Muslim Women and Their Sexuality - Essay Example

MUSLIM WOMEN AND THEIR SEXUALITY Introduction Approximately one million Muslims live in almost very continent of the world today in conditions of diverse religious, cultural, political and social backgrounds. Against a backdrop of harsh religious beliefs, Muslim women endure similar forms of indiscrimination and sexual inequality most of which range from psychological attitudes and cultural mores that condone violence, to denial of active participation in economic or political activities. With advancement in technology, globalization and modernization, women sexuality is becoming a source of conflict among the present generation. Religious political forces are continuing to believe that it is time to disregard old traditional and religious practices that deny women their sexual rights1. Women rights groups and other activists fiercely fight for the elimination of religious and traditional mechanisms that had been designed to deny women their personal control over their own sexuality. Women sexuality is an important aspect of life today which ultimately is tied to personal adjustment and relationships. It serves numerous functions ranging from the psychological fulfillment to other personal desires. Islam has however complicated this aspect of life through its religion on the whole issue of sexuality and is believed to be the main debate that Muslim scholars are currently discussing. Although no solution has been reached, important progress is being made on the matter. Sexuality in Islam is considered part of human being’s identity which God distinguished from that of animals during the creation of mankind. Based on the understanding of the Koran, Muslims confine marriage to an affair between a husband and a wife legally united through marriage. Although there is that natural attraction between individuals which is needed to initiate a relationship, sexual relations outside marriage is not allowed outside marriage. Previous research and public outcry in the recent past show that Muslim women are suffering in silence being victims of their religious beliefs this paper therefore intends to discuss all issues pertaining Muslim women and their sexuality especially in terms of family honor. It will also look at what the Koran and specifically Prophet Muhammad says about women sacrificing their sexuality at the expense of the bringing honor to their families. Finally, it wills at issues like honor killing, family views, judicial point of views etc. History of Muslim women sexuality The initial roots of controversy in this issue of Muslim women sexuality can be traced back to the Koran writings. Muslim researchers have pointed out the fact that there has been a contradiction between male perception and female sexuality based primarily on patriarchal misinterpretation of the Koran by religious male authorities. There has been a visible contradiction of the views of both classical figh texts and other revelations by the wahy concerning the same. Both of them had placed logical considerations on the fact that women even in the days of Adam and Eve had betrayed the men and they should suffer from that cause. The latter however, argues that social order and cultural pragmatisms should be the basis within which sexuality should be viewed. In that context, most legal authorities have interpreted the texts and found women guilty of misappropriating their bodies in the pretext of sexual satisfaction and equality hence the need for some kind of limitations2. Punishments Criminal jurisprudence and punishments in the Muslim world does not in any way discriminate men and women but are normally severe for women. Women are more vulnerable to sexual crimes such as fornication (Zina) than men. In this case, women may be found to be guilty easily due to visible evidence of pregnancy. For a case of rape, Muslim women in some Arab regions do not receive adequate justice because there needs to be stringent requirements for proof as stipulated by some interpretations of the Muslim laws. This has lead to minimal punishment for male offenders or even victimization of the rape victims themselves. Extreme practices against women’s sexuality3 Some Muslim practices that are considered unjust to women and are still believed to be currently practiced include; Any evidence produced in a religious court of law by a Muslim woman is taken to be worth half value what a male counterpart would receive if he gave the same evidence in the same court of law A man can divorce his wife by saying the word ‘divorce’ thrice and a woman has no authority to question the decision Children are taken as the property of the father and the mother is only aw caretaker of them A woman who is found not to be virgin during her first intercourse at the first day of marriage may be killed by the male relatives of the husband at will The legal age for a girl to be married is 9 years in Iran A rapist can be allowed to marry the victim he has raped without prosecution A woman cannot leave her country without her husband’s permission etc. These and other practices are considered to be part and parcel of injustices, unfairness and mistreatment Muslim women undergo while at their hands of their families or husbands. Although women all over the world are striving for other equality statuses, Muslim women are still struggling to meet the basics of women rights including the right to sexual satisfaction. Recent and past experiences show that Muslim women are finding it difficult to compare with other women around the world when it comes to such issues as; divorce, marriage, sexuality, same-sex practices etc. ‘Honor killings’ Honor killings are usually identified with the Muslim community and have been condemned as the harshest form of punishment that a woman is subjected to. Some Muslim scholars view the practice as a cultural practice that is very common with Muslim around the Mediterranean region and the Arab world4. The most recent incident of honor killings was the Nigerian case where a woman was to be stoned to death by the Muslim law but when subjected to the governments law, it was otherwise hence not possible to integrate the two decision making organs. Moreover, a majority of Muslim believers have adopted the Sharia law, which supports the practice. However, in the mainstream Muslim community, honor killings is forbidden and not encouraged by the Koran. ‘Honors’ are exclusively for women who are perceived to have brought some kind of shame to the family through their sexual acts. Family honors Family honor’ in the Muslim world is considered an important feature of their culture that requires women (girls and young women) to observe. The women, especially when it comes to sexuality and their bodies, are required to completely abide to what their men say. In fact, some even require that a woman should not travel long distances without the company of their husbands. Although it sounds awkward to a non-Muslim, but believes me, this is just a tip of the iceberg on what Muslim women go through daily when it comes to sexual life. Women are considered the ‘public image’ of the family and any bad behavior is translated to affect the family’s image in the presence of the society. This means that a woman who commits an act like fornication is rightly punished to ensure that the family’s honor is kept intact. This practice has led to unfair treatment and limitation of the women’s social and sexual lifestyle. Despite the fact that women in the Muslim community uphold the right to have sexual satisfaction, they are limited to only one person-the husband. On the other hand, the husband is allowed to marry more than one wife and treat them equally in terms of sexual satisfaction. Human rights’ groups and their view on the issue This practice has also been a source of condemnation from all human rights groups including the United Nations Human Right Department. Social movements have also been formed in some countries like Australia, turkey and Yemen to champion for the rights of women to proper and acceptable sexuality. The fact remains that, only the Muslims can change this kind of practice through reformation and proper policies and commitment by all concerned. Muslim practices in terms of honoring their families is a grave matter that has not been resolved up to this moment but the world’s attention is raising sharp focus on the issue especially women groups and activists who feel that the practice must end to ensure that all women in the world are equally treated. In the Middle East for example, Muslim women are beginning to get the necessary attention from western media regarding their rights to engage in sexuality the way they feel like. This is because it has been considered that lack of information has affected the parallel rise of the practice. Most Muslim women are compromising their sexual satisfaction in the name of protecting the family’s image. This is because the female member of the family is considered a curse in the Muslim community and anything regarding their sexual acts is even worse and may be punishable by stoning. The Muslim law and the Koran uphold female sexual relationships when they are still not of age but may even be extra-marital sex. In case of sexual misconduct, Muslim women are singled out for punishments while their male counterparts who may include rapists may be treated with impunity! A woman may need to produce four witnesses to be able to convince a court of law that she has been sexually abused and must have seen the sexual act by them. Prophet Muhammad Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessing of God be upon him) was known for his mercies and is believe to have adored women and anybody accused of any crime be it a woman or a man be duly accountable for his or her actions. However, there is evidence that He was in that time unfair to women. Muslims believe that God made some statements through Prophet Muhammad which has not one well with women who abide by the Muslim faith. The deeds of the Prophet and what is believed God wrote through His men in the Koran plus those in the official Hadiths of Muhammad, on the rights of women have impacted negatively on the Muslim women all around the world. In fact, it is reported in some of the official records that Muhammad was quoted as saying that majority of the people in Hell are women. This shows the perceived nature of women from the Prophets’ point of view. Also in Sura 2: 282 he says, “The evidence of two women is equal to the evidence of one man”. With such sentiments believed to be from the Prophet, most Muslim men believe that their women should be treated the way He treated them in the past. Muslims also believe that Prophet Muhammad had set the standards to be followed as some of punishments. As long as there is any proof of adultery by a woman, she should be killed. It is even rumored that his youngest wife Aisha, was engaged in sexual intercourse with another man. He was greatly troubled in mind until God intervened and told that if there is no evidence from four witnesses, then He should not accuse His wife of the offence5. The Prophets view on women sexuality is therefore negatively portrait to the majority of people who are non-Muslims. Since He loved women very much and He treated them in an unfair way, then in the consciousness of many people, more Muslim men are behaving the way the Prophet behaved. Koran Koran is believed to be very clear on women sexuality among the Muslim community. First, it contains explicit details which concern unfair treatment of women in terms of their sexual satisfaction. It orders that the women should wear a burkah in public to cover their face so that they may not be admired by anybody else outside the religious group. It also reminds men of their control over the women when it comes to sexual rights. It even advises men to keep off from women when they are in the menstruation periods until they are ‘clean’. It quotes, ‘Your women are a tilt for you to cultivate….and you have a degree over them’. This castigates the rights of women to even contemplate raising any issue concerning their sexual life which may include intimate sexual practices, sex techniques, children, pregnancy etc. The Koran also does not mention anything to do with female genital mutilation and that it is a practice that developed among the Muslim community because of pressure from women groups against the practice which was in the past practiced in Africa. It has since been adopted by most Muslim communities in Egypt, Sudan, and Algeria etc. just because the western people didn’t like it-what ridicule. The most misinterpreted verses of the Holy book of the Muslim law- Koran, is the chapter that empowers men to even beat their wives and orders women to be directly submissive to their male counterparts when handling issues of sexuality. It is quoted from Sura 4:346 and it says, “Men have authority over women because God has made the one superior to the other, and because men spend their wealth to maintain them. Good women are obedient. They guard their unseen parts because God has guarded them. As for those among you who fear disobedience, admonish them and send them to beds apart and beat them.” It continues to say that “Good women are obedient… As for those from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them and send them to bed apart and beat them.” This is not good at all and if men and women in the Muslim community want to be equal, they need to rewrite such verses if that is possible or simply disregard them for other just readings. This specific verse, to some extent allows men to boast of their authority over women. Most people argue that the Muslim men are favored by the Koran over women in the aspect of sexuality although it does not explicitly allow seclusion of women when it comes to honoring the family through ‘sexual obedience’. Muslim apologists and compromisers are not genuine when addressing the whole of injustices in the sexuality issue in among Muslim women. When these people are confronted with the women’s plight, majority of them insist that their religion-Islam has been misunderstood7. They continue to clarify that, women issues including their right to sexuality is actually granted by the religion and they blame the whole problem on tribal, traditional and western societies that propagate lies and mischief concerning the community especially with the rising cases of terrorism that is associated with Muslim extremists. Contemporary thoughts and recommendations The actual thing therefore that must be understood is that women should not be used as tools for protecting familial images to some perceived societal families that are not pleasing to the wider community. In my own point of view, the Muslim community should in one way or another disregard old practices that are considered prejudice to the rights of women. This can be done by doing extensive education either through Muslim scholars or women Muslims who are already in the public light to ensure that countries adopt new legislation that will ensure equal opportunities to sexuality issues. Review of demeaning Muslim practices can also be done by the Muslim leaders themselves to conform to what other human rights say or whet other religious groups such as the Christians believe on concerning the same. Most modern scholars from the Muslim community and likeminded women believe that young women including the adolescents must have access to safe, affordable and effective methods of regulating their reproduction and also freely decide on all matters relating to their sexuality. Taking an example of a 12-year old girl in turkey in 1998 who was killed by her father because she had gone to escort a group of friends for a short distance this shows that people should be able to freely interact and associate with other people even if it is sexual relations. It therefore entails the fact most other communities including the Islamic communities in environments such as the United States who have learnt a lot from members if other religious groups and are beginning to disregard practices such as ‘family honor’. This group of Muslims believes that everybody has the right to determine his or her own sexual behavior including the right to sexual desire and pleasure. Conclusion Women sexuality and their bodies regardless of race, religion, age or color belong to them. That is a fact and it should be respected. Moreover, public order and general beliefs should not be the principle used by law to protect individual rights but rather the reflection of legal changes and processes. Policies and laws that are perceived to place and legitimize cultural and religious practices which put women sexuality and bodies at stake and disposal of the society, men and family must be disregarded. The responsibility squarely lies on the respective government to develop and implement laws and other regulations that are aimed at protecting the girls and women from the mercies of rape, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation. References Ahmed, L. (1999): A Border passage from Cairo to America- A Women’s Journey. New York: Penguin Books Arvind, S. & Young, K.K. (2002): Her voice, Her faith: Women speak on world religions. Boulder’ West view Press Badawi, J.A. (1995): Gender Equity in Islam: Basic Principles. Plainfield. American Trust Publications Brooks, G. (1995): Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women. New York Anchor Books Curry & Messina, L (2005): women’s Rights. New York. H.W. Wilson Emerick, Y. (2002): The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Islam. Indianapolis, Alpha Books Hassaballa, H. A., & Helminski, K. (2006): The Beliefnet Guide to Islam. New York, Doubleday Godlas, A. PhD, university of Georgia (2006): Islam and Islamic study resources Available online at; www.uga.edu/islam/home.html Kovarik, C.A (2004): Interviews with Muslim Women of Pakistan, Minneapolis Siren Book Company Peach, L.J (2002): Women and World Religions; Upper Saddle River. Prentice hall, Inc, Read More