11/29/2005
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Muslim leaders sign a document opposed to discrimination on the basis of sex
We “call upon all Member States to take the necessary measures to eliminate all
forms of discrimination against girls and all harmful traditional or
customary practices.” It sounds like a rhetorical statement, but it has an entirely
different character when religious leaders and politicians coming from of the
world’s 50 Islamic countries are the spokesmen.
Religion and superstition. In early November the Moroccan capital of Rabat hosted the first First Islamic
Ministerial Conference on the Child, a gathering of delegates from Muslim
nations belonging to The Organization of the Islamic Conference. The agenda was replete with delicate issues, beginning with female genital
mutilation. The World Health Organization distinguishes four classes of genital
mutilation practiced on pre-pubescent and adolescent girls in 28 countries in
Africa, south Asia and the Arabian peninsula, practices commonly, though incorrectly,
subsumed under the term “infibulation.” It would be impossible to measure the
suffering inflicted on women through a tradition that has nothing whatever to
do with Islam. Muslim leaders constantly have to emphasize that there exists
no precept whatsoever in Islam that makes provision for such a practice. Rather,
it is rooted in traditional practices and has been mistakenly linked with Islamic
belief. According to the most recent figures from WHO, there may be more than
135 million women worldwide who have undergone genital mutilation, and a significant
number of them have died from infections brought on by the procedure.
Patriarchal society. But mutilation is only one problem women face in some parts of the world.
The Rabat conference also issued a harsh condemnation of the practice of honor
killing. This phrase refers to the murder, by a member of her own family, of
a woman who has been accused of scandalous wrongdoing in the eyes of the community.
Women who have extra-marital sex, who become pregnant outside marriage or who
are not virgin brides, even rape victims, can be executed by a father, a brother,
or other relative. The purpose is to immediately wash away the “stain” on the
family. This happens every day in many countries, and not just those considered
undeveloped--even in Turkey, which is about to join the European Union. It is
also worth bearing in mind that until just a few years ago, in Italy infidelity
was considered a mitigating circumstance in cases of homicide, and there was
cause for explicit condemnations of arranged marriages of minors and domestic
violence against women. In Morocco itself and also in Algeria these same issues
have spurred reforms in the past few years, introducing provision for equality
into the laws on family rights. Moreover, the fact that Spain has one of the
highest incidences of domestic violence in the world gives one pause about making
snap judgments against Islamic culture.
The courage to fight against taboo. The Muslim religious and political leaders convened in Rabat did not neglect
to emphasize the truism that battling discrimination against women in Islamic
society must not exclude confronting the poverty, hunger, disease and violence
that afflict most of the planet. Without material development and improvement
in the living conditions of millions of people, the cultural evolution of some
societies will be ever more difficult. The data that emerged during the meetings
speak for themselves: 4.3 million infants under 5 years old die every year of
curable diseases or malnutrition, at least 6 million infants suffer from problems
related to hunger, and 23 per cent of the total population of Islamic countries
does not have access to potable water.
Religion and superstition. In early November the Moroccan capital of Rabat hosted the first First Islamic
Ministerial Conference on the Child, a gathering of delegates from Muslim
nations belonging to The Organization of the Islamic Conference. The agenda was replete with delicate issues, beginning with female genital
mutilation. The World Health Organization distinguishes four classes of genital
mutilation practiced on pre-pubescent and adolescent girls in 28 countries in
Africa, south Asia and the Arabian peninsula, practices commonly, though incorrectly,
subsumed under the term “infibulation.” It would be impossible to measure the
suffering inflicted on women through a tradition that has nothing whatever to
do with Islam. Muslim leaders constantly have to emphasize that there exists
no precept whatsoever in Islam that makes provision for such a practice. Rather,
it is rooted in traditional practices and has been mistakenly linked with Islamic
belief. According to the most recent figures from WHO, there may be more than
135 million women worldwide who have undergone genital mutilation, and a significant
number of them have died from infections brought on by the procedure.Patriarchal society. But mutilation is only one problem women face in some parts of the world.
The Rabat conference also issued a harsh condemnation of the practice of honor
killing. This phrase refers to the murder, by a member of her own family, of
a woman who has been accused of scandalous wrongdoing in the eyes of the community.
Women who have extra-marital sex, who become pregnant outside marriage or who
are not virgin brides, even rape victims, can be executed by a father, a brother,
or other relative. The purpose is to immediately wash away the “stain” on the
family. This happens every day in many countries, and not just those considered
undeveloped--even in Turkey, which is about to join the European Union. It is
also worth bearing in mind that until just a few years ago, in Italy infidelity
was considered a mitigating circumstance in cases of homicide, and there was
cause for explicit condemnations of arranged marriages of minors and domestic
violence against women. In Morocco itself and also in Algeria these same issues
have spurred reforms in the past few years, introducing provision for equality
into the laws on family rights. Moreover, the fact that Spain has one of the
highest incidences of domestic violence in the world gives one pause about making
snap judgments against Islamic culture. The courage to fight against taboo. The Muslim religious and political leaders convened in Rabat did not neglect
to emphasize the truism that battling discrimination against women in Islamic
society must not exclude confronting the poverty, hunger, disease and violence
that afflict most of the planet. Without material development and improvement
in the living conditions of millions of people, the cultural evolution of some
societies will be ever more difficult. The data that emerged during the meetings
speak for themselves: 4.3 million infants under 5 years old die every year of
curable diseases or malnutrition, at least 6 million infants suffer from problems
related to hunger, and 23 per cent of the total population of Islamic countries
does not have access to potable water.Statistics are always open to interpretation, but they give an idea of the problems
these countries face. The value of this series of pronouncements, seen in the
context of Islamic culture, is enormous. The biggest problem remains the fact
that these are matters that concern sexual equality and the internal dynamics
of the nuclear family. The affirmations coming out of this summit—already dubbed
The Rabat Declaration—cannot change the situation radically in a short period
of time; however, they do give some idea of how lively the debate is inside of
Muslim cultures. With all their might and in the face of a thousand difficulties,
they are confronting all these thorny issues. This is an effort that can be sustained
with development and the proper investment of resources in those communities
that are meeting head-on all the challenges of modernity. It is clear that the
convictions of the religious and political leaders meeting in Rabat must not be
confused with public opinion in the countries they come from, and that certain
ideas require enormous effort to become commonly accepted, but one must begin
somewhere.
Christian Elia
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