We want you to watch the film, Half the Sky. It shows very clearly that when you change the way women are treated in a society, the entire cultural norm — what is acceptable — changes.In the film you'll see a town where not even the cops do much about rape. Out of thousands of reported rapes, they had only achieved one conviction. The cultural beliefs of the people in that community prevented any effective protection of women. Without safety, they lived without freedom. But through education, public pressure and enforcing laws, the perception, the worldview of the community changes.
By focusing on helping girls, the society improves. As Sheryl WuDunn says in the film, "You educate a girl, and she can change the world around her." This is not a mere opinion. It has been proven in the world.
We can focus on rights for girls and women and never even mention the word "Islam," and the orthodox Islamic ideology will be undermined anyway, and marginalized, and seen for the backward, outdated belief system it is. We don't really need to "defeat" Islam; we only need to weaken it enough that better ways of living can assert themselves and take hold.
It is emotionally uplifting to strive for women's rights. Working toward something is more optimistic than working against something. You're fixing something already broken rather than keeping your attention fixed on a frightening future. It's easier to talk to others about too.
Please watch the video and share it with everyone you know.
Read more:
Why Girls Are the Key
Why We Will Win
I wish I could agree with this, but I can't. Women used to have much education, etc, in many Islamic countries.
ReplyDeleteI see this article a bit like wishful thinking.
My sense is that orthodox Islam will only diminish, in a permanent way, if it is faced.
Look at countries like Pakistan - 50 years ago, if a family had enough money, girls as well as boys were educated. Now the situation is radically different.
I usually appreciate your articles - but this one does not go with the facts I have come across.
To explore strategies being used by different people to work against Islamic encroachments, including in Muslim countries, come to
http://WorldTruthSummit.com
I don't know. On the one hand, I get what you're saying Elsa. On the other hand, it's also true that as Islam has become more dominant in those Islamic countries, women have lost rights. So it might be true that if we pressured them on the women's rights thing, and as women gained more rights in those countries, Islam would recede.
ReplyDeleteBut women's rights doesn't seem like something that will solve all our problems. And I don't know if that's what the Citizen was trying to say anyway. But it would sure help.
From a trying to reach people perspective, it is probably easier to get converts to fight FOR human rights rather than get them to fight AGAINST a religion. For what it's worth.
I have been enjoying your interviews.
I had the same feeling, Elsa, after I published that article. So the very next day I added more:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.citizenwarrior.com/2012/10/your-mission-should-you-decide-to.html
Just working on women's right alone would not stop creeping Sharia. Women's rights are important, crucial even, but cannot do the whole job itself.
But Styrke is right, and some people cannot be reached in other ways. And reaching them through women's rights gets someone else working on the goal, whether they know it or not.