Introduction
Women have achieved their rights impressively over the past century in the World and particularly in the Western World but repression of women still exists in the Middle East, where there is always a battle between tradition and religion with modern civilization. Most of them are abused domestically while others have their rights being violated in all fields’ especially male dominated areas. This oppression is attributed to the fact that women are considered inferior to men and this controversy has created a lot interest in many individuals who have carried out extensive research in the topic. Majority of the researchers in this area are women who argue that the patriarchal ruling system should be blamed for making women feel inferior and giving men the chance to oppress women. Religion is another factor which has been credited with increased oppression as Islam states that women are under the command of men.
Discussion
Causes of oppression in women and girls of the Middle East
Few job opportunities
One of the ways through which women in the Middle East are oppressed is by lack of sufficient jobs where they can be able to earn some form of income. The employment opportunities in the Middle East are quite limited such that most of the women and girls depend on their husbands of fathers to satisfy their financial needs. When the women demand for equal chances, they are cautioned against increased unemployment for men since the women will grab all available vacancies (Jawabri and Livani, 2006).
When such a situation appears, the women are asked to stay at home and take care of their families. This increases their dependence and as they do not posses any chances of contributing financially to their family, the man in the house uses that chance to physically abuse them. Similarly, their rights as human beings are forgotten as the do not have any means of seeking legal support (Baumler, 2007).
Islam argues that, “women are weak hence less capable than women”, this reduces the chances of a highly qualified woman applying for the same job as a man who is less qualified. The belief that women cannot be able to deliver accurate results which are desirable leaves no choice for a woman who has achieved all necessary qualifications but her gender makes her less qualified (MERIA, 2007).
A similar scenario occurs when employees are being paid as women are entitled to smaller packages as compared to male colleagues working in the same job group. This oppression makes the scene even more horrible as the women who are employed will be going overboard in the course of their responsibilities while men do not overtire themselves. Hence the woman gets worn out more easily and the society regards such women who try to overdo men as “betrayers of culture”. When such a situation arises the woman is expected to remain content with the little pay while working hard not to loose the coveted job (Kamguian 2010).
The Islam religion
Islam as a religion disregards women involvement in the limelight or public, a role which is reserved for men only. Women have their place at home in the kitchen where they are concerned with the care of the husband and children. Therefore, women who seek public audiences are regarded as outcasts and efforts are made by men to ensure that women do not make public appearances. This has led to few Middle East women vying for high profile political posts which could include more women into parliament hence hasten the liberation of their counterparts. The notion that women are not competent when handling issues concerning large groups of people dampens the spirit of those wiling to venture into the field (Ottaway, 2004).
Similarly, the issue of women being seen in public led to the establishment of the veil for women and girls such that whenever they appeared in public they were fully covered and no one could recognize them. This veil was a form of oppression as it reduced chances of recognizing influential women who could help others liberate themselves (MERIA, 2007).
The veil also acted as a barrier such that men from other cultures and especially the French could not appreciate the beauty possessed by the Islamic women and in so doing marry them. Intermarriages were unheard of in the Islamic culture and women were denied the rights of choosing their suitor hence the need for the veil to reduced chances of divorce or infidelity from the woman. “This is exemplified by the increased darning of evils when French soldiers arrived in the Middle East in the nineteenth century” (Kamguian 2003).
In the 1980s, Islamic religion was highly corrupted by the western rulers who called for cold war against Arab women. The women were subjected to unregulated confinements at home such that venturing out of the house was equated to beheading as well as denying girls of school-going age from attending normal classes. Consequently, the women were excluded from various fields of work and they had to rely on men for all their needs. This increased oppression and violence towards women was seen as a way of making women respect men as well as accept their position as being inferior to men (Baumler, 2007).
Political Islam in oppression of women and girls
The Islamic law does not provide protection to women who are abused by their next of kin or relatives. Hence it promotes abuse against women in addition to children. Women who seek protection from abusive spouses are denied the chance while those seeking protection from other people are considered. This justifies the actions of abusive husbands such that spouse abuse is considered okay by the law (MERIA, 2007).
The Islamic law is aimed at protecting the basic family setting but not individuals in the family such that a woman seeking individual protection for herself and her children will not be granted their wish but if it was protection for the whole family unit is granted. This minimizes the effort of a woman who would be seeking legal support for divorce especially where the husband is not supportive abusive. The woman in this case accepts her situation as being inferior to the husband and she readily embraces all forms of abuse as there is no escaping the law (Kamguian 2010).
Islam does not recognize any decision made by a woman without involving the opinion or go-ahead from a man. Any decision solely made by a woman is nullified and void hence it cannot be heeded or considered in any way. Therefore, any Islam woman who is aiming at establishing a business or considering and choice of going back to school should seek for permission and approval from the husband or closest male relative. The same case applies for those who wish to travel outside the country or to change their career. Male approval is sought before such events are undertaken hence making them legal (Jawabri, 2006).
Young girls seeking marriage consent from the parents are often demanded to seek the father’s audience approval and final decision on her marriage. This is recommended so that the father may gauge the level of maturity in the young man as well as his background.Such oppressive scenarios which inhibit women from actively making decisions which affect them has significantly contributed to the dependency of women on men in all aspects of life. Any issue concerning a woman is dealt with by the man closest to her leaving no chances for independency and liberation (Tal’ei 2007).
Controversy between religion and culture as causes of oppression among women and girls in Arab world
Over the years, most of the barriers that had been put up by Islamic religion and culture have been eliminated but in their place, a lot of controversy on which facet has a greater impact than the other emerged. One of the controversies surrounds the need for Arabian women to achieve higher levels of education. Presently, there are more professors and doctors among Arab women than was experienced several years ago. However, despite attaining high levels of education in addition to obtaining prestigious to opportunities, the qualified Arab female lawyers are not given the privilege of making an appearance in court to present their clients (Ottaway, 2004)
Similarly, after ensuring that their clients have won their civil suits, they revert to their usual position of being house keepers where physical abuse and oppression by the husband is evident. The same Islamic religion calls for wives being submissive to their husband regardless of then nature of treatment one is subjected to. Freedom House (2010) argues that “although culture has opened up opportunities for women to increase their level of knowledgability, they are not supposed to apply this knowledge into any religious or cultural setting.” This is quite practical as women lawyers do not have privileges of children rights incase of a divorce and all responsibilities of guardianship are obtained by the man in the house despite and disparity in educational or academic levels (Freedom House, 2010).
The other popular concept which is controversial in the Middle East is the aspect of a man being the protector of his wife and children. In the course of offering the protection, the Islamic culture calls for the man identifying any detail concerning his wife as well as restricting her movement in order to maintain her purity. Similarly, the women are supposed to view this form of constant supervision and confinement as a way of protecting them from any contamination. In the course of protecting the honor of women the men fall into traps which make them to sin against their wish. However, the Islamic religion promotes polygamy such that women should remain married to one ma while the man can marry as many wives as four. The women who fall into the trap have no option but to get into the household and face physical abuse so that she cannot escape (Baumler, 2007).
The Islamic Sharia dictates that men should provide for all the needs of their family as long as the wife remains obedient to the husband. This obedience is not obtained by physical abuse but is attained through mutual consent. Although, most men seek for submission from their wives by use of physical strength: which is contradicting to the sharia (Tal’ei 2007).
Seemingly, the Islamic religion demands that men are the heads of their families and women come in second hence submission as well as is expected from both sides. The controversy arises where the men fail to heed the rules of the religion and they pay more attention to cultural values. This applies for the causes of divorce where a man can easily apply for a divorce while a woman cannot apply for the same. Religion does not recognize broken homes especially where either party is condemned of infidelity but the Islamic religion caters for men who are seeking second third and fourth wives as a way of reducing infidelity among the Arabs (MERIA, 2006).
In as much as religion heeds the position of a woman in society as a companion of man who is dependent on him for all dimensions, the Islamic culture views a woman as an inferior citizen. Women come second after men such that there are no equal opportunities in all aspects of life which are shared between men and women. Therefore, for women to make their voices heard on top of male voices, they have to work extra hard as well as prove their worth. The Islamic religion looks into a man as provider for the family and instances where the wife is also contributing to the upbringing of the family is seen as ways of undermining the role give to the man (Freedom House, 2010).
When addressing the role of men as supporters of their wives well being, Jawabri (2006) notes that, “religion calls for men to respect the wishes of their wives such that when they are seeking advancement opportunities academically or at work, they partner supports them”. Many men in the Arab world have carried this role very exceptionally especially by announcing in public the ways through which women should be presented with equal chances at very field. However, culture does not entertain such remarks as the woman’s place is in the kitchen and such men only agree to those views if and only if the woman in question is neither their wife, daughter nor sister. In such a situation, the man is dumbfounded when their next of kin belonging to the opposite gender seeks permission to explore male dominated fields (Freedom House, 2010).
The same scenario of public opinion on women being allowed to venture into new fields is exemplified during elections involving women candidates. The public will show their loyalty to a female candidate during the campaigns as well as in forums advocating for women involvement in high offices. However, because culture deems women as incapable, very few followers will have the courage to cast their vote in favor of that candidate. This issue is not pertinent to men only but also women who do not think it is worth voting for a fellow woman as they do not believe in their capabilities. Culture is to blame as well as religion in undermining the potential presented by women as equal human beings (Ottaway, 2004).
The other aspect that blames women on their predicament of oppression is ignorance which is best exhibited by transition of the Middle East culture from patriarchal to emergence of the Prophets teachings on Islam. This transition barely left enough time for women to ask questions regarding their rights and most of them have remained in that darkness ever since. However, this is not the sole reason as to why Arab women are oppressed and physically abused as those who have been to school especially the lawyers are denied the same rights as those who have barely been to school. Hence it becomes apparent that Arab men and the Islamic politics which have been incorporated into the laws of particular countries are to blame for such inhibitions. The reluctance to let go of cultural values which devalue women and men see them as a threat when given key position in high places is critical in influencing the oppression (Jawabri, 2006).
Kamguian (2003) refers to oppressive laws based on religious teachings as:
“Primitive and backward because their impact on the overall well being of women are greater as most people regard tem as religious despite the fact that most of them are oppressive. Similarly, such laws though believed to be based on religious grounds present minimal chances for the overall elimination of physical abuse and dependency among women” (Kamguian 2003).
The view of experts on oppression of women and girls
Oppression of women and girls in the Arab world is substantially reflected in lack of institutions which practice and advocate for democracy. Women have no one who will make them knowledgeable on their rights as well as fight for their democratic rights when they are violated. Lack of these institutions has increased the freedom at which men are able to execute physical abuse in addition to violate the rights of their spouses as there is no law which will condemn them. According to Freedom House (2010),
“Men who commit crimes such as spouse rape, physical violence and restriction of movement of their marriage partners are not judged as the judiciary does not recognize the pleas of a woman as valid. The problem can only be handled by the law courts when the wife seeks the permission of the husband which is rarely given. Similarly, women lawyers who may be in a better position to represent their colleagues are denied the opportunity and the case is dismissed” (Freedom House, 2010).
Other than lack of democratic institutions several countries of the Middle East, Baumler (2007), blames family members for creating conducive atmospheres for the husband to abuse his wife. In most cases, wives who are physically abused by their husbands are often blamed by their next of kin for triggering others are blamed for beatings received although the truth could be out rightly before them. This leaves the culprit free and void of any emotional trauma while the wife suffers severely either physically or emotionally. Cases of wife murdering especially where the wife has been caught committing adultery are common and when it happens, society blames the woman for cheating on her husband without giving her a chance to explain. The woman being a second class citizen bears all the shame and guilt as society regards her as being immoral but the partner is not accorded in the accusations (Kamguian, 2010).
Tal’ei (2007), argues that gender based institutions should be established in Middle East countries such that civic education on the role of women in the government can be initiated among women. Such organizations include Ministry of Women Affairs which could be given the mandate of creating awareness among women who are facing oppression in addition to those seeking liberation from the Islamic culture and religion. These organizations are however, invalid unless the government pledges maximum support as well as educate men on positive contribution which can be achieved by liberal women. Similarly, adequate caution should be taken to ensure that the activities of the lobby groups are not ignorant of the Islamic law. This is because not all Islamic cultures advocate for women restriction (Talei 2007).
Most experts view Islamic politics as being fundamental at influencing oppression of women and girls in the Arab world. This is made clearer by MERIA (2006) that the patriarchal system made it quite difficult for the government of Middle East countries to embrace modern culture which saw women as equal to men. The Islamic politics diminished the economic and social contribution of women such that they were seen as having less significant to the countries growth as well as prosperity (MERIA, 2006).
Conclusion
Although women are treated as inferior beings in most parts of the world, Arab women are exclusively subjected to oppression and physical abuse. This has prompted several researchers to delve into the subject especially for women residents in Middle East. The views of the various authors have significantly dwelt on the interactions between Islamic religion and culture as being the two major components of the oppression. Similarly, most activities involving women have been influenced by the two facets of any religion. Oppression of women and girls has greatly affected the ability of women to believe in themselves such that majority of them blame each other for mistakes committed by their husbands.
References
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