WANT AD: Religious Equality for Women

My daughter-in-law, Tara, sent me a link to a CNN piece from an Islamic woman explaining "Why I'm Proud to Wear a Burqa." (http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/02/04/france.burqa.ban/index.html.) Tara did so because I had rejoiced at the recent decision by the French government to no longer tolerate the wearing of burqas in their country.

I read it with interest, hoping to find the REASON for the burqa in the first place. If there was a logical explanation, I was more than ready to re-examine my position. If there is a reason for the implementation of this practice, the writer didn't mention it. She only explained why she chose to wear it, i.e., she dons it for religious reasons, to make her feel more spiritual. She explained she was following the laws of God, not man.

I will say that Mohammed, when he founded the religion, did several things to help liberate women. The ancient tribal customs that existed at the time were particularly harsh towards women. Admittedly, he did make some improvements in the lot of women's lives. (Interestingly, he did marry a much older woman who was a wealthy businesswoman and they had an equal partnership until she died.)

As a result, today's Islamic law does provide for inheritance by women and allows a type of pre-marriage contract that can protect them from the husband's polygamy. It gives them the right of divorce and establishes that their education will be allowed to continue. But one suspects that these privileges are available only to the wealthy as a practical matter.

There are many religious customs that have become a part of Islam that were not the original founder's intentions. This is true for other religions as well. Any religion that literally relies on an ancient Sacred Text, including Christianity, will inevitably fail to respect individual liberty and equality. Just look at Asheville Christian Academy which does not allow women to serve on its board because "women are incapable of making tough decisions."

Islamic women are kept subordinate through education or, should I say, a lack thereof. (It wasn't until the mid-1800s that even America considered giving its women more than a rudimentary education.) The number of women in schools across the Islamic world is unacceptably low. Their education typically comes to an end once they are wed, which often happens at an early age. The schooling they do get is focused on the study of Islam. Even more disturbing is the increasing control fundamentalists exert over educational institutions and academic freedom is non-existent.

Anyway, here is what I understand to be the reason for the burqa. It is so a man will not lust after a woman. It is interesting to me that the burden of keeping a man from acting on his urges is placed on the woman. What is it about the Arab men that they are so easily excited by even the sight of a wrist or ankle that they require a woman to be covered from head to toe? Why does the woman have to bear the responsibility for HIS urges? THe men imprison their women in layers of fabric to keep them from being distracted in the practice of their faith. I believe there is an underlying mysogyny here. Islamic jurists have even characterized a woman's reproductive organ as the "ever-devouring vagina", making it appear that men could not possibly overcome the lure of it. Makes it sound more like some sort of sinister sucking drain. Seriously now!

It is time for fundmentalist Islamic men to muster some self-discipline and stop forcing others to handle what is obviously their problem. It would be akin to me having men castrated so I could uphold a vow of chastity.

This woman is clearly brainwashed into believing the burqa is an integral part of her faith. She has not deeply questioned her faith but rather accepted the arbitariness of it. (This is true for many, no matter what religion is followed.) If she really stopped for a moment, she would realize that it is not clothing that develops a relationship with God/Allah/Yahweh, but actions.