Recorded Aug 3, 2011 by Bruce Wallace, 121Contact
Snatches of conversation of Arabic/Islamic women:
While it is true that women in many Islamic countries lack much of their civil rights, it is not a homogeneous condition of all Islamic countries. And where some rights in some areas are broad in one country, these same rights may be heavily proscribed in others.
In the Iranian culture if a woman is westernized then there is shame in this. 35% of the Iranian Parliament were women as recently as 10 years ago. The backsliding has been considerable. Iran under the shah was very free for the upper classes. Of course the poor suffered, and the culture kept many poor women from the rights that rich women enjoy[ed].
Muslim women do not need to fight for their rights. Islam gave them the rights. Of course anything that has to do with the body is different. These things are not discussed. But inheritance, law, property...all this was written as new justice for women.
In Iraq there was never this idea. Women wore a wide range of styles of clothing, covered or not. Women were given a great deal of latitude. We had a wonderful life with freedoms that no other Islamic country has seen.
We can have friends, even boys, even men. I travelled outside of the country by myself. We were able to shop and meet friends and go out of the house alone.
A teacher in a Brooklyn madras quit her job. Why? The atmosphere was too religiously strict; too fundamental. She is a Turkish-American who wanted to go to college in Turkey.They insisted she take off her hijab. She refused and instead chose to leave her family and friends andd come to America where she heard things were freer. She said, "It was not a religious decision. I just did not want to be told what to do."
Freedom means different things to different people and the culture in which one grows and lives determines a lot of how one thinks about freedom. Imagine a boy in his early 20's and he never talked to a girl. Since he was 5 years he was kept from females not his mom or aunts or sisters. In his teens he feels his hormones rise but has no idea of what to do. He has only male friends and spends no time with young women. Then comes the father who tells him he found a suitable wife. The boy will be very happy. He will not question this decision as tying his freedom. His culture shows him this is not even an issue to be raised.
When Islam came along it was a tremendous liberation for women; a revolution of women's rights. But this was 14th century. Now is a new time for a new Islam.
You can't even discuss 'the book', making changes to Islam, a reformation in Islam. It is not allowed. And yet there are progressive Imams who speak of a new way. At the same time there are those like that Iraqi Imam who made fatwa for killing Christians...as a good thing, a duty under what he calls Islam.
Perhaps in this time we are beyond religion; beyond the organized mosque/church/synagogue of religion.
Done. Thanks.
Posted by: b | 11/30/2011 at 09:46 AM
No offense, but if there's a facebook like button, it'll be much easier for me to share.
Posted by: Elliptical reviews | 11/30/2011 at 01:42 AM
"Muslim women do not need to fight for their rights. Islam gave them the rights" thats one of the most pathetic excuses for the nonsense that comes from Islam and all other religions that try to hide behind "we protect women" by doing so.
Posted by: Laith | 08/04/2011 at 01:38 AM