International Women's Day

Today is International Women's Day, a day to celebrate women around the world and a day to appreciate them for all that they have done.

Many countries have declared it as a national holiday, and some like the US have made the whole month, a month for women.


Look at the following. Which of the following do you think is true and which is false?

• Only about 20% of government seats are occupied by women
• Women perform 66% of the world's work
• Women only earn 11% of the world's income as a whole
• Women only own about 1% of the world's land as a whole
• 66% of all illiterate adults are women

All of the above are true. Women are really put under the bus for all their hard work and contributions to society. The first International Women's Day was celebrated on March 8th, 1911 and it was declared an official day in 1917 by the United Nations. This day was a milestone for women. They were finally being recognized after a long time of struggle.

But keep in mind, this is only recognized by countries who really want to recognize it. 

While some women are able to rejoice a day where they are being commemorated and appreciated, there are other women, like those in some Middle Eastern countries, who are being suppressed and are being denied even the most basic of rights making it almost impossible for them to do anything.

Hopefully, it will dawn upon governments who suppress women that women can contribute so much to society and have the ability to do more than sit at home.

Ideally everyday should be Women's Day, where every woman can celebrate knowing they are not being denied of their rights and are being treated as an equal.

(P.S.- Wear purple to celebrate the day)

The Significance of Women's Rights Activists

Women's rights activists spread awareness and bring about change in their respective countries. They identify the flaws in a system and persistently fight to convince the rest of society as well as the governing powers. Their efforts are hardly recognized by the intentional community, but those who are recognized have a farther reach. To help help their efforts reach a wider audience and eventually change their countries for the better, it is our responsibility to spread awareness of their cause and rally people to get involved. 

The power of activists is so strong that it could transform even the most corrupt countries. 

Women's Rights Activists in Action

There are a few more women's rights activists in the Middle East who should be pointed out for their achievements.

1) Tawakkol Karman

Tawakkol Karman was the first Yemeni/ Arab woman to receive a Nobel Peace Prize award. She is journalist, activist and politician in one of the harshest Middle Eastern countries (when concerned with women's rights). She is also the co-founder of the group “Women Journalists Without Chains".

She contributed to the Arab Spring, and uprising against injustices. Her courage and effort is further appreciated since she was a woman who pushed her way through the boundaries of the gender barrier and fought for her rights and the rights of others, men and women alike.

2) Razan Ghazzawi

Razan Ghazzawi is a blogger from Syria who has been campaigning for human rights, especially in her country. She contributed to the Syrian Civil war, spoke out about the arrests of many of her fellow activists and spoke against the rights being violated by Bashar al Assad.

She has been arrested many times by the Syrian government for her acts of campaigning but she refuses to leave since she has such a big task on her hands, fighting for the equal rights of her countrymen and woman.

3) Manal al-Sharif

Manal al-Sharif is a women's rights activist from Saudi Arabia who helped start a big campaign for the right to drive in her country. She was arrested a few times for her outspokenness, but that made her pursue her case further.

Queen Rania: The Crusading Queen

It is one thing to learn about women's rights and feel sorry for those whose rights are being snatched away from them, and it is another to actually do something about it.

Apart from looking at the rights of women in different Middle Eastern countries, we would also like to look at people who are already out their fighting for the disappearing rights of women. 

One person who we will look at is Queen Rania, the Queen of Jordan. Queen Rania is known for her advocacy and fighting for public health, education and women's rights. 

Though she was married into the royal family, she still held her stance and earned the respect of her people. In fact, being a "commoner" allowed her to connect with her people and has allowed her to focus on real issues that her country is facing.

Being a Queen, people look up to her and follow her. She is well-known as an opponent to the practices of "honor killing" where women were killed by their own family if they violated the Islamic code.

"A woman caring for her children; a woman striving to excel in the private sector; a woman partnering with her neighbors to make their street safer; a woman running for office to improve her country - they all have something to offer, and the more our societies empower women, the more we receive in return."

"I have nothing against the veil. And I think that, wrongly, many in the West look at the veil as a symbol of oppression. Now, as long as a woman chooses to wear the veil, because that's her belief and because of her own - that's a personal relationship with God, so she should be free to dress in whichever way she wants." 

-  Queen Rania of Jordan

Queen Rania reaches out to the public through speeches, tweets and posts, hoping to reach people farther off, fix their misconceptions and have them join the fight to give women the rights they have been deprived.

Funny to a Certain Extent

Share your interpretation and thoughts about the cartoon.

Women's Rights in Yemen

Yemen has been named one of the worst places for women to live. They neglect their women citizens, so much so that they might as well not be considered citizens but more as prisoners.

Women do not have the right to marry without the permission of their male guardians. However this can also mean that they can be sent off to another family through marriage at a very young age like 8 years. They also do not have equal rights to divorce or inherit things like family possessions. This is enforcing the male chauvinist attitude that men were born to control everything.

More importantly, women completely lack legal protection, which makes them more vulnerable and makes them easily "attackable" with violence, either physically or mentally.

A growing concern regarding Yemen and gender-based discrimination has been the concept of child-marriage which is not only a loss of the opportunity for an education but also the ruining of a childhood and life. Western ideologies obviously conflict with such practices but the Yemeni government allow the practice to continue and raise no concerns.

Yemen also has high rates of violence targeted towards women. Which brings up the next concern and point. Before giving women the right to vote and the right to make independent choices, the first right that should be granted is the right to protection. Women need to be safe and then they need to have access to rights which allow them to thrive in society. Right now, women are too scared to even exit their houses in fear they will be abducted or assaulted. Once they are free to roam around in peace they can prove their true power and ability and can rise up to show people they mean business.

 

Women's Rights in Syria

Once again the Extremists, ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra, attack the women of Syria. Not physically but socially and emotionally. They have tightened the laws and regulations for all citizens, but have also worsened the conditions and situations of women in the country.

Though the life of a women has been bad for many hundreds of years, all of a sudden men who barge into their country and destroy things to shows their power, meanwhile claiming they are strict followers of the Qu'ran, deem themselves the creator of rules in the country.

They have further diminished their sparse rights by restricting any access to education, reducing the ability for them to provide for their families (by keeping them trapped within the confines of their home) and even obtain the basic necessities for survival. When women stood up or disobeyed, they would be further isolated even to the extent of not being able to go out, use public transportation and buy bread.

However, women and girls in Syria have it slightly better off than others in neighboring Middle Eastern countries. Syria doesn't have a state-mandated religion and it has a constitution protects freedom of religion. Along with religion, it also guarantees gender equality. However, some of the laws like ones regarding marriage, divorce and inheritance have been fashioned in a way that discriminates against women.

Prior to the taking over by ISIS and other terrorist groups, women had a lot more freedom as Syrian citizens.

“Groups like ISIS and al-Nusra claim to be part of a social movement, yet they seem more focused on diminishing freedom for women and girls than providing any social benefit... As we have seen in situations in Somalia, Mali, and elsewhere, these kinds of restrictions often mark the beginning of a complete breakdown of women’s and girls’ rights.”         

--Liesl Gerntholtz, women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch

Malala Yousafzai- Women's Rights Advocate

“Malala Yousafzai was a girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban.”

Malala’s father owned The Kushal Public School in the valley of Swat in Pakistan and despite the fact that Malala was a girl, he encouraged her to learn how to read and write. During that time, this was considered outrageous and the family was threatened by a group called the Taliban. They thought women should not go to school, and had a radical interpretation of the Quran. As a young child, Malala never understood why it was so wrong for her, but appropriate for her brothers to go to school. At the age of eleven, angered by her experience, Malala stared accompanying her father to talk shows and radio broadcasts to speak about the right of women to attend school. Being a fabulous public speaker, Malala was invited to speak in front of many prestigious audiences and met many famous people along her journey. She even wrote a blog for BBC under the name of Gul Makai, in which she talked about her everyday life and fight against the Taliban. 

The Taliban later found out who she was and on October 9th, 2012 while returning from school, 

Malala’s bus was stopped at an army checkpoint and she was shot in the head. The Taliban feared she was preaching secularism and “Western Ways.” After a dangerous operation in Lady Reading Hospital, treatment in Riwaldi Army Hospital and the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology, it was decided that due to her unstable condition, Malala was to be moved to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England. Because her family was poor, her travel and operation was funded by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other groups.

Due to her family’s lack of money and travel documents, an English doctor named Fiona Reynolds accompanied Malala to England. After spending considerable amounts of time with Malala, Dr. Fiona realized that her job was a risky one. She said “I felt if she'd died I would have killed Pakistan's Mother Teresa. Not often in my pampered life am I asked to put my neck out.”

Malala used her personal experiences to educate the world about the restrictions enforced by the Taliban regarding education for girls. Despite being an ordinary person, Malala brought about an extraordinary change through her courage and fearlessness. Today Malala is the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and continues to encourage girls to speak up for their education.

She tells us that “We realize the importance of our voice when we are silenced.” As a community, we are lucky to have the opportunity to get an education. Malala teaches us to be grateful for that chance and to speak up for those who are not as fortunate. “I don’t know why people have divided the world into two parts, west and east. Education is neither western nor eastern, education is education and it is the right of every human being.”

Women's Rights in Afghanistan

One of the countries in the Middle East which we will be looking at is Afghanistan. 

Afghanistan is a country scorned by many Americans. Afghanistan is the birthplace/breeding grounds of Islamic terrorists groups like the Taliban and Al- Qaeda. Afghanistan is also where the U.S. just withdrew its troops. But something Afghanistan is less know for is the negligence cast upon women and girls. 

In Afghanistan, women are considered to be insignificant parts of society. They are treated as second-class citizens, sometimes even worse. Women receive no respect in such places. In fact, their government rules and society rules were tailored in way that completely ignores women or makes them stay out of the way.

These laws and rules make it seem as if women are just obstructions in society have no purpose other than staying at home and doing work inside. 

One simple example is the rule that women are not allowed to get out of the house unless they accompanied with a male member of their family. This is one of the most common restrictions amongst Middle Eastern nations who do not respect women's rights.

Women are also forced to wear "burqa" which completely covers the body. Though the original reason for the establishment of the rule was for a reasonable purpose (to keep women safe and ensure they are dresse modestly), these rule makers are taking it to many steps further and giving women no options to make their own decisions. 

You may be wondering who would create such rules and enforce it. It is the same group of people who attacked the US, and the people the we were after. None other than the Taliban. The Taliban is the largest Islamic militia group in Afghanistan. The Taliban governed Afghanistan which gave them the ability to establish rules. These Islamic fundamentalists claim that these rules are strictly following the rules of the Qur'an and following Islam, but really they are finding the "loopholes". 

In the words of some Taliban members:

"It's like having a flower, or a rose. You water it and keep it at home for yourself, to look at it and smell it. It [a woman] is not supposed to be taken out of the house to be smelled." 
-- Syed Ghaisuddin, Taliban Minister of Education

"If a woman wants to work away from her home and with men, then that is not allowed by our religion and our culture. If we force them to do this they may want to commit suicide." 
-- Mullah Nooruddin Turabi, Taliban Minister of Justice

Looking through the eyes of some women in Afghanistan:

"Because of the Taliban, Afghanistan has become a jail for women. We haven't got any human rights. We haven't the right to go outside, to go to work, to look after our children."                       -- Faranos Nazir, 34-year-old woman in Kabul 

"When we are together, everyone here is talking about how the Taliban has destroyed our lives.  They won't let us go to school because they want us to be illiterate like them."
-- Nasima, 35-year-old Kabul resident

(Courtesy of U.S. Departement of State- Diplomacy in Action)

Women's Rights in Iran

Despite having faced cultural and legal discrimination, women in Iran have managed to make significant leaps in their journey towards gender equality. Today in Iran, women have the ability to work, drive, play sports and get an education.  But what is missing from the picture are the many rights that they don't have! Believe it or not, Iranian women can neither travel without a male guardian or convey their citizenship to their children.

Women gaining the right to an equal education came from one of the most unconvincing arguments that educating women would "help raise better sons for their country." Fortunately their pleas were smart and manipulated the authorities to give in. In 1936, the enrollment of 12 women, marked the entry of women into university education. As of today, women account for well over half of university students in Iran. This is devastating to many of the Iranian conservative groups who claim that education for women could cause "social disparity and economic and cultural imbalances between men and women."

Today in Iran, women are allowed to dress as the please in private- among men they know- but must follow a modest dress code while in public. A modest dress code usually includes hijab. If you recall from the Women's Rights in Saudi Arabia post, hijab literally means a "screen," or "curtain," and in most Middle Eastern countries refers to a veil that covers the head and chest. In Iran, hijab includes the choice of chador or roopoosh and a veil. Chador is a "large piece of cloth that is wrapped around the head and upper body, leaving only the face exposed" and the Roopoosh is " a long jacket type cover worn over clothes,"-Persian Corner.

In order to get a passport, Iranian women need a male citizen's permission. After the acquisition of a passport, a woman can travel without the consent or accompaniment of a male citizen.

On the upside of things, women in Iran are allowed to play sports, a rare sight in Islamic countries. 2,500 years ago, women contributed to the creation of the game of polo, now an extremely popular sport. Today in Iranian schools, sports are offered to both boys and girls. They include soccer, taekwondo, chess, and track and field events. Unfortunately, despite the fact that women are allowed to participate in sports, if a competition's audience includes unknown males, their participation will be denied. In addition, there may only be female coaches for female athletes. The Iranian women's volleyball team, previously one of the best, could not compete as there was a lack of female coaches.

Please comment with your interpretation of the cartoon below.

Besides the fact that the cartoon is displayed in Arabic, which other countries or regions could this cartoon apply to?


What is your opinion of the cartoon? Do you approve of the men's facial expressions or their comments toward the woman?

Women's Rights in Saudi Arabia

"And for women are rights over men similar to those of men over women." [Noble Qur'an 2:228]

 
Women's rights in Saudi Arabia are quite limited as compared to many of its neighbors. Saudi Arabia is viewed by the rest of the world as the leader of the oil industry and the land of many kings. Although over the years, Saudi Arabia has made significant leaps in the matter of women's rights, there is still a long way to go. Previous Global Gender Gap Reports showed countries such as Kyrgyzstan, Gambia and Indonesia significantly higher than Saudi Arabia for women's equality. As much fame and fortune as the country has, they still have a long way to go in terms of gaining equal rights for women.

Even today in Saudi Arabia, laws prohibit women from traveling, getting medical care, and conducting business, let alone dressing as they wish, without the approval of a male relative. If a women is seen breaking any of these laws, the religious police or the Mutaween, will enforce Sharia Law by detaining or beating the miscreants.

In Saudi Arabia, all women are required "to draw their outer garments around them (when they go out or are among men)" or wear hijab. Hijab literally means a "screen," or "curtain," and in most Middle Eastern countries refers to a veil that covers the head and chest. It is often worn by Muslim women as a symbol of modesty and privacy.

In public, whether at a mosk or a restaurant, women and men are required to sit separately from one another. This ensures that women do not come in contact with strange men, the family honor is maintained and the female's purity is kept. The majority of Saudi homes, believe it or not, have two entrances- one for men and one for women. These special doors or sections are called harim, which directly translates to "forbidden," or "sacred." Violation of any sex-segregation rules is referred to as "khalwa."

One weak aspect of Saudi Arabia when looking through the lens of women's rights, is employment. Only 18.6% of the native working force and 6.1% of foreign expatriate workers are women. In Saudi Arabia, a women's work "must be deemed suitable for female physique and mentality."

According to the Saudi Labor Minister, "The [Labor] Ministry is not acting to [promote] women's employment since the best place for a woman to serve is in her own home. ... therefore no woman will be employed without the explicit consent of her guardian. We will also make sure that the [woman's] job will not interfere with her work at home with her family, or with her eternal duty of raising her children^..."

The percentage of women with a proper education has jumped in the last 45 years or so. In the 1970's, a mere 2% of women were literate as compared to 15% of men. Now, 81% of women in Saudi Arabia have the ability to read and write.

"The Saudi leadership is working hard on reform and supporting women ... Seventy years ago we were completely isolated from the world. The changes which are taking place are unmistakable, and we have finally started opening up." Women are slowly gaining rights as they are beginning to stand up for themselves. Although Saudi Arabia has made huge leaps towards gender equality, they still have a long way to go.

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Comparison of Women's Rights in Various Countries in the Middle East

Being young girls living in the United States, the land of the free and the home of the brave, we scarcely ever have our rights contravened. Besides the occasional comment about boys being stronger, smarter or faster, women are treated equally as compared to men. Women have worked strenuously for centuries to earn the right to vote, to drive, and to have equal rights. Unfortunately, in many Middle Eastern countries, this is hardly the case.

In many parts of the Middle East, women are treated quite unfairly. They have very little say in what they wear, who they marry, and even who they interact with. According to the original Qur'an, men and women are equals. Somehow, in countries in which the Qur'an dictates every move a person makes, women have hardly any rights as compared to men and the inequality between men and women is astonishing.

Below, is a chart comparing women's rights in various countries in the Middle East.

Impressions of Women's Rights in the Middle East

"They made me invisible, shrouded and non-being
A shadow, no existence, made silent and unseeing
Denied of freedom, confined to my cage
Tell me how to handle my anger and my rage?"

-- Zieba Shorish-Shamley,  "Look into my World"  published on the 50^th anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Courtesy of U.S.Department of State (Diplomacy in Action)

 

When we, two 8th graders were given the opportunity to explore current events in the Middle East and asked to use our imagination, we decided to explore a controversial field, women's rights, and use a method of communication which can reach many others like us.

After briefly learning about the constraints put on women we decided to join the fight for equal rights by first spreading the awareness to others about the struggles faced by women in other countries. 

Our goal through these blog posts is to analyze the situations of women around the world and compare the circumstances, as well as reach out the others and find ways to bring people into the fight for equal rights amongst genders. 

We know that the small actions add up and we are trying to learn more about the conditions women face in countries where they are deemed incapable and unqualified.