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Uppity Femalian Asks Endless Questions (AN Commentary)
Denying Women RightsMaram Abdul Rahman ⢠Al-Watan From The Arab News Why donât we start from where others have left off? Why do we always have to reinvent the wheel every time? Why donât we benefit from the experience of others, building on their successes and failures? These and other questions struck me when reading the numerous articles and comments about the recent announcement on municipality elections. All of the articles stated that the voting would be confined to men with no participation by us women. We have been told that womenâs contributions, if any, can come through consultative committees, but even here we donât know how long it will take for these committees to be established. Judging from past experience, this may take from 10 to 70 years or it may never take place. Examples of what I am talking about abound â womenâs education, womenâs identity cards and allowing women to attend Shoura Council sessions. "Hey, I got your contribution right here... now get your fanny back in the kitchen and STFU!" To be frank, after reading all the articles and comments, I wish the announcement had never been made. That at least would have guaranteed that everyone, male and female, was treated equally. The natural thing is to see news about elections being received with joy by everyone. For women like me, however, there was no such joy. We were told we would neither be part of the team that was going to contest the match nor among the fans in the stadium. Matches held in my country have only men as players, referees and fans. "Oh no you donât, thatâs our male-bonding time!" Why? Is it because Islam says so? This canât be the case since the greatest adviser to the Prophet (peace be upon him) during his life was a woman; she was his wife Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her, who was also a great teacher for Muslims. "Bitch! How dare you dredge up historical facts!" Is it because people expect that problems would be caused by womenâs participation in public life? This is an excuse widely used and is a distortion used to obscure the correct image of our religion. "I told you to STFU! Iâm calling your Imam..." Will things remain unchanged, or will our children and grandchildren be able to debate the situation? Is it destiny that leads us into the same tangled mess everytime we find ourselves at a crossroads? Why do we first prohibit something and then begin discussing whether to allow it or not and how? "Yes and Yes and Cuz it keeps everyone under our control! Sheesh, stupid woman!" The announcement of elections coincided with practical steps being taken by a neighboring state which has given its women their political rights while for the past 40 years, we have done nothing but discuss the issue. It is sad to see countries that are not our equal in terms of historical, geographical, economic and religious influence moving ahead of us when it comes to womenâs rights. "Then donât look! Phreakin meddlers..." Are we being punished for being women? What have we done to deserve such treatment? Was there a woman among those who violated the sanctity of the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah? Was there a woman among those who terrorized people in Riyadh and Alkhobar? Was there a woman among those who hijacked our country and its religion and tarnished the image of both? Yes and Cuz you are wymyns and Who knows? and Prolly. Now shaddup!" Are we witnessing the âTime of Ignoranceâ (the pre-Islamic era) when baby girls were buried alive by fathers who feared they would bring shame on the family? That time is far in the past thanks to the coming of Islam, which has illuminated the world and dissipated much of the darkness that engulfed the region. "Questions, questions! If ya donât remember your place weâll bring back the Good Old Days! It wasnât that long ago, Bitch!" Posted by: .com 2003-10-22 |
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