Women’s Rights in Traditional African Practices and Islam

Africa is a deeply patriarchal society; this is the part of the “Traditional African Value System.” Men dominate the socio-economic and political machinery and organizations. Men are regarded as natural leaders, who are superior and born to rule over women. Women are considered weaker vessels-extensions of men and secondary human beings. The pride and dignity of women are derived from and dependent on men.

This article raises the question, which we have also been discussing on other threads (more specifically in relation to Christrianity), whether it is better to associate traditional religions such as Islam with these obnoxious beliefs and practices, and reject them on this basis or rather to see the latter as distortions of the “true” religion and thus reclaim those religions for the greater good.

In those earlier discussions (again more specifically in relation to Christianity, whose association with such problems is arguably less commonplace and extreme these days,, but also more mainstream in Western culture) I have been tending to argue for the former approach, and consequently for a more atheistic and rejectionist attitude towards traditional religion. But I accept that there are also arguments in favour of the latter approach, and the support of Muslim institutions, individuals and groups referred to in this article arguably exemplifies this. As Pastor Alex has argued (I paraphrase somewhat): religious and atheists alike should work together in eradicating dark age beliefs and practices.

Arguably, being too fundamentalist in our atheism does not help with this. On the other hand I did enjoy Bill Maher’s recent unbaptism of Mitt Romney’s father…

Another good article Leo. It is good to hear that education and modernity is beginning to triumph, but it will be a long road. What part does the colonization of Africa and the people’s desire to hold on to their identity play in the holding on to traditional values?

It was also good to hear acknowledgement that progressive religion can be an ally in changing fundamentalist practices.

I am so sick to my stomach right now that this article was published on the WWW for everybody to see, to further perpetuate misconceptions of Islam and women in Islam. I cannot even begin to point out the ways in which both gender and culture and have been essential zed in this article. Furthermore, an “insider” account does not necessarily make this narrative authentic. There are numerous places where I could simply replace the words “Africa” and “Islam” and “Muslim” with “United States” and “Christianity.” As an American woman and a scholar in sociology of culture and gender in the U.S., I can intelligently state that the US is deeply patriarchal.  One example out of many to share here is: 1 out 5 women in my country are sexually assaulted and 1 out of 4 are killed brutally by their intimate partners. Additionally, while we have the right to vote and access to education, many of us are still denied access to family planning; reproductive right is always on the political agenda and laws are consistently made on women’s bodies in this country. The moral thread that ties such arguments in my country is CHRISTIANTY. Next, when 9/11 happened and similar accounts of Islam and the treatment of women in Islam were published by Muslim women, these accounts were considered to be the only authentic accounts. However, when narratives from Muslim women challenged the normative narrative of Islam = oppression of women, those narratives were silenced. The issue is not the veracity of the narrative but, rather, which narratives get heard and which do not. What we are reading here today is what people want to hear about Africa and Islam. Such narratives only strengthen the American nation-state and create a moral platform on which to argue that people of color require policing, and women of culture experience what Uma Narayan calls “death by culture.” If you think not being able to have the legal right to drive is oppressive, try working an additional graveyard shift just so we American women can put Wonder Bread on the table for our children. If you think the burkha is oppressive, try wearing a string bikini!  While I could develop a monograph about this article that has been published, I will end here with a final comment. Africa is a continent, not a country, but people treat it as such. Here Africa is seen as a monolithic, linear geographical area with little to no diversity. That is, all people in Africa are the same and have limited histories. Here, people are poor, “backward,” and stupid. As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie points out, this is the single story about Africa and it is dangerous. She argues if we do not read about disease-ridden hunger African’s, then we do not believe the story is true.

@ Dr. R - You have a typo, or you are seriously misinformed. The USA statistic you mentioned, “1 out of 4 are killed brutally by their intimate partners” - is wildly inaccurate.  Let us know your sources, thanks.  I assume you have data handy, since you mention that you are a scholar of sociology.

“What we are reading here today is what people want to hear about Africa and Islam.”

Speak for yourself, Dr Badruddoja. I am also very happy to read positive stories about both. But where bad things are happening we need to know about them as well. Better than burying our heads in the sand, isn’t it?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/victory-in-sight-for-revolution-over-female-genital-mutilation-6579560.html?

An article that supports Leo’s contention that progress is being made. Good news for once!

As regards Islam’s role in the subjugation of women, we could argue till the camels come home. However, when Islam says that men can have four wives and not vice-versa, that women are like fields that can be used when men decide, that it is permissible to take sex slaves in war after killing the menfolk and that it is related in the ahadith (sayings attributed to Mohammed) that Mohammed declared that women make up most of the population of Hell and that (contrary to modern psychological research) women’s intelligence is only half that of men, I think the least that can be said is that Islam is not helpful to the cause of women’ human rights. Yes, the west has not had a good record in history either and it is not a utopia but I think it’s fair to say that the idea of women’s (and human) rights first flourished there (at least in modern times) and is slowly spreading throughout the world. In fairness and balance it seems likely that Africa and the Middle East have, through the ‘Arab Spring’ movement returned the favor by inspiring the ‘occupy’ and similar movements elsewhere.

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