Friday, March 7, 2014

Happy International Women's Day

So there's an organization called CARE the supports ending violence against women. They posted something on Facebook that went as follows: 

"Marwa was in class when an attacker sprayed the room with a poisonous gas. Attacks against schools – particularly girls' schools – are not uncommon in Afghanistan. Afghan girls like Marwa have to be determined to overcome the social and cultural obstacles which prevent them from getting an education."


 Underneath the post a Facebook user commented:

"Yes even I dare u to post about these incident and post about the kunnanposhpora.... Y u r interested in those things only where u can show that Muslims are cruel they don't respect women's ....look care do u know who has given the women a great respect and right to live with education its our prophet Mohammed pbuh.....Islam is the true religion that spread truth..."

Another user posted: "I dare u to post about Dr Aafia Siddiqui.if u really care for the oppressed....I dare you to post about 14 year old *Marwa who was raped and murdered by a beast of US army in Iraq..I dare you to post about Asiya and Neelofar of Jammu and Kashmir who were raped and murdered... Come on show your courage.if u really care."

I don't think CARE was trying to villainize a Religion in this post they made, but it does raise an interesting point. What if other countries started posting Christian crimes against humanity or instances where people of other religions kill specifically because of those religions. The U.S. would actually be in pretty good stead. Unlike other countries, the U.S. has divided the line between Government and Religion. No homosexuals being put to death in America -at least not legally or regularly. Just your random acts of hatred by people claiming religion as a basis of justification. 

And even with the occasional misogynistic statements and acts made by "Christian" men, at no point do we have regular issues of people going into schools of girls trying to poison children because they believe Women shouldn't be Educated. We have psychopaths that shoot children in schools, but it is not a targeted attack towards a specific kind of person based on religious beliefs. 

Still it's got to be kind of awkward to be Musilm living in America seeing posts like this being made from countries that hold the majority of your fellow religious constituency. 

I am confused though -if Muhammad supported women being educated, then why do men in those countries who are Muslim seem to have so may issues with women being educated?

*I looked up "14 year old marwa us army" on the internet and actually found that:

"14 Year-Old Child Bride in Turkey Dies of Gunshot Wounds in Suicide"

She was suffering from postpartum depression after her second child died after birth. Her husband was on military duty.  

I also found: 

"The Mahmudiyah killings were the gang-rape and killing of 14-year-old Iraqi girl Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi by United States Army soldiers on March 12, 2006, and the murder of her family, in a house to the southwest of Yusufiyah, a village to the west of the town of Al-Mahmudiyah, Iraq." 

"Spielman and Green have been convicted and three others have pleaded guilty."

 Ultimately I think everyone can agree that violence against people -but especially women and children should end. Raising awareness about the violence they are suffering from is the first step. CARE is doing that. 

 

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