Another Reason Women Must Fight the Patariarchs.

[No Elephants]

Amazing how Republicans are the ones who seem the most intolerant of Muslims, yet cling to some of the worst concepts of Islam, namely that women need to be controlled--one way or the other--especially around issues in which sex plays a role.

Behavioral experts tell us rape is about power, not sex. I am not sure I buy this 100%. In fact, I am not even sure the line between power and sex is that stark. Be that as it may, I am certainly willing to buy that power plays some role in rape.

And we blamed the victims, often for something as innocuous as wearing the "wrong" clothing. (Word to Geraldo, but that is a different topic). Somehow, the victims had "asked for it," even if they tried to fight off the rapist physically. And, somehow, something like a skirt that was deemed too short absolved the rapist.

Honor killings in the Western Hempisphere, including the US and Canada are becoming an issue. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2055445,...

And it's still the women's fault. And juries are still having trouble convicting of first degree murder. A father ran over his young daughter because she had become too Westernized. And the jury convicted of only second degree murder because, allegedly, it was not premeditated. Had it been up to me, the fucker would have been convicted of a hate crime.

Oh, but people don't hate their own daughters? Really? Then why did he run over with his car?

This is the problem women have always had in getting people to recognize discrimation against women. People love us to death.

There is no "female part of town." People do not move because a female buys a home on their block. They don't cross the street if they see us coming.

They, have, however, had lots of trouble with having women being able to earn enough to pay for that home. And with women having the right to vote. Or run for office. Etc. Or get money for breast cancer research for breast cancer in women, as opposed to research grants re: breast cancer in men.

Getting a majority of women to recognize they had been discriminated against was an issue.

Complicating an already complex issue is the apparent reluctance of some to label this as either typically Arab or typically Muslim. Yet, the killers I know of have all been Muslim or perhaps non-Muslims in nations that are Muslim, to the degree that Muslims are responsible for the national culture.

Like so many things, including "jihad" against infidels, honor killing is not "officially" sanctioned by Islam. Yet, we see certain things in modern times from Muslims or Muslim cultures.

Well, there is no Muslim Pope, so the claim that a behavior is not "officially sanctioned" by Islam can be made about every single thing that is not spelled out very explicitly in the Q'uran.

So, if an action becomes prevalent among Muslims and few to no Islamic clerics are speaking out against it or otherwise taking action to quell it, that says something to me about whether it is sanctioned. Officially or unofficially. Or perhaps even preached at a duty to God or Islam. Officially or unofficially.

Treating women like minors and mental incompetents was never "officially" sanctioned by Christianity, either, yet the laws of Europe and the U.S. did exactly that for all married women and, to some degree (voting) for all women, regardless of marital status. They could not even open an account at the grocery store without their husband's consent because debts could not be enforced against them, much like mental incompetents and minors.

I don't know what the answers are because I, too, don't want to feed into anti-Muslim fever. For instance, I though the opposition to the Muslim center in Manhattan was a disagrace.

But, as my sig line says, if you misdiagnose, you mistreat.

I don't want political correctness to result in a misdiagnosis of the cause of honor killings. For example, I don't think we need to spend a lot of tax dollars or other resources trying to figure out how to end honor killings by Buddhists or atheists.

Anyway, whether someone tells me that I have no right to contraception or that I must cover my face and every hair on my head if I leave my home--or that I may not cover my head if I leave home--or that I cannot vote or speak in temple--or that breast cancer is not worth researching, except in men, it is all part and parcel of the same patriarchial evil and must be stopped in each and everyone of its ugly forms.

Rant over. For now. Maybe.

[tnlefty]

1. In the section Bloody History, it is mentioned that the origins of

this horrendous practice aren't known, but that among northern Arabian tribes it predates Islam in the 7th century. Why this has even been tolerated and how it got a foothold into any religion or culture is beyond me.

I watched a very interesting discussion on Melissa Harris-Perry's show last weekend. An Egyptian American woman mentioned that during the revolution in Egypt, women were active, and used when needed, and stated how much they wanted their freedom. She returned from Egypt a couple of weeks ago and she mentioned that now some of the women were running for office and had aligned themselves with males who are the most oppressive to women there.

She mentioned that there were many commonalities with those Egyptians and the religious right here. She also said something that I've said many times, the goal isn't to just elect more women into office, but to elect women who are pro women, not women who will enable oppressive policies directed at women.

[No Elephants]

2. Assuming that is true, the seventh century was a very long time ago.

If clergy and neighbors were condemning the practice for the past 1300 years, maybe even the past 200, people who immigrate to the US and Canada might not be killing their daughters and other female relatives.

Not a fan of Melissa Harris Perry, but that is a different topic.

[tnlefty]

3. I realize you're not a fan of Melissa Harris-Perry because you posted about it...

I'm not a fan, but that particular discussion was ending women's month and it was a good discussion.

I was just trying to make the point that if women had stopped enabling the practice it would not have gotten a foothold into any religious practice nor culture. I don't think that it should be tolerated here or anywhere. If some women would stop enabling the practice of female genital mutilation, it would also stop.

But the broader point of the discussion was just that...the type of women elected is more important than just electing a woman. Marsha Blackburn ring any bells? We have some nasty ones in the General Assembly who a few years ago voted against pay equity for women. A Dem state house woman told me that they got the republican males in the General Assembly to realize that it affected their wives, daughters, mothers, etc., but the then newly elected at the time republican women voted it down.

That said, I'll try to drop another $25 to Elizabeth Warren this month, and when I attend my Dem Women's Club meeting on Tues. I'll try to write a slightly larger check to Dr. Mary Headrick, who is running for the 3rd Congressional District here.