The Latest (En)rage(ment) in Keeping Women Oppressed

I was relieved to read in the New York Times about Pope Benedict XVI meeting with some of the sex abuse victims from the ongoing scandals in the Catholic Church. Finally, after so many years, this Sunday, he came face to face with the people whose suffering he tried to keep a secret. It gave me hope that the religious figures of our time are not without (ironically) souls...

...but, then my friend forwarded this doozy:
An Iranian cleric believes promiscuous women cause earthquakes.

And once again, instead of using its great influence for positive change, this cleric is using religion to keep women oppressed. And what's the latest update? Young women in Iran dare to wear form-fitting coats and scarves instead of the traditional burqa, which leaves only a slit showing their eyes. These rebellious Iranian women showing their faces (and hair...whow) in public rather than hiding behind a cloth causes...yes, seismic activity.

The cleric in question, Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi, was quoted by Iranian media, "Many women who do not dress modestly ... lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which (consequently) increases earthquakes." It appears Tehran, Iran's capitol city, is located in an area of increased seismic activity and many fault lines. But I suppose cleric Sedighi saw this as a great opportunity to try to shame women into wanting to dress in something other than a head-to-toe blanket.

Upon reading the story, Shanna Bolden, a George Mason University graduate student, commented, "This prayer leader is basically saying that men are animals, react only by instinct, and have no control over their own actions? In that case, women should have taken over Iran by now!!!" Excellent point, Shanna.

On a related subject, a poll was recently taken, following French President Nicolas Sarkozy's announcement of potentially banning the burqa. The poll showed that 70 percent of French respondents supported the ban, 65 percent showed support in Spain, and 63 in Italy. Furthermore, even 57 percent of UK voters were in favor, and 50 percent of those from Germany wanted to see this head-to-toe women's garment banned.

However, only 33 percent of Americans who took the poll were in support of its riddance. We claim to be such a liberal country, with freedom of choice and expression. So what's the issue here? Perhaps it has to do with our idea that church and state should be kept separate, as James Joyner of the Atlantic Council brought up.

But at the end of the day, the women of Iran were not demanding a ban of any sort. They simply want to dress in a way that allows them to move more comfortably and to feel more free in their daily lives. It is disheartening to think that the men who control these women's lives are coincidentally too weak to control their own sexual urges. So who should be ashamed?

Photo credit: Associated Press

Newsday Tuesday: August 25 Edition

Well the time has come by friends, this is the last Newsday Tuesday that I will be writing as it is my last week interning at FMF. I have really enjoyed writing this every week. It has helped to keep me informed on the week's events, as I hope it has for you, too. I have gotten all of the news that I use for these weekly blogs from the Feminist News Wire that FMF puts out every day. You can get your news this way too! You can sign up for Weekly News E-mails or subscribe to our News feed.

But even though I am leaving you as your Newsday Tuesday correspondent, that doesn't mean the news stops happening! Let's catch up on what has been a very busy week, here and around the world!

Afghan Elections

The participation of many Afghan women in last week's elections was threatened by strict polling regulations and fraud. A severe shortage of female workers to staff women-only polling places limited the ability of millions of women cast their ballots. Despite large turnout at many polling places, men greatly outnumbered women voters as a result.

During the Afghan elections, the Taliban allegedly cut off the fingers of at least two Afghan women in the Kandahar providence after they had cast their ballots. (You can read my blog post about particularly repressing voter turnout among women.

National

The US Department of Health and Human Services, Maternal and Child Health Bureau has instated an initiative that aims to encourage women to breast-feed for longer after returning to work. States, such as Vermont, have started launched programs that offers free assistance to businesses in the state to help to comply with this new law.

Last week, a Planned Parenthood clinic, for fear of losing its license, filed for a restraining order against the state health department to prevent it from being revoked. The threat of losing their license stems from an informed consent law passed in 2005 and a disclosure form proposed by the health department.

A federal judge scheduled a January 2010 trial date Wednesday in a lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of Proposition 8.

Oklahoma confirmed Wednesday that the state will file an appeal with the state Supreme Court of a judge's decision to overturn a controversial abortion law. On Tuesday, an Oklahoma County District Judge overturned a state law requiring women seeking abortions must first receive an ultrasound and a description of the fetus from a doctor.

New York Governor David Paterson promised a group of protesters Tuesday that he will sign a bill that will prohibit incarcerated pregnant women from being shackled while in labor.

The Stamford Marriott Hotel & Spa withdrew special defenses last Monday in a lawsuit involving a woman who was raped at gunpoint in the hotel's parking garage in front of her children. In court documents, the hotel originally argued that the woman was negligent and "failed to exercise due care for her own safety and the safety of her children and proper use of her senses and facilities."

World

Thousands staged a protest Saturday in Bamako, Mali's capital, against a proposed law that would give women greater marriage rights in the country. The law includes provisions that grant inheritance rights to children born without married parents, change the legal age for marriage to 18, and replaces "paternal power" with "parental authority" in family law.

Currently, there is a bill in the Bahamian legislature that would criminalize marital rape. The bill is aimed at combating attitudes about spousal relationships that leave women vulnerable to abuse. As it stands now, charges of rape can only be brought against a spouse if the couple is legally separated or in the process of getting a divorce.

The Danish Conservative Party is proposing to ban burqa and niqab attire as part of an integration initiative. Conservative party officials have criticized the attire as being oppressive towards women and “un-Danish.”

Human Rights Watch released a report last Monday that indicated hundreds of Iraqi gay men have been kidnapped, tortured and murdered since the beginning of 2009. Iraqi authorities have not acted to stop militias that are actively targeting men suspected of engaging in about it too) Extremist election-day violence erupted primarily in the south and southeast regions of Afghanistan, homosexual conduct and may be complicit in some attacks.

...and a friendly reminder

If you're in the DC area, Madam's Organ in Adams Morgan (try saying that 5 times fast!) is the place to be on Thursday night!

FMF Presents: Hell No! We Won't Go - A Networking Benefit for the National Clinic Access Project

Madam's Organ (2461 18th St. NW - Woodley Park Metro) Thurday, August 27 5:00 - 9:00pm

If you are following Feminist Campus on Twitter, please RT! Spread the word! I'll be there, so you better be too!

Photo courtesy of swanksalot on flikr.com

New Bans in France

In 2004, France passed a controversial law
banning students from wearing any clothing or jewelry with religious affiliation in public schools. This law attempted to end religious segregation, but resulted in riots and bitter resentment, especially from the large Muslim community in France. The ban later gained popularity in the news as the "headscarf ban,"as it stopped Muslim girls from wearing headscarves to public schools.

This morning, Monday June 22, President Nicolas Sarkozy spoke in front of legislators attempting to ban Burqas (the full length garments that many devout Muslim women wear) in France. Sarkozy has explained that Burqas are a symbol of oppression, and Reuters has reported Sarkozy as saying that"The burqa is not a religious sign, it is a sign of the subjugation, of the submission of women. I want to say solemnly that it will not be welcome on our territory." This statement is commonplace in western societies, who believe women should be able to wear what they want. It is argued that the Burqa is just another form of patriarchal control, an idea supported by many authors such as Joan Smith.

However, we must keep in mind that it is also offensive to women who choose to wear Burqas to assume that they don't want to be. Many women choose to wear Burqas to honor the passages in the Qur'an for pious reasons, rather than being forced to. I am interested to see the response of the French public if this ban is approved. Whereas previously the Taliban forced women to wear headscarves, does France have the right to tell women what they can't wear? What does this say about France's commitment to separation of church and state?