Repression of Women in Islam as One

Repression of Women in Islam

As one of the world's most prominent and dominant religion, Islam influences numerous nations in the world, affecting their culture and society. Examples of these Muslim nations are the dominantly Muslim societies of Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and other countries near and on the Middle East region. Islam also influences Asia, such as the Muslim nations of Malaysia, Indonesia, and southern Philippines. These nations have societies that are composed dominantly of Muslims and follow their own culture and political and social organization and norms in accordance to the Islam religion.

The Islam culture has many traditions, customs, and norms that are strictly observed by its followers, and one of these important and strict rules is that women are required to wear the veil or burka because the Koran, the holy Bible of Islam, states that no part of the woman's body, especially her hair, should be seen by a male individual except for the woman's husband. Aside from wearing the veil, Muslim women are also encouraged to practice conservatism in all aspects of their lives, such as interacting with people known or unknown to them, the way they dress, talk, and act, as well as the way they present themselves to the public, to their family, and even to their husbands. Muslim women are generally perceived and expected to be obedient and submissive to men, since Islam is evidently a highly patriarchal society. These roles and functions of Muslim women in their societies are one of the main issues that is prevalently talked about in today's contemporary society, especially after the much talked about expose about how the Taliban government and the Afghan society treats its women generally. Further study and investigation on the role and treatment of women in other Islam nations show that indeed, Muslim societies and nations are generally repressive of the inalienable rights of women throughout the modern world. This stance will be developed and proved in this essay, by discussing what are these 'inalienable' rights of women, and if these rights still applies to Muslim women in Islamic nations/societies, and what steps and plans do these nations and advocates or feminism have for the preservation of the good welfare of women in these kind of societies.

One of the controversial issues when talking about the repression of women in the contemporary society, particularly the Muslim women of Islamic nations and societies, is the discussion and enumeration of what are the inalienable rights of women. This illustrates the fact that women repression and subordination is so immersed in the psyche of people that they think there is a distinguishing factor between men and women rights, that rights of men and women are also different because of their gender. This is evidently not the real case. According to the United Nations Conventions about Women's Rights, "all human beings, women and men, have the same rights and freedoms. Some rights are specifically related to women, (e.g., rights related to sexual violence, pregnancy, and childbearing)." This statement proves that men and women share the same rights and privileges that a society or nation can give to its people, and some special cases are indicated for some functions or cases related to women's welfare only. When talking about the "inalienability" of people's rights, this means that their rights "cannot be taken from you by anyone," and these qualities of inalienability of rights applies to both men and women. However, for proper definition of the women's rights, the UN Convention had listed specific rights of women according to different categories: Equality and Non-Discrimination, Work and Education, Participation (in society and culture), Marriage, and Violence Against Women. These rights simply identifies specifically the rights of women, that they can also function in the same manner, assuming the same responsibilities and function men are entitled to in the society. Examples of these rights are the right to participate actively in the society/community's affairs, the right to choose a spouse/partner for marriage, right to protection from al kinds of violence, right to achieve education, leisure, rest, and to freely choose their job, the right to human rights and freedoms, right to live without discrimination based on their sex, and the right to live without suffering, torture, or any form of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment (International Women's Tribune Center 1998).

Ideally, these women rights should be adhered to by all nations and societies. However, in reality, many societies neglect to follow and often ignore the fact that women share and must enjoy the privileges provided for them in accordance to the rights of humans. Muslim societies are especially criticized for harboring women maltreatment and violence to women in their community or society, and these maltreatments are range from physical, psychological, emotional, and even spiritual abuses. A comprehensive report by the TIME Magazine, entitled, 'Lifting Veil," illustrates how Islamic nations and societies treat their women and what are the present conditions of women's welfare in these societies. In an article from the magazine written by Richard Lacayo, titled "About Face," women under the Taliban government and Afghan society are maltreated and the Afghan society is described as "a laboratory for the systematic oppression of women" (Lacayo 2001 30).

Under the Taliban regime, women are compelled to wear the burka, a heavy cloth that covers all of a woman's body, including the face, providing only an opening for the eyes for seeing. Submission to men is considered the norm in the Afghan society, and disobedience to men can result to psychological, emotional, and physical abuse to men. Rape is a common occurrence among women, and Afghan women often termed rape as "lying down," because as the article states, "lying down quietly is the best way for a woman to cope" in a highly women-repressive society such as Afghanistan. It is evident that Afghanistan is an example of a nation that drastically violates all of women's rights to liberty and right to have a life free from any kinds of oppression, discrimination, and violence.