Islam's Way to End Violence Against Women? CivilizedMen� |� Qasim Rashid

"She made me do it."

I hear this expression all as well usually, and each time I hear it my heart bleeds. In my pro bonolegal technique, I stand for poverty-stricken females who endure or have suffered via domesticphysical violence. As an attorney, as a Muslim, as an other half, and as an uncle to 5 beautifulnieces, I view my customers as individuals that might just as effortlessly be my household.

My members are white, black, Eastern and Latino. They are Muslim, Christian, agnostic andundeclared. They remind me that violence against women is an around the world epidemic-- and thatsuch brutality is the leading source of injury to females in America. Part of the client meetingprocess looks for to understand the hiddening roots that led to the misuse. While I recognize thefactor, the factor is to understand just what they believe caused the violence versus them.Invariably, my DV customer will at some time case, "He mentioned I prompted him, that I made himdo it." Occasionally I could not tell if they really think exactly what they're mentioning, or have beenbeaten-- literally or figuratively-- into believing it.

A current Washington Blog post write-up suggests that marriage is the Holy Grail to make surefemales prevent residential misuse and violence, declaring, "Wedded females are significantly moresecure compared to their single peers, and girls raised in a residence with their married daddy aresubstantially much less likely to be abused or assaulted compared to kids living without their owndad." For that reason, the authors conclude "one method to finish brutality versus ladies [is] marrieddads."

For the purpose of debate, I'll think the article is well-intentioned. Regrettably, in assessingcomprehensive information and transforming ladies into stats, the post-- at best-- does well in somevivid bar charts mentioning on women which are a little less abused compared to other women. Thearticle woefully misses out on the main reason behind why violence against females exists, and as aresult it brokens the correct solution to quit that brutality.

A female's outfit, marital standing, and way of living do not influence brutality against females.Violence versus females exists since the guys in their lives-- solitary, married and completestrangers-- commit that brutality. Physical violence against females alreadies existing consideringthat guys do not treat females with regard. Brutality versus women alreadies existing given that oursociety does not value the moral attributes of respect in discourse, regard for a lady's body, regardfor a lady's right to ability, and the equality and equity of females generally.

Rather, we turn to placing the trouble of staying away from violence on ladies, while guys get awayuntouched. Such a method is as reprehensible as it is ineffective-- as shown by increasing DV cases.Recognizing that this technique contrasts humanity, Astrologer Muhammad implementedsubstantive reform amongst guys to stop violence against women 1400 years ago.Pre-Islam Arabiawas a hotbed of misogyny, physical violence versus ladies, and inequality. Women had no right toresidential property, choice in marriage, right to divorce, or self-determination. Islam initially right

away provided women these civil liberties and forbade compeling anything on females. Whilephysical violence versus ladies is epidemic in some parts of the Muslim world today-- as it is in Theunited state and the west-- life for women instantly and for centuries after Islam stands for exactlyhow Islam's immaculate trainings inevitably elevated ladies to a level of equality and changed guysto stop committing physical violence.

For instance, to instruct regard for a woman's body, Islam worries chastity-- however places themain burden for chastity on males, not females. While clerics and priests today proclaim thatfemales ought to "get married" or "outfit more decently" to stay clear of domestic brutality, ProphetMuhammad held a various look at. While motivating marriage and modest outfit for both sexes,Prophet Muhammad substantially and as a structure regulated men, "You be chaste yourselves, andwomen will certainly be chaste." He regulated men to stop consuming over just how ladies act anddress, and instead required men concentrate on self-reform and self-improvement. While the Qur'anadmonishes ladies to dress reasonably in the footprints of Mary Mom of Jesus, it as an alternativeand initially regulates men to "cast down your eyes" and "not looking at females lustfully"-- despiteexactly how a woman prefers to dress. A lady is responsible to herself and God to dress and actreasonably, while a male is mostly bound to ladies, to himself, and to God to treat women withregard and not glare.

The Qur'a further proclaims males and females as 2 equivalent beings created from a single soul,declares guys and women as garments for one an additional created to protect one another fromdamage and suffering, and regulates Muslims to speak in a comely and civilized manner. As for theclaim that "She produced me," the Qur'an emphatically responds, "Accompaniment with women incompassion, and if you dislike them, it may be you object to a thing in which God has actually put alot excellent." The Qur'a more commands males that if a woman without a doubt dedicates anostentatious act-- such as cheating-- a man must first suggest her of his disapproval in words, and ifstill furious separate himself from the unpredictable circumstance-- and not trigger her physicalharm under any type of circumstance. (My recent books and magazine EXTREMIST similarly buststhe belief some uphold that the Qur'an commands males to commit domestic brutality).

On a journey via the desert, a man vehicle driver quickened the heard. Astrologer Muhammad,noting that ladies were traveling with them and would certainly experience pain as a result of therough trip, admonished the motorist to decrease, proclaiming, "Mind the crystal!" Indeed,Muhammad's perishing words were "Manage ladies well. You have civil liberties over them and theyhave civil liberties over you. They are your committed partners."

The strategy worked. Women after Islam rose to levels of unmatched jurists like Hazrat Ayesha,courageous soldiers like Nusayba b. Ka'b al-An ?? r? yya and Khawla b. al-Azwar, brilliantneighborhood leaders like Zaynab b. 'Al?, and breathtaking academics like Lubna of Cordoba andFatima al-Fihri of Morocco. This listing is yet a mere picture.

Many notably, Islam's remedy to quit physical violence versus women is not a religious solution-- it isa nonreligious answer. It obliges guys to guard their chastity, deal with women with equality, takeownership over their very own habits, and respect a woman's body and right to ability.

Physical violence versus women will quitwhen men quit committing physicalviolence versus females. I would likeabsolutely nothing even more compared tomy done for free technique in residentialviolence to come to be out-of-date. But aslengthy as we justify information to sustainthe preconceived notion that woman are theorigin reason-- or a reason-- of physicalviolence against ladies, I'll sadly haveadditional clients than I can handle.

For humankind, stop criticizing females. Inthe meanwhile, I'll increase my 2 youthfulboys with Prophet Muhammad's instance--that the secret to quiting brutality againstfemales rests with civilized men and theirpersonal possession.