This is a subject matter real close to my heart and mind. Therefore, I spent time researching it to ensure that I do not speak emotions or nonsense, to stay away from merely voicing my opinions, and to put forth for your thinking and reflection the far less than ideal state of life for women in the Arab world, yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Below please find my analysis of this very serious and critical issue for the Arab world, an issue that if not addressed to the obvious end of full equality of women and men, then as I indicated in many of my previous analyses there is no hope for nations of the Arab world to ever see a future of freedom, of justice and of prosperity. Of that there should be no doubt in any one's mind, anyone who thinks, reasons and wants a better future for his/her nation.
Go back to the past in order to build a future
As has been known by all thinking persons worldwide for what seems and feels like a millennium now, what guides societal practices in non-secular states is the convenient and self-serving interpretation of religion. None is more evident, and more blatant, than the interpretation of the holy Quran when it comes to the relationship between women and men, an interpretation that has served, and continues to serve men's preference that women be subservient and their intent to have women believe and accept that they are inferior to them.
Nelia Beth Scovill in "The Liberation of Women in Religious Sources," in the section on Islam, outlines how women's rights, responsibilities and overall position in the religion of Islam was interpreted to satisfy societal norms and values of the time the Quran was written.
Scovill cites that it is a fact that the central religious obligations of Islam are imposed on men and women alike and are encapsulated in the Five Pillars of Islam. They consist of: 1) witnessing to God's oneness and acknowledging Muhammad as his messenger; 2) prayer five times daily, 3) giving of alms to the poor; 4) daily fasting during the month of Ramadan, and 5) pilgrimage to Mecca at least once during one's lifetime if financially and physically capable.
Pertinent excerpts from Scovill's article follow.
"Quranic law explicitly prohibit female infanticide, protect women in matters of marriage, give them the right to inherit, and give them equal responsibilities in religious life. In the first centuries of Islam, the religious practices of women and men were basically identical. Both received religious education, participated in daily prayer at the Mosques, and led in worship. Following the prophet s death, however, women's status in both religious institutions and the broader Islamic culture declined dramatically. The decline is attributed to the consolidation of religious power into male hands which was supposedly necessitated by Islam's spread to areas which were more rigidly patriarchal than the Arabian peninsula."
"As Islam grew in numbers and encompassed greater geographic areas, Quranic regulations requiring women to maintain their modesty in public were gradually expanded. This eventually led to women's complete domestic seclusion, first in their father's home and then their husband's home."
"Despite the fact that in the recent centuries few Muslim women have had any opportunity to shape or even gain first hand knowledge of their tradition, the egalitarian core of Islam remains quite explicit within the Quran. Indeed, much justification for women's subordination to men within Muslim culture is derived from the lesser authoritative Islamic religious sources. Thus while the Quran is theoretically the most authoritative Islamic text, in actual practice the Quran is read through the lenses of existing cultural assumptions about appropriate social relations and portions of less authoritative sacred texts which are more in line with patriarchal values. As a result, the view that women are inherently inferior to men is deeply embedded in Islamic culture."
"The Quran, however, consistently describes the creation of humanity by God in egalitarian terms. There is no indication that man is created prior to woman, or that woman is created from man's substance. Indeed, implicit in many of these Quranic passages is that God's original creation is sexually undifferentiated. Sexual differentiation into male and female takes place at a later time, thus downplaying the significance of the differences. In fact, Islamic interpretations of human creation appears to be shaped more by Christian teachings and the creation accounts in Genesis than the Quran. Even though the Quran does not mention the name of the Arabic counterpart of Eve, in Islamic interpretation she is nevertheless blamed for the transgression and the subsequent fall of humankind. However, in the Quran, the act of disobedience is portrayed as a collective act committed simultaneously by both the man and the woman. Furthermore, responsibility for the transgression is given neither to one of them alone, but is shared by both."
"Women's full and equal humanity is attested to not only in creation, but also on the final judgement day. The Quran makes it clear that both men and women are called upon by God to uphold God's commandments, and that both men and women are accountable to God for their righteousness (Surah 3:Al-Imran:195: Surah 4:An-Nisa':124: Surah 9:At-Taubah:71-72)."
"Indeed the Quran goes beyond insisting that individual women and men are to be treated identically. Instead it insists that men and women recognize their interconnectedness and interdependence. The Quran affirms that men and women in the umma are members and protectors of each other (Surah 3:Al- Imran:195; Surah 9:At-Tawbah: 71). The Quran's vision of the relationship between men and women within society is therefore neither hierarchical nor adversarial but one of equality and mutuality."
"The equalization of women's status under the Quranic law was a clear challenge to the patriarchal tribe structure which dominated the Arabian peninsula during the 7th century. Perhaps the most defiant blow against the patriarchal family life is the explicit condemnation of female infanticide. To begin with the condemnation undercuts the patriarchal assertion that their wives and children belong to them and can be disposed of (literally and figuratively) at their discretion."
"But what is more important is how the condemnation is phrased: The female (in fact) buried alive, is questioned for what crime she was killed (Surah 81 -- At-Takwir 8-9). Such a phrasing indicates men will be held accountable to the female's explanation of the event and that God will count her testimony trustworthy. Yes, men will have to answer to God for their heinous crimes, but they will be convicted by the words of a female."
"Affirming every person's right to work and insisting that the fruits of the labor belong to the one who has worked for them also undermines the patriarchal family structure. Under a patriarchal economy, the fruits of the labor of all family members rightfully belonged to the male head of household. Insisting that women who work are due their earnings not only undercuts the husband's control of his wife's possessions, but also provides women with economic independence."
"In many ways uncovering the egalitarian core of Islam is a less laborious task than in the case of Judaism or Christianity. Nevertheless, what becomes clear in the case of Islam is that the empowerment of Islamic women and non-Islamic women in Islamic countries requires not only reclaiming the egalitarian core of the tradition but also holding religious leaders accountable to their own tradition."
Gender inequality and women's health
In Social Science and Medicine 48 (1999) 21-32, Ichiro Kawachi, Bruce P. Kennedy, Vanita Gupta, and Deborah Prothrow-Stith conclude in their paper "Women's status and the health of women and men: A view from the States" that women experience higher mortality and morbidity in states where they have lower levels of political participation and economic autonomy. Living in such states has detrimental consequences for the health of men as well. Gender inequality and truncated opportunities for women may be one of the pathways by which the maldistribution of income adversely affects the health of women. Women's health and the formulation of effective strategies for improving women's status must thus be a central concern not only in feminist politics, but in broader campaigns for public health and social justice.
Women in the Middle East must have hope
For my analysis of Women in the Arab World, I refer to Islamic fundamentalism, which is most often used to describe Muslim individuals and groups which advocate Islamism, which in turn is a political ideology calling for the replacement of state secular laws with Islamic law. Islamic fundamentalism is associated with Salafism and Wahhabism, as opposed to liberal movements within Islam.
Haideh Moghissi writes in "Women, War and Fundamentalism in the Middle East," that to be sure, fundamentalism in all religions is a deadly force that uses every possible means to carry its messages. In North America it shows no mercy for the innocent lives lost in abortion clinics; in Israel it doesn't hesitate to open fire on Muslim worshipers who stand in the way of the creation of a Jewish "promised" land; and in Muslim societies Islamic fundamentalism, which has victimized more people inside the region than outside it and more women than men, takes its most passionately articulated mission to be restoring conservative religious doctrine and teachings on women's status. Indeed, contempt for women's intelligence and emotional and moral stability is the marker of fundamentalists' religious instructions and moral regime. The archaic provisions of Islamic legal codes and criminal justice, such as the barbaric form of prescribed punishment (including stoning to death), violates the basic human rights of both sexes; but Islamic legal practices are clearly and unapologetically harsher on women. To such ends, they dig up medieval Islamic texts prescribing moral codes or invent rules of conducts when the need arises. Afghanistan under the Taliban and present-day Iran provide numerous examples of "Islamic traditions" whose origin, Islamic or otherwise, cannot easily be traced.
Moghissi also writes that today, the fallacy of the promise that women's demands will be met automatically when the movement for democracy succeeds is clear to many women. Women's experiences of the last two decades in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the region have made it abundantly clear that meaningful change for women will begin only when the clerical grip on political institutions and law-making processes is broken and a clear separation of state from religion materializes. Only with such developments (which include the removal of Sharia from the legal system), will women begin to gain full citizenship status and legal equality with men. The same is true for religious minorities against whom Sharia-based laws discriminate without apology.
Basically, Moghissi contends, logically and convincingly in my viewpoint, that no amount of twisting and bending can change the fact that if the principles of the Sharia are to be maintained, women cannot be treated better than they are. To argue that there are preconditions, including the testimony of four eyewitnesses, for carrying out the Shari'a sentence of flogging or stoning to death of women and men on charges of adultery, or that murder of a wife accused of adultery by her husband (honor killing) is legally sanctioned, can hardly convince us that the provisions of Sharia are compatible with the principles of human rights. If all the pre-conditions of these punishments are met, they cannot make legally sanctioned violence against women acceptable and just. And let us not obscure the fact that the testimony of four eyewitnesses required by law is admissible only from four men or two men and four women, as according to the Islamic Sharia: the testimony of two women equals that of one man.
Fundamentalism in Arab countries relegates women to a subservient and secondary role to men. If religious outdated interpretations, practices and traditions are taken literally, gender equality cannot be achieved in any society, Islamic or non-Islamic. Therefore, as regards the cultures prevailing in Arab societies, the most reasonable and effective way to defend the rights of women to autonomy, dignity and self-fulfillment is by confronting head-on these home-grown arcane beliefs and ideas. Containment of, and not compromise with, fundamentalism should be the goal.
In doing my research for this analysis, I came across Musawah (equality). MUSAWAH — for Equality in the Family is a global movement for equality and justice in the Muslim family, calling for equality, non-discrimination, justice and dignity as the basis of all human relations; full and equal citizenship for every individual; and marriage and family relations based on principles of equality and justice, with men and women sharing equal rights and responsibilities. Hadil el-Khouly, an Egyptian living in Egypt, is Musawah's Outreach Coordinator. A very informative and meaningful website, here is the link http://www.musawah.org/
Women's Rights and Liberties
Women in the Arab world are considered to inherently have less rights than men and little or no personal freedom.
In his article "Religion and Spirituality," published 11/22/2009, Douglas Mefford writes that under a religious state, it is easy to have a few people in a hierarchical position exert the power to dehumanize and strip away the very basic human rights of anyone, and have greater control over the population in general. A modern example would be Islamic nations where women, by religious decree, are considered to have only minimal rights and almost no personal freedoms.
According to the United Nations (UN) Children's Fund, despite international laws guaranteeing women equal rights with men, women around the world are denied their rights to land and property, financial resources, employment and education, among others. In many cultures, the Arab world definitely included, women and girls are subject to female genital mutilation/cutting, and are harmed and even killed in the name of tradition. And for women in all countries, gender-based violence constitutes perhaps the most common and serious violation of human rights.
For women's rights and liberties to take a significant and hopefully irreversible step forward, there would be a need for:
- establishing mechanisms for women's equal participation and equitable representation at all levels of the political process and public life,
- promoting women's education, skill development and employment,
- eliminating all practices that discriminate against women, including those in the workplace,
- eliminating all forms of exploitation, abuse, harassment, insecurity and violence against women,
- instituting practices making legitimate women's access to credit and control over property,
- lessening the inequitable burden of domestic responsibilities,
- strict enforcement of laws to ensure that women enter into marriage with their own free will and their full consent,
- an integrated approach to the special health and social needs of girls and young women,
- public campaigns to strengthen the self-esteem of girls, and
- the urgent prohibition of female genital mutilation and to female infanticide, prenatal sex selection, and other abuses of girls.
The right to reproductive and sexual health
According to the World Bank, a full one-third of the illness among women ages 15-44 in developing countries is related to pregnancy, childbirth, abortion, reproductive tract infections, and HIV/AIDS.
This issue in particular is at the forefront of the struggle for women's rights and liberties in the Arab world. I will limit my coverage of the issue to three authoritative and telling quotes:
- "The fact is that women have been trapped. Reproduction is used, consciously or not, as a means to control women, to limit their options and to make them subordinate to men. In many societies a serious approach to reproductive health has to have this perspective in mind. We must seek to liberate women." Dr. Nafis Sadik, Executive Director, UN Population Fund.
- "The human rights of women include their right to have control over and decide freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality, including sexual and reproductive health, free of coercion, discrimination and violence. Equal relationships between women and men in matters of sexual relations and reproduction, including full respect for the integrity of the person, require mutual respect, consent and shared responsibility for sexual behaviour and its consequences." Paragraph 96, the Platform for Action, which was adopted by 189 delegations at the 1995 Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women, reaffirming the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development program's definition of reproductive health.
- "Much of the violence against women occurs in the context of sexuality and reproduction. The health consequences of violence often occur in the context of reproductive health and seriously contribute to the burden of disease in women and young people." Dr. Hiroshi Nakajima, Director General of the World Health Organization.
Moreover, as revolutions and uprisings are sweeping the Middle East, liberating countries from dictatorships, autocracies, corruption and brutality, with blood, tears and extreme exertion, for freedom from fear, for freedom of expression, for freedom of assembly, for freedom from torture, for democratic principles, for the right to pursue happiness and more, leaders of such noble movements should never forget for one moment that these revolutionary requests belong equally to men and women of their countries. A nation, any nation, is comprised of men and WOMEN!
Women and the Economy
To the informed mind anywhere in the world, the indispensability of women in an economy is a given.
According to the United Nations (UN) Children's Fund, both women and men play important roles in productive work throughout the world, providing for themselves and their families. But women’s roles are often invisible, as they tend to be more informal in nature, such as self-employment and subsistence production. Even when women and men do perform the same tasks for pay, women are often paid less and receive lower benefits from their work than men in developed as well as developing countries. That is definitely the case in the Middle East.
The UN: Men hold the majority of positions of power and decision-making in the public sphere, with the result that decisions and policies tend to reflect the needs and preferences of men, not women. In addition, women’s larger share of family-focused responsibilities is undervalued. In general, women throughout the world work longer hours for less rewards than men. Again, you cannot find a better description of the relative position of men and women in the Arab world.
The UN: The world’s resources are very unevenly distributed, not only between countries, but also between men and women within countries. While it is estimated that women perform two-thirds of the world’s work, they only earn one tenth of the income, and own less than one per cent of the world’s property. In many cases, women’s rights and access to land, credit and education, for instance, are limited not only due to legal discrimination, but because more subtle barriers (such as their work load, mobility and low bargaining position at household and community level) prevent them from taking advantage of their legal rights. This also describes the status of women in the Arab world almost to perfection.
Countries in the Arab world have made little progress as regards two essential factors for the achievement of sustainable development:
- the empowerment of women, and
- improvement of women's status.
As for women's empowerment, "The Gender Metric," sidebar in "The Hillary Doctrine" article, Newsweek, March 14, 2011, articulates the enormous payoff that would accrue to a nation as follows:
- Educating a girl one year beyond the national average boosts her earning power between 10 and 20 percent.
- Countries with higher levels of female secondary-school enrollment have lower infant mortality, lower rates of HIV and AIDS infection, and better child nutrition.
- The World Economic Forum's (WEF) 2011 Gender Gap Index shows that a nation's prosperity correlates with the level of parity between women and men (in education, health, economic opportunity, and political empowerment). Countries with the smallest gaps in 2010 were Iceland, Norway, and Finland; Pakistan, Chad, and Yemen had the largest.
- According to the WEF, the U.S. could boost its GDP by as much as 9 percent by putting more women in leadership positions in business and government and working harder to correct pay inequities.
- Women still earn 33 cents less per dollar than men [which may make women unable to afford joining the workforce].
- In the Asia-Pacific region, countries are losing between $42 billion and $46 billion a year, according to the WEF, by restricting women's access to the workforce.
- When women earn their own money, they spend on their families at more than twice the rate of men.
- Worldwide, companies perform better and produce better ideas when their highest ranks have gender diversity.
As for improvement of women's status, the following important milestones are still lacking:
- equality and equity between men and women,
- enabling women to realize their full potential,
- involving women fully in policy and decision-making processes,
- involving women in all aspects of economic, political and cultural life as active decision-makers, participants and beneficiaries, and
- ensuring that all women receive the education required to meet their basic human needs and to exercise their human rights.
The critical issue here is that countries in the Arab world, without the equal participation of women in its workforce, are denied the creative and productive efforts of half of their populations and thus have little chance of making speedy, effective and efficient movement forward. In countries that are advanced, women do all the jobs men do, and that diversity and perspective is extremely useful.
It is unfathomable to comprehend the validity of and wisdom behind a culture that asks of a nation in the 21st century to fire its economy on only half of its cylinders.
The Role of Men and Boys
Destroy ignorance, or ignorance will destroy you
Throughout the Arab world, in general, men's ignorance colors their views and behavior about women.
Addressing the gender-based needs of men and engaging them as partners in the work for the rights of women and girls is integral to the fruition of such work.
Men play a key role in bringing about gender equality since, in most societies, they exercise preponderant power in nearly every sphere of life. The objective is to promote gender equality and to encourage and enable men to take responsibility for their sexual and reproductive behaviour and their social and family roles.
Future Arab governments should promote through changes in law and policy equal participation of women and men in all areas of family and household responsibilities, including, among others, shared control in and contribution to family income and children's welfare.
Parents and schools in the Arab world should ensure that attitudes that are respectful of women and girls as equals are instilled in boys from the earliest possible age. All forms of discrimination against the girl child should be eliminated, preference for a son should be aggressively addressed by leaders at all levels of society, mainly by increasing public awareness of the value of the girl. There should be special education and public information efforts to promote equal treatment of girls and boys with respect to nutrition, health care, education and social, economic and political activity, as well as equitable inheritance.
It would not be nearly enough to rally women into the 21st century, the effort must integrate men into the process. Only when the average man on the streets of all Arab countries understands the vast benefits that would accrue to his children and grandchildren and willingly accepts women as equal, only then would women's rights and liberties be achieved.
Basically, an information dissemination campaign the likes of which the Arab world has never seen, a campaign targeting both women and men, must be launched in this regard. The good news is that it could be done, with competency, hard work and good intentions, it could be done.
Democracy and Women
One must change to survive
Today, a woman in the Arab world, even if she is Muslim, does not have the right to become President, that must change.
In 1997, the United Nations adopted gender mainstreaming as the strategy by which gender equality could be achieved. Mainstreaming a gender perspective means assessing the implications for women and men in everything, including legislation, policies and programs at all levels. It is a strategy for integrating both women’s and men’s needs and experiences into the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs so that gender inequality is not perpetuated.
Progress must be made as regards the social views on women’s participation in political and public life, both as a democratic requirement and as a social advantage for society as a whole.
In 2003, Regina Tavares da Silva, Portugal, prepared an analysis titled "Parity democracy: a far cry from reality" a comparative study on balanced participation of women and men in political and public decision-making. In her analysis, as pertinent today to the state of women in the Middle East as ever, da Silva indicates that to pave the road for women’s access to decision-making posts in all aspects of life in Europe, let alone a developing country, specific steps must be taken, they include:
- Political authorities and media leaders must recognize publicly that the equal sharing of decision making power between women and men of different background and ages strengthen democracy.
- Change must be achieved as regards the the traditional social view of women’s and men’s roles and responsibilities.
- Change must be achieved as regards the current organisation of social life, where reconciliation of private/family responsibilities with political/public responsibilities is recognized as a major problem mainly affecting women, and as a key issue for gender equality and for the quality of life for all, women and men.
- Actions must be taken for change in society in general, aimed at social and cultural change as regards women’s and men’s roles in private/family life and in political/public life.
- Actions must be taken to improve women's, particularly younger generations, motivation and capacity for active intervention in public and political life.
- Actions and programs must be introduced to create the social conditions for participation of women and men in public and political life, on equal terms, including effective measures allowing for the reconciliation of family and public responsibilities.
Moreover, there would be a key need to having an equitable number of women and men in various organizations, institutions, etc. or supporting programs exclusively for women.
A Glimmer of Hope
John Esposito, in his article "Muslim Women Reclaiming Their Rights" in the Washington Post, July 22, 2009, outlines some improvements as regards women's legal rights, the right to vote and to work in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Morocco, Jordan and Egypt. However, Esposito points out that "none of these examples should make anyone complacent about the condition of many women in Muslim (or Western) societies. Patriarchy and its legacy, legitimated in the name of religion, remains alive in many countries although it is also progressively challenged in the name of religion."
In another of his articles "Why don't women have more rights in Muslim countries?" also in the Washington Post, August 28, 2010, Esposito writes "Patriarchy and its legacy, legitimated in the name of religion, remains alive in various Muslim countries although it is also being progressively challenged on many levels." He goes on to say "significant numbers of other women are far more empowered and respected in their own cultures than blanket stereotypes might lead us to believe," "Today, Muslim women and Islamic scholars and activists, representing many ideological orientations, are increasingly speaking out. They are empowering themselves not just as defenders of women's rights but also as interpreters of the Islamic tradition," and "When it comes to popular Muslim attitudes about women's rights, the facts aren't always what one might expect. As the 2007 Gallup World Poll reveals, majorities of Muslims, some in the most conservative Muslim societies, support women's equal rights." Esposito concludes by saying that "Both the causes of women's lack of empowerment and inequality and the winds of change can be seen in women's basic literacy and education," and that "The status and roles of women in society today vary considerably across the Muslim world."
Below video link (subtitled in English) is positive and hopeful. The video, recorded on January 21, 2011, captures in seven (7) minutes the far less ideal state of women in Islamic countries with strong presence of fundamentalism. The video is of the Pakistani actress Veena Malik defying Mufti Sahab, who is accusing her of immoral behavior on an Indian reality TV show. Pakistan is not an Arab country, but it is an Islamic country (about 97 percent Muslim) with a culture with a great many of the characteristics of the Arab world countries.
Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMnAmRa4NYw
In conclusion, a key merit of a secular democracy is that it would delegitimize religion's prohibitions that prevent women from being an effective force in the Arab world, particularly in the work force. We all know that women's rights and liberties is an area in need of serious reform. Women must come out of their generations-old forced retirement. They must take their rightful place addressing the region's needs and issues and assume their rights and duties as regards their responsibilities toward their respective countries. Democracy in the region will need their full participation or it stands no chance for meaningful and speedy progress; men across the entire region should come to understand, acknowledge and pave the road for the women to come out of their retirement. Women's input in all aspects of life is invaluable. The continuance of the subjugation of women is simply wrong, unwise and unsustainable; it only moves countries in the region backwards.
Let us never forget that without Arab women's full participation in all aspects of life in the region, the Arab world will continue to be mired in all sorts of political, economic and societal issues, issues major enough to effectively prevent any chance for progress, issues that ultimately will ransack the Arab world. I for one cannot conceive of a modern, secular democracy where women are prevented, discouraged or intimidated from living up to their duties and responsibilities for their country, in all aspects of its life.
I would like to acknowledge the help I received in doing my research from my wife, SherriJoyce King, and my friend Julia Clark. My appreciation to both women goes beyond words.
Hussein
© Dr Hussein A Amin 2011
