If anyone thinks the women of Islam will lead the charge away from the more sinister interpretations of the Koran and from Islamic fundamentalism, with the exception of literally a handful of exceptional and brave Muslim women, they may have another thought coming. France, the second country after Belgium to ban the burqa (actually, it’s the naqiba, the veil across the face, that has been banned … the burqa being the entire garment that goes from covered head to nearly-hidden toe, including the naqiba), is the first to enforce (sort of) the law, as two women were arrested because they wore the naqiba; they were charged with illegal protest so as not to cause too much of a stir amongst France’s 5-10 million under-assimilating Muslims (France’s total population: 65 million)..
Young Muslim women, those under the age of twenty, seem to want a different life, though … Many want schooling, to learn a trade, to become educated, to become liberated. Many, if not the vast majority of, young women in Iran were especially hopeful for these outcomes when they protested the elections in Tehran in 2009 -2010; while the actual differentiation may not be as stark as this, the choice is somewhere between being free to choose the kind of life you lead on the one hand or, at the other extreme, being told who your spouse will be, then being pummeled by your spouse at will, or even stoned to death by spouse and family with no jury other than a twisted interpretation of the Koran.
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has programs throughout much of the Muslim world, some of which target education of girls and women directly. The Peace Corps is also active in Muslim (or significantly Muslim) countries. So we might get an A for effort, but in terms of real results, we seem to be closer to an “F”. Some countries are sufficiently enlightened to allow a token number of women and girls to obtain a US-style education, or even a full education in the US.
Where have we (the reasonably well-off non-Muslim world) gone wrong? Here’s a theory:
Women and girls in Muslim countries can only apply for foreign educational opportunities when the families of these would-be students concur (I know this to be a fact in specific instances; I just don’t know how widespread parental dissent is). The stumbling block, therefore, is how to help those young women who would like to participate in educational programs and are intellectually capable of doing so, but can’t apply because father doesn’t approve. Obtaining such information may be delicate, but without it, it’s hard to make a case for reform. We should be smart enough to obtain a decent estimate. Certainly, as Muslim autocrats in Africa and the Middle East fall like tenpins, the US should be there promoting women’s rights as part of any democratic reform movement. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has been one of the earliest and most steadfast American leaders to stand up for women on the world stage.
Meanwhile, too many female Muslims will grow up without a decent education … though many will be educated in the 5,000 or so madrassa’s throughout the Muslim world, too many of which endorse and teach terrorism, anti-semitism and anti-Americanism…. Muslim countries are beginning to realize they are throwing away half their talent while their leaders ask, “why are our people so poor?”
The burqa ban in France is a symbol of this struggle. On a positive note, Muslims in burqa’s will not soon displace the Gaite Parisienne’s can-can dancers.
DickShriver@WeThePeopleBlog.net
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