Uskracivanje osnovnih ljudskih prava zenama

garfield · Pristupio: 27 Jan 2007 Poruke: 2264 Studijska grupa: Etnologija i antropologija

Brazil shock at woman's jail rape

Authorities in Brazil are investigating reports that a young woman was left in a police cell with some 20 men for a month and repeatedly sexually abused.

The governor of the state of Para, where the reported case took place, has promised a full inquiry.

Governor Ana Julia Carepa said the age of the woman, put variously at 15 and 20, was irrelevant as she should not have been jailed with male prisoners.

Women's rights groups in Brazil say it is not an isolated case.

According to reports in the Brazilian media, the number of men in the cell with the young woman ranged between 20 and more than 30.

Public anger

Media reports suggested that the girl was placed in a police cell in the town of Abaetetuba on suspicion of theft.

But human-rights groups say there is uncertainty about what offence the girl was accused of and she was not formally charged.

They say that she was raped relentlessly and forced to have sex in order to obtain food.

The girl's father has now alleged that he has been threatened by police who tried to force him to provide a birth certificate showing that the girl was 20 years of age - a document which he said did not exist.

The police are said to have believed at one stage that the girl was not under age.

Gov Carepa said the girl's age did not matter.

"Whether she was 15, 20, or 100 doesn't matter. A woman should never be left in a jail with men," she said.

"I am shocked and indignant, as a woman and as a governor," Gov Carepa said, promising that those responsible would face "exemplary punishment" and that such an incident would not be allowed to happen again.

Jails in Brazil are notorious for overcrowding and appalling conditions, and this is not the first time that there has been a controversy over a female prisoner being detained alongside men.

However, on this occasion, the seriousness of the allegation has caused shock and considerable public anger, the BBC's Gary Duffy in Sao Paulo says.

Women's rights groups in Para state quoted by the Globo website say there have been at least three cases of women being put in cells with men.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/7108676.stm

Rape case adds to Brazil jail notoriety
By Gary Duffy
BBC News, Sao Paulo

It sometimes seems that there is little left to say about prisons and the system of detention in Brazil that still has the capacity to shock.

Even so, the report that a young woman, possibly as young as 15, was left to share a cell in a police station with around 20 men and is said to have been repeatedly sexually abused, does stand out for its sheer horror.

The fact that police officers involved then started to dispute her age, as if it mattered whether she was 15 or 20, does say something about the inability to grasp the scale of what had been done.

The girl does not appear to have been helped by the involvement in the case of women officials at various levels.

According to Brazilian media reports the officer in charge of the station where the case was processed was a woman, who has since been suspended, while a woman judge who dealt with the case did not authorise a transfer.

The governor of the state of Para, where the incident happened, is also a woman.

"I am shocked and angry," Governor Ana Julia Carepa told the Brazilian media.

"My political life was always dedicated to the defence of human rights and it would not be different in my administration."

As an effort continues to shift blame for what happened, the civil police of Para say that the judicial officials knew that the girl was being held with a large number of male prisoners.

They have produced a document which suggests a request was made to transfer the girl to a centre for young offenders on 7 November, at least a week before she was discovered by an official responsible for child welfare.

The discovery was only made after an anonymous tip-off.

The document - presented to the judge - requested the urgent transfer of the young woman to a detention centre for women, and said that she ran the risk of "any type of violence".

The police request for a transfer was only made after the girl had been in custody for 15 days, and in total she was held for 26 days, according to the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo.

Welfare officials say the girl reported that she had suffered sexual abuse from about 20 prisoners and had to offer sex in return for food. She also showed marks of cigarette burns on her body.

Cell deficit

Brazilian prisons have long had a reputation for violence, appalling conditions and overcrowding.

Criminals using mobile phones in their cells are even able to directly organise crimes outside.

In August, 25 prisoners died after fellow inmates set fire to mattresses in a cell in a jail in the state of Minas Gerais.

The most notorious case in recent Brazilian history happened in 1992 following a riot in Carandiru jail in Sao Paulo when 111 prisoners were killed, the vast majority shot by military police.

In 2002 alone, 303 inmates were murdered by other prisoners.

A preliminary report from the United Nations Committee Against Torture, released on Friday, makes a grim analysis of the state of Brazilian prisons.

It speaks of endemic overcrowding, filthy conditions and pervasive violence, as well as torture "meted out on a widespread and systematic basis".

Part of the problem is that Brazil does not have a federal prison system and all prisons are run by the 27 different systems, although they are governed by a single penal law.

Between 1995 and 2003, the number of prisoners in the system more than doubled, from 148,760 to 308,304 men and women.

More than 100,000 new prison spaces were created but the country still has a huge deficit.

In recent years as many as 25% of prisoners have been held in police cells due to shortage of space, even though this is illegal. In some states the figure is even higher.

While the number of women in Brazilian jails is in line with other countries, it is clear that the level of overcrowding and violence means they can be extremely vulnerable.

Tim Cahill, Amnesty International's researcher on Brazil, said the organisation received extensive reports of women in detention who suffered sexual abuse, torture, substandard healthcare and inhuman conditions, showing that this case is far from isolated.

"Even though women in Brazil make up a small percentage of the overall prison population, their numbers in detention are rising," he said.

"There is a desperate need for the government to address their needs, which are rarely, if ever, met."

The security secretary for the state of Para, Vera Talvares, told Folha de Sao Paulo that any type of violation of a woman's rights was a violation of human rights and should receive exemplary punishment.

If that resolve leads to a change in policy in Para, and in other parts of Brazil, it would at least be something, but past events do not leave much room for optimism.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/7109933.stm

Tema je uvek aktuelna, ali ovo shto sam danas chula na vestima me poprilichno iznerviralo. Znam da ovo nije nishta novo, ali mislim da je ovo vazan i za sada, nereshen problem.
Mislite li da su ljudi svesni velichine ovog problema? I da li mislite da ce u buducnosti doci do njegovog potpunog reshavanja?

rabindra · Pristupio: 10 Dec 2006 Poruke: 497 Studijska grupa: Filozofija

Kada sam prochitala ovaj text, nisam bila sigurna shta podrazumevash pod `ovaj problem`. Prvo shto mi je palo na pamet je krshenje ljudskih prava u zatvorima shirom sveta. Mislim da ljudi ne haju mnogo za tu temu, imam osecaj da mnogi misle da kad si u zatvoru tako neshto i treba da ti se deshava. Onda sledi ona grimasa koja se javlja na licu mnogih kada chuju sintagmu `ljudska prava`...

Mislim da stanje ljudskih prava *(pa i prava zena) nije problem koji se da reshiti nekom odlukom, pre bih rekla da je to pokazatelj stanja svesti. A shto se tiche potpunog reshavanja, pa, mozda prava zena nece nikad biti u potpunosti ostvarena,na onaj nachin na koji mi to vidimo, ali to ne znachi da nas to lishava odgovornosti da tome tezimo.

Ne bih rekla da je sasvim jasno shta podrazumevamo pod `prava zena` i da bismo se sve dogovorile koja su nasha prava...

Milsim da je, pored drastichnih primera poput ovog koji je gore naveden, shaljivi pokazatelj i reklama Uni credit banke u kojoj zena treba da smishlja izgovore kako bi kupila sebi cipele, jer je precutna pretpostavka da troshi novac svog `dragog`.

mali Albert

Dzaba ti karneval i fudbal kad je to i dalje treci svet.

DaM daM! · Moderator

e a shto podnaslov "znam da zvuci feministicki" ko da je to neshto loshe? Mislim, i ja sam feminista Smajli

garfield · Pristupio: 27 Jan 2007 Poruke: 2264 Studijska grupa: Etnologija i antropologija

DaM daM! ::

e a shto podnaslov "znam da zvuci feministicki" ko da je to neshto loshe? Mislim, i ja sam feminista Smajli

Prvobitni naslov teme je bio "Prava zena u svetu"... nisam htela da deluje kao isprazni feministichki jibberish, kao shto nisam ni zelela da razdvajam prava zena od prava choveka uopshte (zato sam i promenila naslov).

@rabi: Zato postoji naslov teme, ne? Namig

Sa ovim tekstom sam mogla da otvorim mnoshtvo tema, pochevshi od neke najshire kao npr. Ugrozavanje ljudskih prava, do neke najuze kao Problemi koje stvaraju loshi uslovi u brazilskim zatvorima.... ali jednostavno sam odluchila da otvorim temu o uskracivanju osnovnih ljudskih prava zenama, zato shto to jeste zaseban problem u okviru veceg problema (krshenje ljudskih prava uopshte).
U islamskim zemljama mushkarac ne nosi zar, ne hoda pola metra iza svoje zene kad idu ulicom, pogleda spushtenog ka zemlji. Chisto sumnjam da bi mushkarca silovalo 20ak zena kad bi ostao sam sa njima u zatvorskoj celiji.

U tom smislu 'prava zena', prava jednaka bilo kojoj osobi u bilo kom delu sveta. Zvuchim konfuzno... poenta je bila da ja prva gledam na mushkarce i zene sa jednakoshcu, nisam pokushavala da izdvajam zenska prava kao razlichita od mushkih; ali chinjenica je da je ugrozavanje prava zena zaseban problem, kao i ne znam, dechija prava, prava manjina, etc. Pa sam mislila da bi ljudi zeleli da izraze svoje mishljenje o tome Smajli

A bash ovaj tekst sam postavila, chisto da pokazem shta me je inspirisalo da otvorim ovu temu...

flyin ovary · Pristupio: 20 Nov 2006 Poruke: 561 Studijska grupa: Filozofija

feministicki jibberish je contradictio in adjecto.
sve sto kazu feministkinje, sve su u pravu. Smajli

patrijarhat mu nekako dodje, ako ne apsolutni izvor, onda barem model svih nepravdi u ljudskom drustvu. bas zato sto se ocituje i na mikro i makronivou.

Hobo Sapiens · Moderator

Ma ljudsko drushtvo je model nepravdi... Smajli

Ja sam se jedno vreme nalozio na cyberfeminizam, citao tu svakakve clanke i imam ovde negde Donnu Harraway, Manifest Kiborga, mnogo zanimljivo!

flyin ovary · Pristupio: 20 Nov 2006 Poruke: 561 Studijska grupa: Filozofija

jup, to je super! Namig

DaM daM! · Moderator

Hm...ne znam, mislim da je propaganda protiv feminizma neverovatno uspela, jer ocigledno je da i ljudi koji jesu feministi cesto pokusavaju da se distanciraju od tog pojma, kao da feministkinje neke kratko osisane, ruzne, zene pune kompleksa...naravno, muskarci ne mogu da budu feministi, sacuvaj boze...cini mi se da je to veliki problem, jer kad god se to pomene u medijima ili bilo gde javno, svi koji tu rec koriste, za masu su neki idioti...nije da me posebno zanima mishljenje mase, ali ipak, to ima ogroman uticaj na sve...

Rogan · Pristupio: 14 Apr 2006 Poruke: 5340 Studijska grupa: Istorija umetnosti

Mohamed teddy bear teacher gets 15 days in jail

A British schoolteacher was behind bars in an overcrowded Sudanese prison last night after being convicted of inciting religious hatred for letting her pupils name a teddy bear Mohamed.

Gillian Gibbons, 54, escaped a sentence of 40 lashes after apologising to the court for any offence she had caused. But she began serving a 15-day sentence in a women’s prison where the regime is extremely harsh by Western standards.

Many Sudanese consider Omdurman’s women’s prison to be one of the country’s more comfortable jails. It is, however, overcrowded. Many inmates are southern Sudanese women convicted of selling alcohol, and many have babies. Ms Gibbons will have to rely on wellwishers bringing her food and water.

David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, said he was “extremely disappointed” with the sentence and summoned Omer Siddig, the Sudanese Ambassador, to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to explain the decision. Mr Miliband said: “We are extremely disappointed that the charges against Gillian Gibbons were not dismissed. Our clear view is that this is an innocent misunderstanding by a dedicated teacher. Our priority now is to ensure Ms Gibbons’s welfare.” He said he wanted to discuss “the next steps” with his Sudanese counterpart.

There were signs, though, that Ms Gibbons might be allowed out early. The judge told her defence lawyer to prepare her travel documents — secure her an exit visa — as quickly as possible. Legal analysts said they would be surprised if she served the full sentence. They said that the sentence, reached after eight hours of deliberations, was carefully calibrated to reduce domestic tensions.

Omar El Faroug Hassan Shumena, a legal consultant in Khartoum, said the judge had been smart to keep proceedings running late into the evening, but conclude them in a single day. Demonstrations were due today and Ms Gibbons’s case was expected to be highlighted across the capital at Friday prayers.

He said: “He kept it going long into the night so that many people will not hear about it for a while. If it had not ended and then started again on Saturday then it would have made for a very tense situation in the mosques.”

Ali Mohammed Ajab, a member of Ms Gibbons’s defence team, said that the teacher had offered an apology to the court. “She apologised, not that she had done something wrong, but that she was simply doing her job and did not mean any harm,” he said. He said the defence now planned to appeal against the sentence.

Ms Gibbons arrived in Sudan in August to teach at Unity High School. As part of a class project she allowed her pupils to name a teddy bear Mohamed, after one of the most popular boys in class. Colleagues have maintained she intended no offence. However, Muslim leaders were planning a demonstration in Khartoum today to express their anger at a perceived insult to Islam’s holiest prophet.

Earlier, Ms Gibbons had arrived at Khartoum North Criminal Court looking dazed and exhausted to find a scene of pandemonium as police had to push their way through more than 100 people. Ms Gibbons’s pale face registered shock at the level of interest that her case has generated.

The trial was conducted behind closed doors and at first her lawyers were barred from the courtroom. British officials had to argue strenuously to find space on the leather chairs in the neat, air-conditioned court. Press were banned from the courtroom, and three film crews were detained for filming street scenes outside the court.

In court, the judge, Mohammed Youssef, listened to two accounts, one from the school secretary, Sarah Khawad, who filed the first complaint about the teddy bear’s name, and one from the official who has been investigating the case, court sources said.

An accountant from Unity High School was also among the four prosecution witnesses.

It was dark by the time the defence had its chance. The judge allowed defence lawyers to present evidence from two of their four witnesses.

Colleagues maintained that Ms Gibbons had meant no offence. They said her class of six and seven-year-olds had voted on the name, which was shared by one of their most popular members. Isam Abu Hasabu, chairman of Unity High School’s parent teacher association, said: “The whole thing boiled down to a cultural misunderstanding. In our culture we don’t know the bear as a cuddly symbol of mercy.”

As Ms Gibbons’s case was heard, three pick-ups filled with riot police armed with sticks and AK47s stood in the dusty street outside. Plainclothed security officers patrolled the halls.

Sudanese ministers had been trying to play down the case, fearing a public uproar that might make a speedy resolution impossible and further diplomatic isolation inevitable.

The story has gradually been gaining momentum in the Sudanese press, however. Yesterday morning some articles printed angry statements by clerics, although most focused on the diplomatic repercussions.

Along the marble corridors of the courthouse and just across from the closed courtroom where Miss Gibbons’ case was being heard, justice was carried out on a man who had just been sentenced to death for murder. Police dragged him from the courtroom and dealt him 20 lashes with a heavy rubber tube for good measure.

Had Miss Gibbons been sentenced to a flogging, the sentence would have been carried out by a woman, not a man, and in a private room rather than in public. And, like the murderer pinned against the wall, it would have been carried out promptly.

Sharia sentences

— Two British nurses, Deborah Parry and Lucille McLauchlan, confessed in 1996 to murdering an Australian colleague in Saudi Arabia. They claimed the confessions were obtained after torture and sexual abuse, but Parry was sentenced to death and McLaughlan to 500 lashes and eight years in prison. They were pardoned after paying £832,000 to the victim’s brother

— Convicted of selling alcohol in Qatar, Gavin Sherrard-Smith was given 50 lashes in 1993. He said that he “didn’t realise the human body could tolerate such pain”

— A series of bombings in Saudi Arabia in 2000 were blamed on the illicit alcohol trade among expatriate workers. Two men, one of whom was born in Britain, were sentenced to public beheading after admitting the crimes on television. They retracted their confessions and were released after the Saudi King granted them “royal clemency”

Luna · Pristupio: 12 Feb 2007 Poruke: 2362 Studijska grupa: neki drugi fakultet

Wife's Story Highlights Indian Marriage Scam

by Philip Reeves and Shivani Dogra

Morning Edition, December 5, 2007

· Satwant Kaur was full of hope and happiness on the day she got married.

She had landed a husband who lived and worked overseas in Italy before returning to India to find a bride. She was looking forward to leaving her home in Punjab, northern India, for an exciting new life in Europe.

Her dream did not last long.

Less than a week after the wedding, it became obvious that her husband, Sarwan Singh, had no intention of taking her with him back to Italy. She was the victim of a scam.

Demanding Dowries

Indian men working abroad are much sought-after as husbands because of their relatively high incomes. Their families often demand huge dowries — a practice banned in India but still widespread in some areas.

Kaur says her family paid Singh and his relatives cripplingly large sums of money — the equivalent of $15,000 — during the wedding festivities alone.

Almost immediately afterward, Kaur's new in-laws came up with more demands. They wanted a television, a house and — after Singh went back to Europe — another $15,000. They threatened her with death if her family failed to pay up.

Abandonment

Kaur, now 30, has fled back to her family with her 3-year-old daughter — the product of Singh's brief visit. Mother and daughter must now live with the stigma of being abandoned.

She is not the only one. Social activists say as many as 15,000 women in the northern state of Punjab alone are victims of a growing racket in which Indian men based overseas arrange marriages back home for the purpose of extorting wealth from their brides' families. The problem is particularly acute in Punjab, as the state has a large number of people working overseas.

The problem has become so severe that a new group, For the Dignity of Our Daughters, was established in India to tackle it. It is led by a former federal minister, Balwant Singh Ramoowalia.

"Six-thousand children have been fathered by these NRI (non-resident Indian) Punjabis. Many Punjabi girls' parents have to shell out money to the tune of ($30,000 to $41,000)," Ramoowalia says.

Some brides are left waiting at airports, some left with their in-laws, all cheated of money, valuables and, most of all, dignity.

"The reason NRI grooms come to Punjab is not to chose a life companion, but ... because of money and lust," Ramoowalia says.

Tracking Down Offenders

Ramoowalia says the men are often confident that they'll escape without prosecution. But that is no longer the case. Ramoowalia's efforts have put a couple of men behind bars; he says his political party is vigilant in its efforts to track down offenders.

Ramoowalia's campaign is also mobilizing a new type of Punjabi bride, who — far from being docile and submissive — is determined to fight for justice.

Kaur is one of them. She wants her husband extradited from Italy, so that she can prosecute him for fraud.

Radio piece by Philip Reeves. Written piece by Shivani Dogra for NPR.

Rogan · Pristupio: 14 Apr 2006 Poruke: 5340 Studijska grupa: Istorija umetnosti

Exposing Anti-Choice Abortion Clinics

Misleading 'crisis pregnancy centers' are appearing across America, aiming to limit or even prevent women from exploring all of their legal health care options.

According to a recent Planned Parenthood email, a 17-year-old girl mistakenly walked into a crisis pregnancy center thinking it was Planned Parenthood, which was next door. "The group took down the girl's confidential personal information and told her to come back for her appointment, which they said would be in their 'other office' (the real Planned Parenthood office nearby)."

When she showed up for her nonexistent appointment, she was met by the police, who had been erroneously tipped that a minor was being forced to abort. The crisis pregnancy center staff followed up this harassment by staking out the girl's house, phoning her father at work, and even talking to her classmates about her pregnancy, urging them to harass her.

I contacted Jennifer Jorczak of Planned Parenthood of Indiana to verify this story, and while she was unable to provide details out of respect for the patient's privacy, she confirmed that everything in the initial action alert email was true.

This humiliating and frustrating experience seems, by all accounts, to await more American women in the near future. And the best part? It's funded by your tax dollars.

Even here in Austin, Texas, the signs are everywhere: "Pregnant? Need help?"

If you're facing an unwanted pregnancy, one of the possible solutions would be getting un-pregnant -- still a legal, if sometimes difficult-to-find, option in America. But the "crisis pregnancy centers" these signs advertise seek to limit and, in some cases, prevent women from exploring their legal options for health care.

Dishonest as these types of crisis pregnancy centers are, it's hard to argue against their right to exist, especially since most of their clients enter their doors willingly. However, the aforementioned incident reported by Planned Parenthood of Indiana indicates that some groups are not above using more aggressive methods to stop women from aborting pregnancies.

These tactics are even more troubling in light of the growing legislative support to direct taxpayer money towards crisis pregnancy centers and away from places that provide actual reproductive services to low-income women. Texas, as usual, stands at the forefront of conservative innovation in the art of draining public funding while reducing services. In the latest round of cuts, $25 million was sliced from the state budget for family planning services and $5 million of that money was set aside in a rider from Republican Sen. Tommy Williams to fund crisis pregnancy centers.

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There must be violence against women
By: Maged Thabet Al-Kholidy - majed_thabet@hotmail.com
The Yemen Times

This title may sound strange, but it’s actually not just a way to attract readers to the topic because I really do mean what it indicates. Violence is a broad term, especially when used regarding women. In this piece, I want to shed light on those instances where violence against women is a must.

First, we should know the meaning of the word violence. Longman’s Dictionary of Contemporary English defines violence as “behavior that is intended to hurt other people physically.” However, the term violence mustn’t be confused with other concepts and terms such as gender inequality or absence of women rights.

Occasionally – if not daily – we hear about events occurring in Islamic and Arab societies. Some human rights organizations recently have attacked violent acts against women, standing against any type of violence – even that between a father and daughter – and citing the cases of some women as examples.

Consequently, they offer solutions such as complaining to the police, taking revenge or leaving them men, who are either their husbands, fathers or brothers – with no exceptions.

One such case involved a woman whose husband allegedly had beaten her. Without revealing the husband’s reasons for doing so, such human rights organizations immediately urged the wife to complain to the police and the courts, while at the same time generalizing the instance and other similar solutions to any type of violence.

If a man and woman are husband and wife, the Qur’an provides solutions, firstly reaffirming any logical and acceptable reasons for such punishment. These solutions are in gradual phases and not just for women, but for men also.

For men, it begins with abandoning the marital bed, by opting to sleep elsewhere in the house. After this, they may discuss the matter with any respected person for the husband’s or the wife’s family, who could be in a position to advise the wife. If this also does not work, then the husband yields to beating the wife slightly. They do this because of a misunderstanding in the Quran, as the word says Darban, which is commonly understood today as beating. However, in Classic Arabic it means to set examples or to announce and proclaim. The more accurate meaning of this last one is that the husband finally has to set forth, to make a clear statement or proclamation, and if these measures fail, then divorce is preferable.

Similarly, wives may take actions such as abandoning the marital bed, following by leaving the husband’s home for that of their parents, brothers or any other relatives. They may do this more than once, but if such action fails, they may not continue to live with their husband and via their relatives, they may request a divorce.

Despite such instructions, beating is considered a type of violence, according to human rights organizations, which urge women to complain to the police. I just wonder what kind of families our societies would have if Muslim women started doing this regarding their husbands.

Relationships between fathers and daughters or sisters and brothers also provoke argument from human rights organizations, which propose the suggested solutions for all relationships. Personally, I don’t think fathers or brothers would undertake such behavior unless there was a reason for it.

Fathers are responsible for their daughters’ behavior, but human rights organizations deny this too. Brothers also should take action regarding their sisters’ behavior, especially if their parents are too old or dead. If a daughter or sister makes a mistake – especially a moral one – that negatively affects the entire family and its reputation, what’s the solution by such organizations?

According to them, women should complain to the courts about any type of violence against them. Likewise, should fathers and brothers complain to police if their daughters or sisters violate moral, Islamic or social norms?

Fathers should handle their daughters via any means that suits their mistake; thus, is it better to use violence to a certain limit or complain to the police? Shall such women then complain to the police against their fathers or brothers? It’s really amazing to hear this.

In some cases, violence is necessary, but there must be limits. Those “good human rights organizations” don’t make any exceptions in their solutions because their aim is to serve society. Will it be a better society once we see wives, mothers, sisters and daughters going from one police station and one court to another, complaining against their husbands, fathers, brothers and even sons?

As the proverb goes, “If the speaker is mad, the listener should be mindful.” This proverb is good advice for every man and woman not only to keep their ears open, but also to avoid the misleading propaganda of such organizations, whose surface aims hide other destructive ones to destroy society’s religious, social and moral norms. This matter requires consideration.

Dear readers – especially women – don’t think that I hate or am against women; rather, I simply mean to preserve the morals and principles with which Islam has honored us.

I hope my message is clear, since it’s really quite relevant to the future of our societies, which must be protected from any kind of cultural invasion.

Luna · Pristupio: 12 Feb 2007 Poruke: 2362 Studijska grupa: neki drugi fakultet

Rogan ::

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There must be violence against women
By: Maged Thabet Al-Kholidy - majed_thabet@hotmail.com
The Yemen Times

This title may sound strange, but it’s actually not just a way to attract readers to the topic because I really do mean what it indicates. Violence is a broad term, especially when used regarding women. In this piece, I want to shed light on those instances where violence against women is a must.

First, we should know the meaning of the word violence. Longman’s Dictionary of Contemporary English defines violence as “behavior that is intended to hurt other people physically.” However, the term violence mustn’t be confused with other concepts and terms such as gender inequality or absence of women rights.

Occasionally – if not daily – we hear about events occurring in Islamic and Arab societies. Some human rights organizations recently have attacked violent acts against women, standing against any type of violence – even that between a father and daughter – and citing the cases of some women as examples.

Consequently, they offer solutions such as complaining to the police, taking revenge or leaving them men, who are either their husbands, fathers or brothers – with no exceptions.

One such case involved a woman whose husband allegedly had beaten her. Without revealing the husband’s reasons for doing so, such human rights organizations immediately urged the wife to complain to the police and the courts, while at the same time generalizing the instance and other similar solutions to any type of violence.

If a man and woman are husband and wife, the Qur’an provides solutions, firstly reaffirming any logical and acceptable reasons for such punishment. These solutions are in gradual phases and not just for women, but for men also.

For men, it begins with abandoning the marital bed, by opting to sleep elsewhere in the house. After this, they may discuss the matter with any respected person for the husband’s or the wife’s family, who could be in a position to advise the wife. If this also does not work, then the husband yields to beating the wife slightly. They do this because of a misunderstanding in the Quran, as the word says Darban, which is commonly understood today as beating. However, in Classic Arabic it means to set examples or to announce and proclaim. The more accurate meaning of this last one is that the husband finally has to set forth, to make a clear statement or proclamation, and if these measures fail, then divorce is preferable.

Similarly, wives may take actions such as abandoning the marital bed, following by leaving the husband’s home for that of their parents, brothers or any other relatives. They may do this more than once, but if such action fails, they may not continue to live with their husband and via their relatives, they may request a divorce.

Despite such instructions, beating is considered a type of violence, according to human rights organizations, which urge women to complain to the police. I just wonder what kind of families our societies would have if Muslim women started doing this regarding their husbands.

Relationships between fathers and daughters or sisters and brothers also provoke argument from human rights organizations, which propose the suggested solutions for all relationships. Personally, I don’t think fathers or brothers would undertake such behavior unless there was a reason for it.

Fathers are responsible for their daughters’ behavior, but human rights organizations deny this too. Brothers also should take action regarding their sisters’ behavior, especially if their parents are too old or dead. If a daughter or sister makes a mistake – especially a moral one – that negatively affects the entire family and its reputation, what’s the solution by such organizations?

According to them, women should complain to the courts about any type of violence against them. Likewise, should fathers and brothers complain to police if their daughters or sisters violate moral, Islamic or social norms?

Fathers should handle their daughters via any means that suits their mistake; thus, is it better to use violence to a certain limit or complain to the police? Shall such women then complain to the police against their fathers or brothers? It’s really amazing to hear this.

In some cases, violence is necessary, but there must be limits. Those “good human rights organizations” don’t make any exceptions in their solutions because their aim is to serve society. Will it be a better society once we see wives, mothers, sisters and daughters going from one police station and one court to another, complaining against their husbands, fathers, brothers and even sons?

As the proverb goes, “If the speaker is mad, the listener should be mindful.” This proverb is good advice for every man and woman not only to keep their ears open, but also to avoid the misleading propaganda of such organizations, whose surface aims hide other destructive ones to destroy society’s religious, social and moral norms. This matter requires consideration.

Dear readers – especially women – don’t think that I hate or am against women; rather, I simply mean to preserve the morals and principles with which Islam has honored us.

I hope my message is clear, since it’s really quite relevant to the future of our societies, which must be protected from any kind of cultural invasion.

skoro nisam procitala takvu gomilu nonsensa na jednom mestu... Zbun

Rogan · Pristupio: 14 Apr 2006 Poruke: 5340 Studijska grupa: Istorija umetnosti

You should read more Namig

Luna · Pristupio: 12 Feb 2007 Poruke: 2362 Studijska grupa: neki drugi fakultet

ako to znaci izlaganje ogromnim kolicinama nonsensa- i'll pass Namig