(taken from an article from Mrs. Sorayya Maknoon, Ph. D. Ass. of Muslim Women Researchers, Copy Right, 1997)
Introduction
Violence or the manifestation of wrath and indignation occurs in the face of transgression upon a social relationship. It is normally coupled with beating, crime, manslaughter, devastation, destruction, physical and sexual harassment.
Further, studying violence can not be limited to some insult or beating of women by their family members or friends. Rather, the roots of domestic violence and aggression directed to women, is laid on unjust attitude and behavior observed at national, and international decision making levels.
Types of violence
Violence can be divided into two types:
1. Rage and wrath
2. Indignation
1. The pivot of rage and wrath is self-centrism, inclination for one's guild or class. Rage and wrath is the source of inadequacies in social relations which leads to oppression and being oppressed. Rage and wrath emerges from selfish inclinations. The violence erupting due to wrath and rage can be observed in unjust wars and military expeditions for the sake of gaining more political, cultural, and economic power.
The initiators of all wars (apart form war for just and rightful purposes) were men who, by recourse to force and transgression on the rights of the weak, enlarged their borders. Through this arrogant move, they spurred deprivation for the weak people in order to insure their own interests.
Materialism, as the basis of rage and wrath, leads to the emergence of social classes and oppressively imposes deprivation on the weak people. Contrary to the popular belief that violence has innate and inherent roots, materialistic rage and wrath does not have such roots and springs only from carnal desires and the quest for power and wealth.
Besides, in materialistic world, which is based on monopolistic and capital centrality system, the family structure, and man's position also, follows it's social structure model. In other words, protecting the rich while imposing poverty on the weak, and domination of arrogant men over women, are the products of this system. This happens by creating materialistic and worldly needs in man, and as a result, arising arrogance on the basis of human instincts. The greed for consumption and excessive use of worldly goods can exist as human instincts, which differs from pre-needs.
2. Indignation has innate and inherent roots. Indignation occurs due to the desire for perfection and sublimation. This positive desire is innate and inherent. In other words, contrary to wrath and rage, indignation springs from love and turns love into hatred. The appropriate stances of man vis-a-vis social and historical inadequacies and problems appear in the form of a hatred, indignation, and violence which is totally different from the violence with materialistic objectives and roots.
Indignation brings about self-sacrifice and devotion. In other words, in the case of indignation, the desire for perfection changes the nature of indignation and violence in such a way that indignation will no longer be observed without self-sacrifice. Indignation will surely lead to martyrdom.
Global Outlook Toward Violence
In principle, discussion on violence or any social subject can take place at three levels:
1. Family and individual (Micro level)
2. National (Micro level)
3. International (Development level)
Discussing the subject only at one level without considering the global dimensions on a specific country, is the approach adopted by arrogant states to deceive the human communities to deflect the public opinion from understanding the roots of social inadequacies of issues.
When international politics stress unlimited freedom and individual rights and superiority over the groups and over collective interests (followed by the domination of the interests of political systems, global arrogance, and Zionism such as the U.S. and Israel over the lives of people in other countries), naturally safeguarding these rights, liberties, and political interests might grant an apparently positive interpretation and justification to differences, wars, and crimes.
With the spread of war as a macro violence, on longer can one discuss the rights of women against sexual, physical, and psychological harassment. No longer can seminars and conference be held to counter such harassments, because, health, environment, and more importantly ethics, conscience, and humanity face eradication due to war.
As a result, discussion on subjects at first level, without considering their global dimensions and roots which are related to the inhuman and unbalanced structure of international relations, is aimed at deceiving and deflecting the world public opinion from the sources of inadequacies. This act is the worst manifestation of violence against women, because throughout history women have always been gripped by confrontations, bloodsheds, and expansionist military expeditions of materialistic powers.
Violence Against Women in the Contemporary World
Given the available reports on the crimes perpetrated throughout history and the combat struggles of the oppressed nations, it could be said that women have been exposed to the highest degrees of oppression and tyranny. They have lost their lives due to cruel tortures and crimes. In addition, they have been further oppressed upon losing their husbands and fathers in wars.
The example of this type of violence and these atrocious crimes could be observed against Muslim Bosnian women and children who are exposed to horrendous crimes perpetrated by Serb troops in the heart of Europe.
The Muslim women of Palestine, Algeria, and Egypt who are exposed to the political inroads of the enemies of Islam, and the Muslim women and girls residing in Europe who have been threatened to cultural isolation for not adhering to the western culture and civilization, provide other examples of violence and oppression against women in the modern era.
Survey of the Roots of Violence
Violence might erupt due to following reasons:
Islam's Approach toward the Issue of Violence
Islam denounces indecent and violent behavior, ill temper, beating, manslaughter, bullying violation of, or aggression on the rights, sentiments, and beliefs of other Muslims, incurring damage due to obstinacy and personal grudge, insult and verification, and even contempt towards others.
In Islam, if a person engages in any of the aforementioned acts, he will have to pay cash as penalty ("diyah"). Even if these acts are carried out by parents against their children, or by one of the spouses against the other, such penalty should be paid. Other types of violence including bloodshed, murder, crime, manslaughter, etc. are condemned by the Islamic laws.
Difference Between Violence and Furious Rage
On the whole, therefore, violence should be differentiated from furious rage, resentment, and indignation, all of which are for the purpose of perfection and might perhaps be regarded as different methods and stages of enjoining good and forbidding evil or controlling the individual's ethics and behavior in the family and the society. In addition, furious rage, resentment, and indignation have different objectives as compared with violence which is the inhuman and materialistic manifestation of rage and wrath.
Islam, and war for Justice
Even in the case of revolutionary combat struggles, war, and defense against the enemy, Islam does not allow such violence especially against women, children, and the aged. Islam has issued the necessary decrees and precepts for human and ethical behavior at the time of war including precepts on hygiene, nutrition, welfare, and health. Islam has also created various pretexts such as teaching, rendering medical services and relief work, etc. for the release of prisoners of war (POWS) so much so that the latter can even become members of the of Muslim families.
The biography of the Imams (peace be upon them all) indicates that Imam Hussein (AS) and his brother Imam Hassan Mujtaba (AS) married the daughters of prisoners of war. In a sense, Islam does not believe that human status will change or decline due to being taken captive in war or belonging to a particular social class. Besides, Islam does not consider the people unequal due to these reasons.
Foundation of Life: Material Gains or Sacrification for Others
The important concern in Islam is the foundation of the philosophy and objectives behind existence. If the foundation is material gains, full welfare, amassing wealth, and individual superiority, then surely individual demands and interests will overshadow those of the group and the community. In such a case, any form of oppression, tyranny, violation of rights, sexual harassment, aggression on other countries, etc. will be acceptable so much so that these will lead to the justification of preserving international security and implementing the tenets of human rights.
Due to its belief in maintaining social and familiar interests, Islam does not accept such individual justifications and interests. Islam sets forth a healthy, useful, and goal-oriented individual life which leads to a sound collective and social existence and to the promotion of Islamic and humanistic ethics.
In the light of Islamic teachings, the individuals give up their personal interests for the sake of the collective interests of the family and the society, and thus teach the lessons of self-sacrifice, remission, cooperation and collaboration, love and affection for the promotion of ethical objectives.
Islamic View of Domestic Violence
Violence in the family, moreover, is negated by which makes men legally duty-bound to take care of children ever since they are born. Men have legal responsibilities toward the children just as women have emotional responsibilities toward them. To put it better, Islam's legal laws which are in favour of women and against the freedom of men have vested men with responsibilities. But the natural laws which serve as the source of emotional women, and thus make them responsible, lead to balance in the society and within the family circle.
Legally speaking then, balance between the man's social responsibilities to take care of his wife and children, and the women's sentiments, entails the coordination of the husband and the wife to join at perfection.
In short, Islamic principles on violence in the family are as follows:
Damages, as well as hygienic and cultural problems throughout history have robbed women of their social equality and turned them into cultural possessions of men. Meanness (which is against perfection and dignity) is the root cause of all ethical and cultural vices against women. This meanness springs from incorrect and indecent cultural, political, and economic relations in the world.
Islam's Expression of Violence
The Holy Quran states the following in this regard:
"O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites and be unyielding to them .... (9: 73)"
"O Prophet! strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites, and be hard against .... (66: 9)"
"Mohammad is the Apostle of Allah, and those with him are firm of heart against the unbelievers, compassionate among themselves .... (48: 29)"
The above-mentioned Quranic verses indicate that Islam has recommended firmness and wrath against the unbelievers and compassion and affection toward the lovers of Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him).
Islam and Compromise
Another outlook observed among the religious liberals and intellectuals, is that Islam has recommended compromise and leniency in contact with enemies and unbelievers. The response to this theory can be sought in Islam's quest for perfection and evolution. Compromise with non-Islamic thought means disregard for or doubt about perfection or ethics. The disregard will pave the ground for a relative definition of perfection and sublimation.
As a result, belief in the relativity of ethics or perfection, means negligence toward the goals and ideals. Those who face doubt and negligence toward sublime goals and perfection will never be able to adopt a principal stance and cannot have a mature approach toward principal position.
Consequently, people will express doubt and opt for compromise facing long-term objectives, since they are not following a complete creed. Those who claim to follow a consolidated intellectual creed, can never be doubtful toward the objectives and resorting toward the policies. They cannot give in to illogical views and stances of the majority.
Sources of Violence in the World
As already pointed out, violence and wrath do not inherently exist in man's nature. The source of violence is the reaction of man toward problems and inadequacies created at the global level by the arrogant powers.
In other words, degrading the people, and at the same time making them highly greedy for material demands, provokes the violent reaction of the oppressed people of the world. Naturally, such society will be totally distanced from compassion and affection. Affection, compassion, and remission, appear when man becomes audacious toward inadequacies and counters them. In the face of the sense of degradation imposed on the oppressed nations, combat the oppressors, and aggression towards them, by the west, will ultimately lead to affection and compassion among oppressed.
Ways to Prevent Violence
Recognition of the root cause of violence and social injustice, (that is to say, the foundations of global oppression and being oppressed as indicated in trampling upon the rights of others through physical or psychological violence in the form of degradation)will naturally indicate that means to counter such an aggression are different from ordinary and commonplace approaches. The existing outlook toward violence is a micro perception and only regards the impacts of violence.
A - Pathology According to Common Methods
In the modern world, the governments and international bodies consider the causes of violence to be common and uniform among different societies. They strive to present such norms for social events and outcomes that have a luring and interesting appearance such as the idea of equality of men and women and combat with violence against women (as something accepted in the world).
Data collection on instances of violence is in accordance with a model which considers ethics to be based on technology and therefore some violence and abusement will appear normal and justified. Now, if data collection is aimed at specification of the strategy to combat violence (in other words using statistics for confronting the main causes of violence and solving them in man's historical existence), then we will not be gripped with transient solutions, minor stances, or pain-killers which will ultimately make the diseases choronic.
B - Pathology on the Basis of Ethics:
If roots of vices and violence, are sought based on ethics and its perfection, and if technology develops by adhering to ethics, surely a different statistical model will be required to survey violence in religious and ethics-oriented communities throughout history. It can also be compared with non-religious societies.
It is, therefore, proposed that a ratio be specified between the statistical model and the strategy amendment to combat violence. This is because if statistics are drawn up on the basis of, only a single strategy, they will never lend themselves to revision and review, of the methodology.
Suggestions for Research Topics
The following suggestions are presented at this stage on the basis of the latter idea (that is, the genuineness of man and the developmental outlook toward the subject) in order to prevent violence:
Further Suggestions:
In order to seriously counter and eradicate all inadequacies and vices including violence, the following considerations should be made:
A. There should be a transformation and revolution in the foundations of ethics and social relations.
B. Orientation of the conscience should also be perfected.
C. The aims and structure of international relations should be changed by adopting social justice for all.
When ethical principles are deviated, oppression and tyranny will appear in the world. Crimes and illogical violence will also emerge the world over. The unjust and devastating war of the Serbs against the Muslims of Bosnia-Herzegovina and perpetration of the most atrocious form of violence there, serve as examples of ethical deviation in the international community.
The impotence of the United Nations in solving differences, preventing atrocious crimes, and establishing peace is another proof of the influence wielded by countries having veto power in the U.N. and the biased decisions taken by the U.N.
A. Violence toward Women in Ancient Era
B. Violence toward women in the Contemporary Era
The aforementioned treatment of women has been recorded in different communities. Such acts of violence existd in Europe before and after the Industrial Revolution, with women serving as the work-force for factories, farms, and industrial production units. Based on a 1994 report issued by the United Nations, women earn 40 percent less in wages under equal working conditions with men. This signifies an inequality and legal violence. Up until the recent decades, women in Europe and the U.S. did not enjoy franchise and were legally barred from some jobs. They were, moreover, exposed to discrimination, physical pressures in their jobs, and excessive labor. Of course, if we consider the violence against both men and women, we will realize the inability of Human Rights Act (advocates) to control the European and American societies in regard to ethnic, racial, religious discrimination and the ensuing violence.
The Secretariat of the United Nations divides violence into the following types:
1. Violence in the family
2. Adultery with "maharem" (close relatives with whom intercourse is forbidden)
3. Murder in the family
4. Sexual assaults or rape
5. Sexual freedom
Based on this classification, some statistics will be presented: In the U.S., some 2,982 people have been killed by one of their family members. One third of women who were victims of such murders were killed by their husbands or partners.
In Australia, in 1985, violence against women has been set forth as a factor leading to unsuccessful marriages. Violence has been the cause of 59 percent of the 1,500 cases of divorce. Of this figure, 38 percent of women whose husbands were laborers referred to the courts in advance and sought help against being beaten up. While only 13 percent of the middle class women and 4 percent of the upper class women did so.
In Colombia, the Bogota Law Institute realized that between 1982 to 1983, one fifth of the 1,170 physical injuries were related to violence between men and women. 94 percent of such cases which sent the person to hospital for confinement involved women.
In India, in 1985 some 999 people died in fights over dowries. This figure reached 1,319 in 1986 and 1,786 in 1987.
In Thailand, 25 percent of children suffering from malnutrition in the first half of 1985 and being nourished in a rehabilitation center in Bangkok belonged to families whose mothers were beaten up by the fathers. More than 50 percent of married women were constantly beaten up by their husbands as surveyed in large districts, buildings, and populous centers of Bangkok. It is worthy of note that all the said five forms of violence have been reported in the U.S.
The major part of information on violence against women and children is derived from scant studies which present a cursory glance at a global problem. Even though such studies cannot precisely indicate the scope of violence against women, they reflect that violence exists in the families and that women are always its victims.
But why do the countries which use religion as a superficial manifestation hold the highest statistics on violence? Why is it that Muslim countries irrespective of their lack of technological advancements have by far lower statistics of violence as compared with advanced countries?
The answer to these questions should be sought in the rich culture of Islam and the guarantee for implementation of Islamic decrees.
Now reference will be made to data collected on violence toward women and children in different countries, especially in the U.S., Europe, and South east Asia with emphasis on the impacts of such violence. Prior to any discussion, it should be noted that confidentiality, incomplete documents, legal and social bariers are among factors which all along make difficult the provision of constant data about violence against women.
Rape and Sexual Affairs in the Families
Complaints lodged in the courts indicate that sexual assaults normally appear in lower class families in which violence, ignorance, and poverty prevail. The truth of the matter, however, is that such assaults also exist among the well-off classes as well, but usually no one suspects the members of these well-to-do classes.
A five-year old girl who was taken to the bath by her father and subjected to sodomy provides an example of such sexual assaults in well-off families. On the complaints lodged against sexual assaults, a judge said that the lower the cultural, social, and economic levels of the families, the sooner sexual assaults will be disclosed and complaints will be lodged in the courts. It could, therefore, be said that the courts, on the whole, cannot solve this issue.
Complaints lodged in the courts do not reflect the profundity of the matter. To better grasp this problem, it is apt to refer to the psychologists. The activities of these psychologists on the one hand and the post-rape mental problems of children were among important factors which directed the attention of the societies toward this matter.
Based on statistics presented by a center in Rome where children lodge complaints which are considered, 80.5% of the children are subjected to rape. Young girls are raped by their fathers, while 19.5% of the young boys are raped by their mothers. 13.1% are below 5 years of age; 23.9% are between 6 to 10; 33.3% are between 11 to 14; 24.7% are between 15 to 18. Also based on other statistics released by this center about the social class of the rapists, 65% of the fathers who raped their children are from the middle or upper classes. Only 8% of such fathers are unemployed or have temporary jobs.
Statistics presented by a hospital Rome indicate that 11% of rapes are done by brothers and sisters; another 11% of raps done by mothers with their sons and/or daughters; the remaining 78% include rapes by fathers.
The legal solutions taken by the advanced countries against sexual assaults of children do not have guarantees of implementation in view of the unbridled freedom in such communities and the priority of the individual over the group and social interests.
Who is Responsible? In most cases, the silence of the families conceals the sexual harassment. Morthers pretend to be unaware of the matter. According to a sociologist, these women are either weak and/or are mostly away from home due to being employed.
Experts at centers for support of children say that there are two major problems in families in which sexual harassment takes place: Either the families are traditionally exposed to patriarchy in which case the wife and children are fully obedient to the father who is normally very harsh or the families are faced with a harsh and self-confident mother who devotes her entire time to her work and who is mostly away from home. In such families, the father is timid and henpecked.
Email: mwro@excite.com
