Women banned from Mecca?
I just received an article about a debate and a possible ban of women from Mecca. Not necessarily the city, but from the mosque, the Kaba.
After my beginning anger level decreased, I read the article again and again in disbelieve.
Maybe first some clarification about Islam: The Koran says that this religion was brought to people in Saudi Arabia for miscellaneous reasons, one of the being Saudi Arabians disrespect for women. Girls were buried alive after their birth, and women were kicked out of their houses if they gave birth to more than one girl. To say it straightforward: It was a shame to have girls in the family. Don’t ask me what men thought of reproduction. I have no idea! The Koran states that men should treat women with respect, and it is the first religion ever, to dedicate a complete Sure (Chapter 3) to women (Sure 3: Nessah). That Sure defines the roles in the family, the status of a woman in the society, her rights as a wife and as a mother, any inheritance issues and furthermore her treatment during a possible divorce. The Koran does not state that women should wear a Tshadaor (Veil) or Burka, it simply articulates that women should cover themselves up to protect themselves. This could be based on the fact that women tended to wear cloths, which showed too much skin in the Hot-blooded Arabian society. This has to be understood under the precedent circumstances and not be transferred to our present society. Today we would simply say to a man who looks after a woman with a short skirt etc.: Don’t look. Back then it was not as easy. (These are not facts, but my own interpretations.)
The Islamic Rights regarding women were later on adapted by the Swiss government in their Civil Law Code. Unfortunately many people who are not familiar with the Islamic Law and the religion might raise their eyebrows in disbelief and ask: How do you explain how women are treated in the Islamic countries? Throughout my research of Islamic countries I noticed one important factor: Islam is Islam and stayed Islam, however, this is the most misinterpreted religion. Every country based the religion on traditions. It seems fine at first, but when you dig deeper you notice that under the cap of the religion everything stayed the same ways it was 1400 years ago. Basically Saudi Arabia did not change the way they were from the Pre-Islamic Traditions, but instead they continued with their disrespect for women and defended their acts under an Islamic defense gown. Women are not allowed to visit schools and universities, unless they have their husband or father’s permission. So how are they supposed to learn how to read and write, but most importantly read the Koran and show their male counterparts the applicable rules and how they could use them to live a more emancipated life? You guessed right, most of them can’t. I remember once reading an article that 70 % of Islamic women are illiterate. Now, adding two plus two makes the everything very clear: Those men do not want their women to know how to fight for their Islamic rights, this way men can say and do whatever they want to the women and say that this is God’s will and it’s written in the Koran.
In my opinion this is sad, frustrating and aggravating. A religion, which was supposed to be modern and forward looking, ended up as a misinterpreted and ancient thinking one.
I truly believe that in front of our Creator (which in my eyes does not make a difference how you do want to call him) all of us are equal, regardless of our age, beauty, or gender.
If Saudi Arabia decides to publicly ban women from the Kaba, their government truly shows how un-Islamic they are.

1 Comments:
You have every right to be angry with this. Religion has always been used as a tool to repress a certain section of a society. In this case, women are the target. In other cases, people of different races, beliefs, or sexual orientations have been the targets. Why? Because the guardians have felt that their interests are being threatened by a particular group of people.
Religious dogma is always invoked by those in charge to short-circuit any dissent and avert a potential weakening of their bases.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home