lufti and Adila Nasser are breast cancer survivors and Dr. Houriya Kazim is a leading cancer surgeon. The three women are determined to break the cycle of shame associated with breast cancer in the Arab world. Such is the level of shame associated with cancer that even when they refer to cancer they just say ‘that disease’. According to Lufti, Nasser and Kazim some women do not admit to have breast cancer because they fear that their husband might abandon them. Arab mothers hide their disease out of fear that it would be difficult to marry off their daughters. Women are also afraid of losing their breast to surgery and making them less feminine. While you can hide your breast-surgery under clothes, but what concerns women most is loss of hair from chemotherapy. It is saddening to know that women are more concerned about socially dictated norms than leading a healthy life. It is however, heartening to know that more and more Arab women are now shedding their veils of oblivion and spreading breast cancer awareness. Source: ABC News

It is still a paradox as to what many religious leaders of the Islamic community preaches and practices. Some says that it is the duty of the Muslim women to draw the veil whether they are amidst the public forum or at home, but the unfortunate killing of an innocent 16-year-old Canadian Muslim girl has nothing to do with Islam, this is what the Islamic community has to say to the world. As word goes around and the entire nation is mourning her death, the leaders are refusing any connection of their faith to the victim’s death. Since time immemorial, every Muslim woman around the globe is following the practice of wearing hijab very religiously. However, this duty is being vehemently criticized by many organizations and high profile figures. Yet, even today, since it is a cultural phenomenon, no one dares to defy the practice. Yet, the refusal of Aqsa Parvez, the victim, to wear the hijab snatched the girl’s life. The girl was caught up in a never-ending battle with her family because of her reluctance to wear the Islamic veil, said one her school friends. Ultimately, her denial took the family by storm and this resulted in her brutal murder by her father. This gruesome case has kicked off serious debates in the public, in regards to the rights of a woman in Canada’s Islamic society. While many say that, it is indeed an act of savagery; whereas, Islamic leaders say that Aqsa’s death has nothing to do with their faith. This riddle is open for discussion and is still present in the society and no one knows whether anyone can solve this issue ever. Ultimately, it is upon the global society how they deal with such unfortunate incidents and what laws will be constituted and implemented to tackle such grave matters. Image Credit: NationalPost Read more

Despite of a large number of women rights movement across the globe it seems that the larger portion of the fruits of women rights have gone to the woman of the western world while their sisters, especially in the Islamic world still remain deprived behind the veil of anonymity. For a society that treats its women as wealth to be possessed and kept fettered inside the secure environs of home, Nadia Abu Amar, an Israeli Arab’s desire for freedom cannot be tolerated. So even by escaping from her home in Ramle to a women’s shelter in Jerusalem she could not save herself from being killed by the male relatives of her family in the name of salvaging the family honour. Nadia’s case is not a stray incident among the Israeli Arabs. Honour killing is prevalent not only throughout the Arab world, but also in Pakistan, Afghanistan and even among some non-Islamic groups in India. For a woman it is her duty to maintain her family honour at all costs even if that amounts to settling for an unhappy arranged marriage. While women have been guaranteed rights to participate in electoral politics and cast their votes to choose their representatives during elections but they do not have the right to choose the mode of life they prefer worth living. According to Ramle police superintendent, who is investigating Nadia’s case, even if an Arab woman spoke on a cell phone or laughed with a man it will be regarded as violation of family honour. Israel on its part is trying to resolve the incidents of honour killings by executing strict measures against the perpetrators of the crime. However, unless there is an endogenous social reform from within the conservative societies, Islamic and non-Islamic, any exogenous legal effort will prove futile. Source:ABC News

The time to raise the voice has come. Thats exactly what around a thousand Afghan women(one of the most secluded in international societies)called for across some of the most important and volatile provinces of Afghanistan. These are the women that have borne the brunt of Afghanistan’s violent history. Even now with violence raging across the war-torn nation, women and children are the most affected. Its time the poor women of this ancient country come out and demand a right to live. No doubt the brave women have come out and shown their courage to demand an end to the war but it must not forgotten that having done so these brave souls have made them vulnerable to Taliban and Islamic fundamentalist attacks. But demanding rights is an initial way forward for a much better future for the Afghan society as a whole. A society that respects the rights of its women is less likely to encourage radical terrorism. The whole of Afghanistan, not just six provinces, needs its female population to come forward and raise their voice for a better future. Before the Taliban came to power, Afghan women were the most educated in the society. That spirit and confidence among the women need to be encouraged both by the Afghan government and by the international community. For if women raise their voice and show mutual solidarity throughout the country, no fundamentalist force can come in their way whatever may be the cost. A woman’s right is a human right. The rare display of unity by the Afghan women should be an encouraging sign for the Hamid Karzai government along with the international community. Women from all over Afghanistan should be included in the rebuilding process of the war-ravaged nation. Ordinary Afghan people should be encouraged to provide the women and girls of their society with proper education and help them in shedding their burqa. Afghanistan needs its women society to actively participate in the rebuilding process which in turn could stop the violence, killings and losses. Its through a democratic political platform that the women should launch their attacks against the Taliban. Image Link:UN,Cnews

‘Honor killings’, mostly targeting Palestinian women, are on the rise across Palestine and prove that women all over the civilized world are vulnerable to social injustice irrespective of religion and caste. The senseless violence against women has particularly increased since the bitter rivalry between Hamas and Fatah began earlier this year rendering the official Palestinian Authority voiceless and too weak to take any action against the perpetrators. Not only in Palestine but across the Middle East, hundreds of women and girls are murdered by male family members every year for the perceived misuse of their sexuality. Honor killing has become a thorny social issue in the region. Women rights activists claim that many such crimes remain unrecorded given that the killings are regarded as private family matters. But, even more astounding is the fact that these particular killings do not have any relation to Islam which has a lawful procedure in dealing with adultery cases. Honor killing emerged in the pre-Islamic era. It was deeply related to primitive Arab society which had powerful and strict tribal family rules. In Arab societies family is the most important compared to individuals and feelings are very strong regarding any sort of dishonor of the family or group. The voice of males is the most important to the family and various human rights activists claim that even rape victims have been murdered for dishonoring the family. Even false rumors about a woman having an affair are regarded to be true and the inevitable punishment is meted out to the poor victim. According to many families in Palestine, virginity is something that the woman must protect at all costs whether it is a forced sex or a consented one. Due to the continuous violence between Hamas and Fatah and years of anarchy, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has not been able to develop a constructive and cohesive framework in dealing with honor killings or violence against women as a whole. Due to lack of expertise and finance, the PA, cannot encourage the victims to report the incidents of violence and protect them from a family backlash. With no institutional law in place the women are hardly protected and the killers walk freely on most occasions. Image Link: 1, 2, 3, 4 Source Link: Csmonitor

What would a woman get if she dares to hold a professional job? Abduction, rape and murder, yes this is what she would receive at least in Iraq! Religious extremists in the southern Iraqi city of Basra are busy slaughtering the women folk who are going against their religious doctrines by stepping out of the four walls of their house just to earn their livelihood. In some parts of Baghdad, women were being prevented to go to the markets alone. Parents are frightened to send their daughters to school and university. They are constantly being subjected to threats, intimidation and even murder. Perpetrators tend to justify their inhuman deeds of killing a woman by leaving a piece of paper on her or dress her in indecent clothes. Atmosphere is saturated with threat till an extent that the women folk dare not move out in the streets without proper dress code. Grim figures suggest slaughtering of 42 women between July and September alone in the region this year. Abusers have created a kind of propaganda by painting graffiti on walls all across the streets. Women have been receiving warning, while there are cases, when the gunmen themselves are coming to their houses and slaughtering them, in front of their own kids. They are not in a position to spill out their outlook towards life, leave alone going out to work. They have been forced to breathe within a set paradigm of the chauvinistic ridden man made laws across Iraq by Islamist militants, both Sunni and Shia. They live in fear of their husbands, too, as women’s rights have been undermined by the country’s postwar constitution that has taken power from the family courts and given it to clerics. Lack of security, law and order has curtailed all aspects of women’s life, for them constructing a safe haven is nothing than a mirage in the arid desert of the province…a wasteland that would never expect a shower of rain. At least this is what an impression I could get from the contemporary times. Image

In the past five months more than 40 women have been killed in Iraq’s southern city of Basra after being accused of ‘un-Islamic’ behavior. Women have been threatened with dire punishment, should they wear make-up or step out without the Islamic headscarf known as hijab. Their mutilated bodies are dumped on the streets or in garbage dumps with notes attached to them accusing them of adultery and other ‘honor crimes’, thereby justifying their hideous crime of killing these women. Major-General Abdul-Jalil Khalaf, the Basra police chief said that they found the body of a woman with her six-year-old son, who was believed to have been conceived in an adulterous relationship. He added that the number of murdered women might be higher as many families don’t report these cases due to the fear of scandal or reprisals, or simply because they had doubts concerning the police’s ability to solve the case, as at times the police are too scared themselves, to conduct proper investigations. It is believed that the violence perpetrated against these women is carried out by Islamic militants. These perpetrators, who believe that they are spreading the message and instructions of Islam, are simply imposing their extremist views upon the community. They are forcing the women to follow a certain code-of-conduct depriving them of their very basic right, freedom. There have been instances where the religious extremists have intimidated and forced the women to cover their hair and bodies. The female students have also been threatened to not attend the exams without wearing their headscarves. Khalaf said that although they do not have enough information about the perpetrators, investigations and enquiries were still made to know more about the killings. source: yahoonews

Do you aspire for a virgin? So, does everyone. However, when it comes to Muslim community this aspiration takes a new high. But what if this virginity is fake or artificial? As it happens in the case of Aisha Salim who is to marry a person from Pakistan, therefore, went for a surgery, which would prove her virgin on her first wedding night. In fact, it won’t be her first experience. Aisha is not the only one opting for such medical procedures to prove her virginity but many other Muslim girls are also following the same path. This is just a tip of the iceberg, while the core issue is quite grave. In other words, it merely percolates the fast growing conflict swirling up between modern lifestyle and the so-called chauvinism, which is, indeed, a strong pillar of Islam. Not only this but it also puts forth a new debate; are rigid Muslim rules still applicable for the fast changing society or isn’t this trite rigid structure proving a stint for the development of Muslim community? The case of Aisha clearly depicts the manner in which aspiration and willingness to come up with the modern lifestyle is being crushed under the juggernaut of Islamic rules. And if modern girls like Aisha are under so much pressure to adopt fake methods just to prove their virginity then what would be the situation of other women in the Muslim community, could be assessed easily. This is issue not just of virginity but of other aspects too where we find man always having the upper hand. He is free to do what he likes, can mould laws as per his comfort. Alas! Women are supposed to follow their edicts with downcast eyes. We are living in 21st century still after first wedding night, a woman is supposed to show her bed-sheet blotted by her blood to prove her virginity. This is something, which blows out smell of barbaric and uncivilized society. After all, we need to introspect that how far strict Islamic rules are relevant in the modern perspective; otherwise, religion that is supposed to be there as a guiding star, would herald doom for the society. Source

The strict Islamic laws restricting movement of women, takes preposterous dimension in Saudi Arabia where men and women are treated in a manner as if they are two different species. Shrouded in dark colored abayas or traditional Saudi attires for women covering the head and extending to the tow, Saudi women move about the street like living ghosts. Forbidden to move outside their girls’ only circle, interacting with a non-relative male is blasphemous in Saudi Arabia. Even while interacting with male relatives, women do not have the liberty to talk even to their male first cousins without covering their faces. Marriages in the country are arranged by the male members of the family and the girl is allowed to see her fiancé only on the engagement day under the strict supervision of her family members. While women are not allowed to drive cars, they can move only in cars with tinted windows. They attend girls-only schools, colleges and university departments. There are woman-only gyms, boutiques, travel agencies and even shopping malls. Women can eat only in family sections of restaurants and cafeteria covered in their abayas. Despite of strict social norms, rebellious behaviors are rising in the Saudi society where women fed up with centuries old restriction are trying in what ever little way it is possible to break away from social stranglehold. Not only are clandestine love affairs between young girls and boys proliferating but also it is also not difficult to come across lesbian relations in the Saudi society. Internet and mobile phones are aiding in relations that are considered taboo. Whether new technology could help in evolving more practicality in the Saudi Arabian society remains to be seen. Via:IHT

Qatar, an Emirate on the western shores of Persian Gulf has made headlines for the wrong reasons. A study on violence against women, ‘surprisingly and eventually’ the first of their kind in the Emirate ‘has made a new statement’. ‘Women in Qatar readily overlook, when they are exploited’ Abuse generally includes physical torture, divorce threats, name-calling, rape and deliberate pregnancy. A significance percentage of women do not even have access to basic rights. Violence and discrimination against women and depriving them of their rights are not something new in this world. What is new, though is, some women justify these abuses and accept them happily! Sadly, this has emerged from the Islamic world, where women are only considered ‘objects’ governed by ‘wrongly interpreted’ holy rules of women behavior. A study conducted by the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in Qatar has thrown some shocking results. The results are indicative of over 40% of young women overlooking domestic violence against them, the ‘leading abusers’ beings husbands followed by relatives. The study also goes on to show a forceful percentage suffering abuse since childhood and some since adolescence. Young Qatari girls also suffer abuses Opinions on the results are divided with some targeting husbands directly, while others, striking at the dreadful husband-mother-in-law combination. It is also true that, ‘Domestic violence goes unpunished in majority of the cases”. There is an urgent need to empower women socially, politically and economically. There can no longer be a gender-divide in this world. While this message resonates across the borders of artificial nations of our world, one can only hope that positive action on this message will follow. It is also important to note that Qatar has not ratified the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979). Many ‘Islamic Nations’ try to put religious principles far above issues that have to be ‘addressed in common’ across religions. News Source: Scorpical Image Credit: [1] [2]