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Atrocities against humanity are a continuing epidemic. Monitoring, reporting and condemnation of human rights violations against political dissidents, ethnic groups and women, have become a ritual of humanitarian western institutions. Occasionally those reports are followed by financial and political pressure exerted by western countries. Although these efforts are essential and laudable they are insufficient. Usually financial and political pressure does not bring desired change. The targeted countryÕs ruthless and oppressive regimes and their supporters become more defiant and arrogant. Those who suffer from economic embargos are consequently the people humanitarian efforts are meant to help. Using their monopoly on the media, oppressive regimes invoke the nationalistic pride of their citizens and successfully use international pressure for their advantage. The authoritarian governments of Muslim countries such as Iran, Iraq, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sudan are current examples of failed western policies. Crimes against humanity cannot be stopped without eliminating the sources and factors that generate human rights violations. Many questions need to be answered. Why is finding democracy in Muslim countries as difficult as finding a palm tree in the North Pole? Why do some countries have long-lasting human tragedies such as, tyranny, corruption, ethnic fighting, religious oppression, etc.? Why are Muslim women subjected to oppression and humiliation? Why does international terrorism find support from some states and their citizens? Why do those who are oppressed by their governments themselves become oppressors when they obtain power? To find satisfactory answers to these questions we must carefully examine and analyze the factors contributing to these tragedies. This may provide us with a better way of fighting against human rights violations and go beyond the watch-report-condemn cycle. In this paper I will be pointing out the
latent elements that create fertile conditions for oppression and discrimination.
I will focus on women's rights, especially in Muslim countries and my homeland,
Turkey. After exposing those elements I will invite human rights organizations
to support cultural and religious reformation. Here I will focus on the
triarchy (3 Ps) that I think defines a country's human rights record:
1. Patriarchy (through folklore and proverbs)1. Patriarchy/folklore and proverbs Proverbs with their linguistic devices such as rhythm, rhyme, assonance, alliteration, metaphor, inversion, contrast, etc., capture attention and mesmerize an audience. Passed from generation to generation, they are important factors in creating and preserving a national attitude towards other nations, races, religions, women, etc. After I scanned several collections of
proverbs, I found an international cultural consensus regarding the status
of women: women were diabolic witches and only sticks could break their
spell over mankind. They were analogous to horses, dogs, asses, and devils.
When I checked the key words "wives, daughters, girls and woman," I was
appalled to see that almost every proverb degraded and insulted women.
Among them I could find only three proverbs that were exalting women which
I listed in bold fonts. The examples presented here are just a sample of
hundreds of existing negative proverbs about women.
"These examples amply show that the proverb makers of past centuries were misogynists, who in the bitterness of old age and regret could seemingly think of nothing better to do than to discredit with proverbial invectives the women who most likely served them very well." (FN 3)Proverbs (FN 4) have still great influence in many non-western countries, where patriarchal authority is not challenged and oral tradition is still thriving. (FN 5) Though proverbs intend to convey wisdom, they are occasionally used to brainwash generations. The teachings of dead ancestors are used to manipulate oppressed masses economically and politically by misinforming them with stereotypical denunciations and false generalizations. Mineke Schipper, the author of Source of All Evil, on the manipulative power of proverbs writes: "The use of proverbs gives the speaker prestige. In oral cultures, people are impressed by those who have many proverbs at their disposal and know how to use them at the right moment. The audience's moral acceptance of the proverbs strengthens the speaker's message: the proverb is associated with the authority of wisdom. Referring to the wisdom's unquestioned validity, the speaker deserves respect and authority himself. . . . The man who exhibits his wisdom confirms traditional values and the existing power relations. Thus, he 'gets what he wants.' " (FN 6)Tha glorification of brutality has dire consequences and societies pay dearly in terms of bloodshed and armed conflicts. For instance the Somalian proverb, "Strike the whip next to a fool, if he doesn't get the hint, strike him on the head." (FN 7) most likely played a role in the civil war in early 1990's. Teenagers who carried machetes and held guns in their hands had this and similar proverbs in their heads. By planting this and similar literal viruses in their minds, their ancestors granted them the propensity to fight, oppress and destroy. I still remember the statement made by the Turkish general who took over the government by force in 1980. In a radio speech he was justifying the widespread police mistreatment and torture by a popular proverb: ÒThose who do not understand from reason deserve stick. Ó (FN 8) And he was the one with the stick. Rhetorically, he employed folklore and proverbs to glorify his own power and the legitimacy of the military regime. Instantly, he was able to make a crucial connection in the minds of his audience. In Turkish folklore the government is a "baba" (patriarch or father) and according to the culture, father had absolute authority over his children. People, already sedated by Turkish proverbs and intimidated by guns, did not raise any objection when the military commander jailed leading politicians, intellectuals and authors and then carried a systematic campaign of murder and torture to neutralize his opponents. (FN 9) The general was soon a hero. Though the following observation by S.
Topalian was written around 1950 it is still true for the most part of
the Turkey.
"In Turkey no conversation takes place without one or more proverbs being mentioned, and it is amazing to see the influence that they make on an audience; as soon as a proverb is recited all heads nod in approval and all arguments cease, a suffering or loss becomes bearable and even death loses its sting, for proverbs embody the crystal truth found by long and painful experience, and even though it may sometimes be bitter, it is in an acceptable form." (FN 10)There are numerous proverbs praising conquest and war. Young generations who are raised with these unquestioned dogmas, unfortunately become vulnerable to repeat the past atrocities and oppression. For example, Hitler and his propaganda machine Joseph Goebbels were well aware of the power of folklore to appeal the masses. German folklore was misused and manipulated to support the racist theories of National Socialism. Wolfgang Mieder allocates a full chapter on the role of proverbs in Nazism's success. "Verbal folklore forms especially, such as fairy tales, tall tales, legends, jokes, wellerisms, and proverbs, were analyzed and quoted to prove that the "healthy" folk mind had long recognized the negative qualities of Jews who threatened the racial purity of the Aryans as well as the National Socialist regime. . . . If they could find quotations, slogans, phrases, and proverbs that were clearly anti Semitic in nature, they could use them to spread stereotypical views of the Jews." (FN 11)Wolfgang Mieder quotes some anti-Semitic proverbs with their German originals, such as:
Proverbs, supported by religious teachings, can create strong societal norms and attitude that may resist formal education and corrective legislation. Without harmony and concord of the 3 Ps, expectations for compliance to human rights is unrealistic, since the violations of human rights are both horizontal and vertical. 2. Priests/religious teachings False religious teachings and proverbs usually promote similar values (!) that degrades and insults women. This agreement is the exclusive work of males who lived centuries or thousands years ago. TodayÕs Islam has nothing to do
with the Quran, the only book delivered by Prophet Muhammad. Clerical teachings
and medieval collections of narration have incredibly distorted the original
message. (FN 13) Being a researcher on the subject, I am shocked
by the amount of contradiction between the traditional Islam and the teaching
of the Quran. (FN 14) TodayÕs mainstream Islam, unfortunately,
does not recognize freedom of expression and religion. It humiliates women,
forces them to wear the veil and deprives them from such basic rights as
divorce, education, employment, etc. Here are a sample of some well-known
tradition that is narrated by Sunnis' two holy books, Bukhari and Muslim
(FN 15) :
¥ The intelligence and the religion of women are incomplete. ¥ If a monkey, a black dog, or a woman passes in front of a praying person, his prayer is nullified. ¥ To find a good woman among women is similar to finding a white crow among a hundred crows. ¥ If anybody has been required to prostrate before others beside God, the woman should prostrate before her husband. ¥ I have been shown the dwellers of hell; the majority of them were women. ¥ If the body of the husband is covered with pus and his wife licks it with her tongue, she still will not be able to pay her debt to him. ¥Ann Elizabeth Mayer, Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, contrasts these women-bashing narration with the teachings of the Quran: "[A]nd it is noteworthy that the Quranic changes in women's status are in the direction of enhancing their rights and elevating their status and dignity. In an environment where women were so devalued that female infanticide was a common and tolerated practice, the Quran introduced reforms that prohibited female infanticide, permitted women for the first time to inherit, restricted the practice of polygamy, curbed abuses of divorce by husbands, and gave women the ownership of the dower, which had previously been paid to the bride's father. . . . It is natural that contemporary Muslim feminists, when they look at the history of their religion, are very skeptical when assured that Islam, which initially aimed to remove disabilities women had suffered in pre-Islamic Arabia, provides the rationale for keeping women in a subjugated, inferior status." (FN 16)Unfortunately, Muslim clerics, exclusively male, succeeded in distorting the meaning of some verses in order to preserve their patriarchal system. For instance, they unanimously mistranslated or misinterpreted verse 4:34 to justify male dominance and wife-battery. (FN 17) They mistranslated the word "khumur" (cover) in 24:31 to force women to wear head-covers and even a veil. (FN 18) An Iranian cleric, in his commentary on
the Universal Declaration of Human rights, defends pre-Islamic Arab culture
as definitively Islam. The following excerpt depicts the picture of women
in the mind of a typical Sunni or Shiite religious scholar. This cleric
denies women the right to divorce in the name of God and tries to justify
this oppressive rule with a self-fulfilling male paranoia.
"The freedom which Article 16 section 1 aims to confer on all women is therefore an outright contradiction of Islamic commandments and can in no circumstances be accepted by us in its present form or even in an amended form. To us it is wrong from start to finish. . . . The reason is that women are touchy and hasty, volatile and imprudent. If therefore women are given equal rights to institute divorce proceedings, some of them might be prone to rush precipitately into such action for the smallest offense or the tiniest of displeasures. Men, on the other hand, are generally more sagacious and level-headed and not prone to rush into an action so final as divorce. . . . Another reason why women should not be granted the right is that the generality of them are more gullible and credulous. Sexual desire may make a woman easy prey for the blandishments of salacious individuals who trap her into divorcing her husband merely in order to fulfill their own lasts, and then leave her to rue the consequences when they have attained their nefarious end. A man is not so easily fooled nor lightly trapped into precipitate action by lustful feelings or sexual fancies. . . . But to open the door to divorce too wide, by giving women equal rights with men to initiate proceedings, would cause the utmost confusion the institution of marriage." (FN 19)Christianity is no different. St. Paul, the real founder of Christianity (FN 20), condemns women to silence and absolute subordination to men. His teaching is still alive and is one of the contributors in the male-chauvinistic attitude of Christian societies: "A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through childbearing--if they continue faith, love and holiness with propriety." (FN 21)These religious teachings and medieval proverbs reinforce and justify each other. In the western world, however, secularization and democratic liberties is powerful enough to reduce the harm of proverbs and false religious teachings. Secular public education and progressive legislation keep those antiquated social attitude under control. (FN 22) In many so-called Muslim countries, clergymen (Mullahs, Ulamas, Khojas, Mawlanas, etc.) are usually either the sanctifying puppets of oppressive governments or the spiritual leaders of terrorist organizations. They use GodÕs name to justify discrimination, torture, and oppression. Their influence within the political sphere comes from their shared fate with kings, sultans, emirs and totalitarian leaders of their countries. (FN 23) Saudi's top clergymen, Abdul Aziz b. Ba'z,
wrote a book claiming that the earth was flat and still. The book is full
of references to hadith (narrations falsely attributed to the Prophet Muhammad)
accompanied by murderous instructions:
"If the earth is rotating as they claim, the countries, the mountains, the trees, the rivers, and the oceans will have no bottom and the people will see the eastern countries move to the west and the western countries move to the east. . . Those who claim that the earth is round and moving around the sun are apostates and their blood can be shed and their property can be taken in the name of God." (FN 24)This "authoritative" book was not published by a private publishing house but, by the Islamic University of Medina, a prestigious university in modern Saudi Arabia in 1975, years after men landed on the moon. You may see this as an example of harmless nonsense or amusement. Unfortunately, for those who live in Saudi Arabia or who dare to criticize such corrupt and oppressive religious teachings, the issue is not amusing. When clerics are united, every corner of the planet might become the target of their fatwa. Let me give just one example: In February 19, 1989 a group of scholars (38 members according to the newspaper reports) met in Saudi Arabia to discuss the issue of Salman Rushdi. When they issued their fatwa (religious decree) it became a headline news in Muslim countries, including my homeland Turkey. (FN 25) Their fatwa was: "both Rashad and Rushdi are apostate." The world knew Rushdi but who was Rashad? Dr. Rashad Khalifa, a biochemist resident of Tucson, Arizona became a popular figure in Muslim countries after he discovered a secret mathematical system in the Quran via computer analysis in the early1970s. (FN 26) The consequence of the mathematical code was too difficult to be accepted by the Muslim clergymen. (FN 27) Consequently, they issued fatwas calling for his assassination. Although it was not as bold as Khomeyni's fatwa, it sent a clear message to the fanatical followers of those clergymen, that Rashad and Rushdi should be killed. (FN 28) Religious muslims know very well that the teachings of the Sunni and Shiite sects demand capital punishment for apostates. (FN 29) Guess who was the chairman of that international committee of clerics? It was Abdul Aziz b. Ba'z, the same priest who wrote a book declaring that the earth was flat and still. Often, dissident priests, who are in power,
use that power to promote international terrorism. Omar Abdurrahman, an
Egyptian cleric who recently became popular in western media, is such an
example. Egypt has never had a democratic system by western standards and
its oppressive regime has produced a myriad of militant religious factions
of the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt's corrupt and totalitarian system has
created many local and international heroes out of clerics such as Omar
Abdurrahman. This Egyptian cleric who had immigrated to the U.S.A., did
not hesitate to encourage his followers to agitate against the very country
(U.S.A.) which provided refuge for him and some of his followers.
"The obligation of Allah is upon us to wage Jihad for the sake of Allah. It is one of the obligations which we must undoubtedly fulfill. . . and we conquer the lands of the infidels and we spread Islam by calling the infidels to Allah and if they stand in our way, then we wage Jihad for the sake of Allah." (FN 30)Many blamed the U.S. immigration officials or procedures for letting the terrorists in U.S,A. I believe that the real blunder was not in immigration, but in U.S.'s foreign policy. Supporting undemocratic or totalitarian regimes, such as Iran's Shah or Egypt's current regime, was and remains, a myopic policy: it puts the security of USA citizens, here and abroad, in great danger. How can US expect security from international terrorism while it does not care about the security of people living under oppressive and corrupt governments? In the beginning of this paper I criticized
proverbs for fostering violence and discrimination. Ironically, here I
am tempted to quote two American proverbs:
Donna E. Arzt, Professor of Law at the
Syracuse University College of Law, in a law review article provides us
with some recent examples of repression of religious dissidents?apostates
and blasphemers, heretics and renegades, and infidels?in so-called Muslim
countries. He groups the repression into three categories: "(1) officially
state-sanctioned enforcement actions; (2) extra-legal enforcement of apostasy
decrees issued by vigilante extremist groups; and (3) mixed cases." (FN
32) Professor Arzt, concludes his article with the following caveat:
"Throughout Muslim history, and particularly in contemporary Muslim states, much of the persecution of alleged apostates, heretics, and infidels, and other violations of international standards of religious human rights has been politically motivated, designed to benefit hegemonic, orthodox groups who have resorted to religious justifications to legitimize their abusive power. It is improper to conclude that Islam is inherently militant, violent, coercive, or intolerant." (FN 33)I agree with the author that "Islam" does not advocate violence, coercion or intolerance, (FN 34) but he is vague regarding the chronology and the source of the corruption. Religious justifications to legitimize political abusive power became an integrated part of traditional or contemporary Islam long ago. Repressive and oppressive religious instructions did not remain external or optional interpretations, but unfortunately, were labeled as "Hadith" (alleged narrations from the prophet), "Sunnah" (alleged practice of the prophet), "Ijma" (consensus of leading scholars), and "Ijtihad" (opinion of sectarian scholars) and were incorporated as part of the original message, the Quran, as early as with Umayyad dynasty. (FN 35) Today's sectarian Islam, with its volumes of hadith books (narrations falsely attributed to Muhammad) and medieval sectarian jurisprudence, is utterly incompatible with the standards of universal human rights as defined in the Quran. Without a reformation of traditional Islam, there will always be a door open for abuse by tyrants and corrupt clergymen. Noticing this fact, Professor Arzt finished
his article with a genuine invitation:
"Muslim dissidents and religious minorities in Muslim lands, however, do need and deserve more support from international human rights movements. The same is true for those within orthodox Muslim circles who are willing?but for their fear of persecution?to criticize abuses of human rights by their governments. Similarly, the international media must avoid giving undue prominence to violent Muslim militants, which in reality are small in number, and give proportional attention to liberal Muslim groups, albeit fledgling, who oppose violence, favor democratization and seek to promote accommodation and reform." (FN 36)I applaud this invitation and I believe that extending such international support to Muslim dissidents and reformers will hasten a paradigmatic change in the minds of people subjected to religious ad political tyranny. The importance of religion in the lives of people cannot be ignored. Secular intellectuals might reconsider its positive power: "Modern human rights laws will provide no panacea to the world crisis in the next century, but they will be a critical part of any solution. Religions will not be easy allies to engage, but the struggle for human rights cannot be won without them." (FN 37) 3. Preceptors/education The history of Muslim countries, especially those in the Middle East, are full of religious and tribal wars. Their textbooks usually distort and sanctify these bloody histories with virtually no criticism. As written, this history of the third world is a major source of national pride. This nationalistic pride is used by corrupt and failing governments as Òopium for the masses.Ó What can be expected from the next generation if their role models are those who knew nothing but the sword, and did nothing but kill their opponents and conquer othersÕ lands? In this short paper I cannot provide references. If a person reads the high-school history textbooks of oppressive regimes, he will find repeated praises for the kings, caliphs and sultans who had oppressed their own people. These books refer historically to their present day neighbors as enemies. Textbooks continue to promote totalitarianism, fanaticism, animosity and racism. How can respect for human rights be expected from those who are ÒeducatedÓ by these textbooks? A paper written by members of the Consultation
Group on Religion and the Roots of Conflict, concluded with some reflections
on religion and violence. Here is an excerpt from the conclusion:
"An attempt to develop the resources of religious traditions against religious violence must deal with the phenomenon which some have termed the "reemergence of history" in the late 20th century. . . . Historical goals, now pursued with a militancy and mass-organizational character born of the modern ideology of nationalism, are supported by new communications and weapons technologies, and they are fostered by the complications of trying to build modern economies for modern states. Part of the irony of contemporary religious conflict is that religious factors in group life are at one and the same time among the most constructive and the most destructive forces in human affairs." (FN 38)We cannot promote human rights in Muslim countries without knowing and acknowledging the negative impact of textbooks justifying racism and aggression. Human rights institutions must cooperate with dissident intellectuals of these countries to push for reformation in education. The Triarchy Duplicates Old Social and Political Habits In many Muslim countries, clergymen are still powerful and have an increasing appetite to attain political power. In countries where clergy is powerful, a child's mind is shaped and indoctrinated through three parallel channels. He/she will most likely receive messages similar to the following, throughout their schooling: Patriarch: "Women are mentally sick, thus they deserve stick" Priest: "It is narrated by Abu Hurayra who saw the holy Prophet pointing to a group of women and saying: 'women, like black dogs, are devil; the majority of the hell is occupied by women.' " Preceptor: "Respect your elders. Don't question your fathers. Have faith in your religion." Or, a nationalistic/racist message: Patriarch: "Friendship from a Greek is as bad as the skin of pig" Priest: "It is narrated that friendship with infidels is the sign of the end of the world." Preceptor: "Eighty years ago Greeks brutally massacred hundreds of thousands of our countrymen; they raped our women. The founder of our country, the great hero slaughtered them and tossed them into the ocean. Ne be friend with Greeks." Little will change even if legislation stray away from the direction of this cultural triarchy. The influence of patriarch/priest/preceptor is so powerful in the early years of progenies, there is little hope that they will appreciate the universal declaration of human rights. Conclusion The thriarchy?patriarchs, priests, preceptors?need to be a focus of international human rights watch groups. Reforming these three institutions will take a long time, however, it is the only way for a long-term solution for violations of human rights. Changes in legislation and even in a government's treatment of citizens will not stop horizontal violation of human rights in non-western countries where patriarchy and priests are powerful. We must support authors, poets, priests, educators who are not happy with their countries' human rights record. The Nobel Peace prize is a good device to promote peace and human rights but it is not sufficient. Less costly but more awards and activities should be arranged. Human rights organizations, might pick one of the three elements and provide support in domestic efforts toward reformation in closed societies. In most Muslim countries the religious element is dominant. Any reformation, or more accurately any revolution in that element will have a domino effect on the others. There is a desperate need for reformation in Islam. Fortunately, small groups of intellectuals have emerged recently all around the world who advocate reformation in Islam. Authoritarian governments and their accomplices clergymen have been trying very hard to suppress their voice. Nevertheless, this reformation movement which promotes building open societies, democracy and respect for human rights has great potential. Human rights institutions should contact and support those intellectuals. That's the only sure way of eradicating the brutal repetition of past atrocities and securing international community from the international terrorism which usually incubates in places where human rights are violated the most.
FOOTNOTES: * The author is an activist for building
open societies in Muslim countries through democratization, secularization,
education, civil rights and especially reformation in Islam. The author
has written scores of books in both Turkish and English on religious, political
and philosophical issues and currently is a 3rd year student at the University
of Arizona College of Law. The author is grateful to Rachel Singer for
her assistance and helpful comments on this article.
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