KayliaLeitch

English1period
12/11/15

ViolenceagainstwomenGodlyorUngodly?

InJanuary8,1868,SusanBAnthonywrote,

Men,theirrights,andnothingmorewomen,their
rights,andnothingless.Ahundredandfortysevenyearslater,therearestillcountrieswhereitislegalfor
amarriedwomantoberapedbyherhusband,whereacheatingwifecanbekilledandwhereitislegalfor
womentobebeatenup.Wheredoesthisallstemfrom,youmayask?Religion.
Mankind:awordthatissupposedtoencompassallofhumanity,butexcludesthediversityanduniqueness
thatmakesushuman.Womenhavebeenwaitingnotjustforpeopletovalidatetheirrights,buttoenforce
thoserightsandtreatthemequally.Weareluckytoliveinacountrythathassomeofthemostadvanced
rightsintheworld,yetevenhere,therearestillproblemswithwomensrightsbeingviolated.Allcountries
aroundtheworldabusewomentosomeextent.Infact,theabuseofwomenandtheirrightshasbeen
happeningsincethebeginningoftime.Oneofthecommonrootsoftheseviolationsisreligion.
Religionhasformedbeliefsystems,valuesandlawsthatwestillseetoday,suchasdonotkillor
steal,whicharederivedfromtheTenCommandments.Religiousinfluenceonsocietyisadoubleedged
swordandhascreatedmanyoftheproblemsofsociety,likesexismandobjectificationofpeopleandrigid
rolesthatpeoplemustfulfillortheyaretreatedinhumanely.
Religionshouldbeawaytobetteraworld,asociety,aperson,buttoooftenithasbeenusedtoabuse
humanrights,mostcommonly,womensrights.
PresidentJimmyCarterledagroupofvariousreligiousleaderstoanalyzetheunderlyingcausesofthe
violationsofwomensrights.Hestates,

Oneoftheconclusionsthatwehavereachedisthatitsthepracticeofreligionthatisthebasic
cause,orthefoundation,orexcuseforotherabuseswherewomenaredeprivedofanequalrighttoserve
Godandwheretheyaretreatedassubordinateorinferiorpeople,andthisexamplesetbyreligiousleaders
givesanexcusetootherdominantmalestopersecuteorabuseordeprivewomenoftheirjustifiablerights,
Forinstance,inOrthodoxJudaism,Catholicism,andIslamwomenarenotallowedtoberabbis,
priestsorimams.Thisworsenstheproblemofobjectifyingwomen.
Howreligionstreatwomentodayisoftenbasedontheirfoundationaltexts.Forinstance,in

Deuteronomy
22:2829
,thebiblesays,Ifamanmeetsavirginwhoisnotbetrothed,andseizesherandlieswithher,and
theyarefound,thenthemanwholaywithhershallgivetothefatheroftheyoungwomanfiftyshekelsof
silver,andsheshallbehiswife,becausehehasviolatedher.Hemaynotdivorceherallhisdays."Someof
youmaybewonderingwhythisisrelevanttotodayortous,butinfact,itstillhappenstoday,alloverthe
world.AccordingtoTheDailyBeast,inMalta,ifakidnapperafterabductingaperson,shallmarrysuch
person,heshallnotbeliabletoprosecution.Thisrelatesdirectlytothebiblicalquoteabove.
ItisnotjustintheAbrahamicreligionsthatthishappens.InGreekmythology,Medusaisadevoted
servant,likeanun,ofAthenas.Poseidonwantstohavesexwithher,butshedenieshim,becausesheis
notallowedto.PoseidonrapesherinAthenastemple.However,Medusaistheonewhoendsupgetting
punished.Sheisturnedfromabeautifulyoungwomantoanuglybeastwhoselookswillturnanyoneto
stoneandsheisisolatedonanisland.Sheisseenassuchamonsterthatherbloodcancreateother
monsters.Andthisterriblepunishmentisallbecauseshewasavictimofrape.
EvenintheUnitedStateswhererapeisillegal,blamingthevictim,orrevictimizingthevictim,stilloccurs.
Forinstance,morethantwodozenwomenofsexualassaultcrimeshaveaccusedBillCosby.Hehasnever
beenpunishedforthesecrimes.


WhatprotectsBillCosbyandmenlikehim?
Victimsofrapeareoftenstilltooafraidtospeakoutbecauseinmanycasestheirfriends,their
familyandtheircommunityshamethem.Often,thetrialrevictimizesthem.Atoooftenheardphraseisthat
thevictimwasaskingforitbecauseofwhatshewaswearingortheywaysheactedorotherridiculous
reasons.
AnditsbetterintheUnitedStatesthaninmanyothercountries.Atleasthere,womenhavethe
righttopresschargesagainstsexualassault,whereasinsomecountries,womenwhospeakaboutitwill
mostlikelybeexiledorkilled.
Biblically,theconceptofrapewasntseennecessarilyasaviolationofwomensrights,becausethefemale
isseenaspropertyofaman,likeherfatherorherhusband.TherearetwoinstancesintheOldTestament
in
Genesis19:111
andin
Judges19:2324
wherearighteousman,thefatherofavirgindaughter,offersher
toanangrymobwhowantstorapehisvisitors.Thestoriesmakeitseemthatthefatherisdoingtheright
thing,whereinfactyouhaveafathersacrificinghisdaughtertoanangrymobtoprotectthemaleguests.If
itwereareversesituationwhereamotherwasofferinghersontobeasacrificed,itwouldbeseenasnot
right.Butinthesecases,becauseitisthefatherandhisdaughterishisproperty,itisconsideredhis
sacrifice,nothers.
Youcouldinterpretthestoriessymbolicallywherethedaughtersrepresentfemalevictimsofrape
andtheangrymobrepresentsrapists,andthefathersrepresentpeopleturningablindeyeorignoringthe
painofthewomen.
Theseexamplesaremoreextremethanwhatweseetoday,butthisissimilartoacaselikeBill
Cosby.BillCosbydruggedwomenforhispleasure.Inaway,hesacrificedthewomentohispleasure,the
samewaytheBiblicalfatherssacrificedtheirdaughterstothemobs.Additionally,hewasseenasafatherly
orguidingfigure,whichmakesthiscaseevenworse.

AnotherexampleofreligionbeingusedagainstwomenistherecentcaseofMalalaYousafzai.
MalalaistheyoungestpersontoreceiveaNobelPeacePrize.Sheisanadvocateforhumanrights,
advocatingforwomensrightsandtheirrightforeducation.Herfatherwasalreadyknownforbeingan
advocateforeducationinPakistan.WhensheandherfatherbegantoadvocatethroughaBBCblog,they
receiveddeaththreatsfromtheTaliban,buttheycontinuedtoadvocate.OnOctober9,2012,aTaliban
gunmanshotMalalathreetimesintheheadwhileshewasheadinghomefromschoolonaschoolbus.One
bulletwentthroughherhead,neckandshoulder.Afterthisincidentshewasincriticalcondition.Thisevent
unifiedcountriesaroundtheworldinsupportofMalalaandwhatshehadtosayaboutgirlseducation.
ItisalsoimportanttoknowthatagroupofIslamicclerkssetafatwaonthosewhowantedtokillher.This
showsthattheTalibangroupdoesnotrepresentallofIslamandwhatIslambelievesin.TheTalibanand
otheraggressivegroupsthatclaimthattheyaredoingGodswillremindsoneofanotherquoteofSusanB
Anthony.Shewrote,
IdistrustthosepeoplewhoknowsowellwhatGodwantsthemtodo,becauseI
noticeitalwayscoincideswiththeirowndesires.Inotherwords,itsnotreligionitselfthatviolateswomens
rights,butitissomeofthemeninpowerwhotwistitfortheirownpoliticalpurposes.
Evenwithalltheseinjusticesstillgoingon,therehavebeenmanywomensrightsmovementsaroundthe
globe.SincetheAmericanWomensMovementbeganinthe1960s,wehavestartedtomoveforwardin
womensrights.Westillhavealongwaytogo,though.Justbecausewomenhavelegalrightsinsome
countries,doesnotmeantheyarebeingtreatedwell.Wecantstopnow.