Human Rights and Social Justice Issues in the Middle East - Essay Example

Running Head: HUMAN RIGHTS /SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES IN THE MIDDLE EAST Human rights /social justice issues in the Middle East Insert Name Tutor Date Human rights /Social Justice Issues in the Middle East Introduction Human rights in the Middle East especially for women and children are an issue that has disturbed the peace of many activists of social justice and human rights for hundreds of years. ‘Human rights’ is defined as the freedoms and rights to which all people are entitled to Chauhan (2004). Every human being has rights which are supposed to be respected and granted by the state and others. The Middle East community and more so those countries with a history of political instability have been known for women and children’s rights violation for a long time. A classic example of women and children’s rights violations can be found in Afghanistan. According to the “Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission” the cases of human rights violations in the country grew by double in 2011 when compared to 2010 Mertus (2000). Because of strict repressive laws many women and children have had to suffer torture and molestation in the hands of men. Girls are forced to undergo Female Genital Mutilation while young boys are forced into war as child soldiers. In such circumstances they are denied the opportunity to go to school and get education. Women have to obtain permission from men before they take a major decision like getting education, marriage, divorce, traveling among many others. Women are not permitted to participate in leadership and decision making even over their own lives. Community background The Middle East community has had a long history of existence. This region is also known as the place where civilization began in 3500 B.C. civilization began with the Sumerians then it was taken over by the Egyptians in the fourth millennium B.C. Chauhan (2004). Many empires ruled the region starting with the Persian Empire to the Macedonian Empire. Others included Ptolemic Egypt kingdom and Seleucid state found in Syria. The Parthians later brought the Persian Empire back to life to rule a section of the Middle East and extents its influence to the rest of the region until the 7th century when it was conquered by Islam. In the first century B.C the Romans in their expansion took over the area in the Eastern Mediterranean with a bigger part of the Near East included. The Romans united the Middle East with North Africa and Europe in one economic and political unit Lewis (1995). The Roman Empire extended its influence to nearby areas which had not been conquered and it dictated the cultural and political behavior of this region. Greek language and culture which had been popularised by the Macedonian rule remained even through the Roman times. Latin culture which was favored by the Romans spread alongside it. Some Middle East cities like Alexandria became important urban centers and the empire’s bread basket. The Romans ensured the spread of Christianity in the region which at that time was the dominant religion. The split of the Roman Empire into West and East made the Middle East come under the new capital Constantinople which meant severed relations with Rome Chauhan (2004). Arab armies started rising in the region in the 7th century. Arabs got more strength due to the fading power of the Sassanid Persian and Byzantine Roman empires because of the Wars between Persia and Rome. Arab armies swept through a bigger part of the region with all the Persian lands coming under their control and more than half of the Byzantine Roman territory conquered. Consequently the Arab empire rose as a power that controlled all of the Middle East and the Mediterranean region. Arab caliphates operating in the middle ages have been credited for unifying the whole of the Middle East and giving it a totally distinct ethnic identity known today Moghadam (1993). Seljuk Empire later came on the scene in the eleventh century and had some dominance in the region for 200 years. The Turks came from central Asia and conquered Palestine, Persia, Iraq, Hajez and later on Egypt. The Turks are the ones who brought the Roman Byzantine Empire to a fatal end since it had retained some influence after the Arab caliphates’ conquest and had been existent in the Mediterranean region since then. The Seljuks controlled a big section of the Middle East but later lost control when the empire fragmented into many smaller sultanates. Later on the Middle East came under the power of the Ottoman Empire for 400 years before the Western powers namely the French and the British took over the region. With the coming of Word War II these western powers left the Middle East Lewis (1995). In 1948 the Zionist leadership declared an Israeli state which established a continuous source of conflict in the region. The present Middle East was marked by the establishment of the Israel state, the discovery of oil and the end of direct control from European powers. All these events brought in America as a prominent player into Middle East affairs. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union which had obtained the support of Middle Eastern leaders against America in the cold war the region has had to involuntarily yield to Western authority in a number of situations Mertus (2000). Global Issue The issue of human rights violations in the Middle East is an issue that not only affects the region but other parts of the world as well. Since the welfare and the stability of any one part of the world impacts on the rest of the world, social injustices perpetrated against children and women in the Middle East could possibly spill into other regions and impact the globe negatively. Denial of children and women’s rights takes place in a variety of ways Lewis (1995). In some Middle East countries children, women and girls are denied the rights that men enjoy. Their decisions to marry, work, pursue education, give birth; travel among others must be controlled by male relatives in some countries. In Afghanistan women have been sexually assaulted during war time, beaten ruthlessly when they make mistakes and confined in the home. Women cannot decide on their own on matters that pertain to their own health or welfare. For the globe to move forward to sustainable development all other regions must be developing. Women are great contributors to the economy of the globe. They take care of all the house work including bringing up children. Their contribution to the family welfare is immense. International human rights organizations have a big burden of fighting social injustices and their job is made even more difficult by the Middle East situation Donnelly (2003). The failure of women to have the rights to control their reproductive health results in them being unable to determine the number of children they can give birth to. The rising population of the globe is an issue to international organizations. High and unhealthy populations impact negatively on the economy of the globe. High rates of population of growth are putting pressure on the environment and the limited resources of the world. More pollution which destroys the natural resource base is a growing concern and it is brought about by population pressure. Women are therefore vulnerable to diseases and general ill health since they have no right to control their own health matters Mertus, J. (2000). Since women are the ones taking care of the children, their lack of education and economic empowerment means poverty and diseases to their children. A poor family with high mortality and morbidity rates puts pressure on the global community. Poverty in one region of the world would mean illegal immigrants and refugees fleeing into other countries that are more economically stable Donnelly (2003). When children are denied education then it means a generation of illiterate poor people is being made. National, regional and global development will be greatly hampered because these poor people will burden the rest of the global society. Cases of women rights violations in the Middle East translate into poverty and high illiteracy rates for the world. These women are part of the global community but have no opportunity to contribute to the economy of the globe. As a result the potential of the world to produce more wealth is not exploited yet the population depending on the little produce made is high. Women in the Middle East have the potential to bring immense contributions to the global economy if they can be allowed to leave the house and join the men in pursuing education and careers Lewis (1995). The Taliban in Afghanistan have been known to deny women freedom of movement, secondary education and employment all of which are important for national and global development. In times of political unrest and war, international organizations such as the United Nations agencies have a huge burden of attending to women and children because of the state of vulnerability of this segment of the global population. Women and their children cause the biggest burden in terms of refugees on the international community. In the war in Afghanistan for example, thousands of women were sexually assaulted and displaced from their homes. They carried the greatest burden of poverty and therefore had little self defence in times of war. Women in the Middle East not having proper representation in national leadership have no opportunity to influence the policies governing them Valentine (1999). The rest of the world is locked out of the affairs of the Middle East because of the strong cultural and religious state of the community. Women from the other parts of the world are not free to tour that region or even migrate to such a place because of the strict repressive laws governing the affairs of women. As a result international integration is hampered. Association between Middle East populations and the rest of the globe are limited due to their strong distinct cultural and religious stand. For example in Afghanistan a woman will not be allowed to go to school, move freely , access health care or secure employment. Foreigners may not cope in such countries Donnelly (2003). Female investors from other non Middle East countries will not be at ease to work, stay or do business in such environments. Violation of children’s rights such as denying them education and recruiting them in war results in high illiteracy rates and the spread of the culture of violence to younger generations thus contributing to more international crises like terrrorism and piracy. These things destroy the integration and peaceful coexistence of countries in a global context. Local possibilities for change An attempt to point out the violations of women’s rights and subordination of women in the Middle East is met with opposition and denials of the existence of such practices. Sympathizers of extremists defend them and instead shift the blame to Arabic patriarchy which they say has caused all the mess together with western importations. Feminists and scholars blame the patriarchal world system and not the fact that oppressed women live in the East Valentine (1999). The source of trouble for Afghan women for example, has been the political instability that resulted in war, the culture, customs and extremist views on the status of the woman. In Afghanistan, the mafia culture and the lack of interest in prosecuting those implicated in crimes has escalated the amount of human rights violation cases. Lack of enough security is another contributing factor. All these problems have been blamed on the government for not performing well. Women have been made to believe that they should be second class citizens and that they must not enjoy certain rights. This complicates the matter since many women welcome their low status granted and can therefore launch very little resistance. Lack of rights to get education, work and control their health has rendered women more and more powerless Mertus (2000). The possibility of change and improvement in the societal roles of women will have to take many difficult steps. One of them is to do a way with oppressive culture and customs. Primitive culture is responsible for the implementation of all the laws that suppress the Middle Eastern woman. Since it is a difficult thing to rid the Middle East of their customs, a lot of effort and time should be channeled into the struggle which is expected to take many years. Alya (1982, 147) argues that if freedom for the Middle East woman is to be achieved then all the political system must be changed. All repressive laws which are inspired by religion, customs and culture must be eliminated. Religion will have to be recognized as an individual’s private affair. Laws, official papers and identity cards should not have reference to the religion of an individual. Religious indoctrination should be banned and non religious school subjects should not be interpreted religiously Guglielmo (2001). A notable thing that needs to be done before major changes are expected is for the women to realize their surbodinate status. Freedom cannot come when they are still willing to defend the same political systems that have granted men the authority to sit on them and surbodinate them. Women should begin initiatives and seek the support of like minded men in order to uproot unjust policies from their countries Mertus (2000).Women and men who see the weaknesses of their governments should arise and form organizations which will combine effort with the international community to campaign against violation of children and women’s rights. The genesis of a successful movement a way from human rights abuses should be emergence of moderate leaders who are not extremists. These leaders can allow room for negotiations with groups like those of women that may be willing to demand for change in the area of human rights Niloufar (1999). Extremist regimes and movements take laws and customs to another level and exaggerate them to serve their own interests. Revolutions spear headed by courageous women backed by international organizations like the U.N can bring reform in the Middle East. Women should view the struggle as one that should take all their strength even is it has to be handed down from one generation to another. The remedy to the human rights problem should be tackled by leadership. Women must seek the support of friendly men in order to take up the leadership of their countries. Through this they can make policies that do not oppress them. In order for there to be meaningful development in the area of human rights in countries such as Afghanistan, traditions and customs must be combated together with usages which are against the success of women. Women can overcome discrimination id affirmative action policies are instituted and implemented properly Skaine (2001). Conclusion In conclusion, the paper has examined various issues pertaining to the human rights and social justice in the Middle East. Emphasis has been placed on the rights of women and children which are violated with the highest rates in the world. Since the establishment of the Middle East, the region has had human rights issues. Women and children have been particularly on the receiving end with many women being raped and subordinated through backward cultures and customs. Children have been abused sexually with others being used by militia as war shields. This attitude has impacted negatively on the community, the region and even the globe. It is important to note that subordination of women results in a poor and helpless mother and child. This puts pressure on the global community which has to care for illegal immigrants and refugees running a way from collapsing political, social and economic systems. High population caused by low reproductive health education among women is a great problem to the global community. The possibility for change in this trend exists but much effort is needed to remove bad Political systems from power in order to pave way for regimes which are sensitive to human rights to effect the required changes. References Donnelly, J. (2003). Universal Human Rights in Theory & Practice 2nd ed. Ithaca & London: Cornell University Press Chauhan, O.P. (2004). Human Rights: Promotion and Protection. Anmol Publications PVT. LTD. Lewis, B. 1995.The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years. New York: Scribner Moghadam V.M. 1993, Modernizing Women: Gender and Social Change in the Middle East. (Lynne Rienner Publishers, USA,) p. 5 Guglielmo,V. (2001), Testing the Effectiveness of International Norms, UN Humanitarian Assistance and Sexual Apartheid in Afghanistan Human Rights Quarterly, 23.3 (August 2001) 733-768. Valentine M. (1999) "Revolution, Religion, and Gender Politics: Iran and Afghanistan Compared" Journal of Women's History Vol. 10 No. 4 (Winter 1999) pp. 172-204 Niloufar P. (1999) "The Problematic of Female Education, Ethnicity and National Identity in Afghanistan" (1920-1999) Social Analysis, 1999, 43(1), Mar, 73-82 Helena M. (1997) "Development of Family Law in Afghanistan: The Roles of the Hanafi Madhhab, Customary Practices and Power Politics" Central Asian Survey, 1997, 16, 3, Sept, 389-399. Mertus, J. (2000) War's Offensive on Women: the Humanitarian Challenge in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan Skaine, R. (2001), The Women of Afghanistan Under the Taliban Read More