When will Muslims protest this????

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-21-2009
When will Muslims protest this????
59
Mon, 09-14-2009 - 2:06pm

((Yemeni girl, 12, dies in painful childbirth

AMMAN, Jordan (CNN) -- A 12-year-old Yemeni girl, who was forced into marriage, died during a painful childbirth that also killed her baby, a children's rights group said Monday.

Fawziya Ammodi struggled for three days in labor, before dying of severe bleeding at a hospital on Friday, said the Seyaj Organization for the Protection of Children.

"Although the cause of her death was lack of medical care, the real case was the lack of education in Yemen and the fact that child marriages keep happening," said Seyaj President Ahmed al-Qureshi.

Born into an impoverished family in Hodeidah, Fawziya was forced to drop out of school and married off to a 24-year-old man last year, al-Qureshi said.

Child brides are commonplace in Yemen, especially in the Red Sea Coast where tribal customs hold sway. Hodeidah is the fourth largest city in Yemen and an important port.

More than half of all young Yemeni girls are married off before the age of 18 -- many times to older men, some with more than one wife, a study by Sanaa University found.

While it was not immediately known why Fawziya's parents married her off, the reasons vary. Sometimes, financially-strapped parents offer up their daughters for hefty dowries.

Marriage means the girls are no longer a financial or moral burden to their parents. And often, parents will extract a promise from the husband to wait until the girl is older to consummate the marriage.

The issue of Yemeni child brides came to the forefront in 2008 with 10-year-old Nujood Ali.

She was pulled out of school and married to a man who beat and raped her within weeks of the ceremony.

To escape, Nujood hailed a taxi -- the first time in her life -- to get across town to the central courthouse where she sat on a bench and demanded to see a judge.

After a well-publicized trial, she was granted a divorce.

The Yemeni parliament tried in February to pass a law, setting the minimum marriage age at 17. But the measure has not reached the president because many parliamentarians argued it violates sharia, or Islamic law, which does not stipulate a minimum age))

Muslims around the world will gather to protest a stupid Danish cartoon, but will do nothing to stop atrocities like this. Why do Muslims around the world allow these gross violations of human rights? Why does America and other civilized countries allow this to continue?

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-24-2009
Thu, 09-17-2009 - 9:38am

You make some good points. And a couple of other posts have helped me see the other side... but I still think the OP has a couple of good points, also.


The very same groups that do NOTHING about child brides in Texas.


This confuses me. We have the law on our side. And most of these laws are based on Christian principles, imo. I don't see many of the same protections given to countries with largely Muslim populations.


You use the example of why don't Mormons protest child brides? Well, because we have laws against it already. Totally different in some Muslim lead countries where these laws don't exist.


Why the expectation of Muslim protest and not the same expectation of Christian protest? Why hold them to a higher moral standard and expectation?


So that they can work to change the laws in their countries. Christian groups in America do protest all the time about things they think are wrong, don't you agree?


No matter what, its about womens rights. They just happen to be Muslim women in this particular case. It's doubtful any religious group will save them.


If the majority of women right abuses occur in Muslim (or any) culture based on religion, why can't their religion help them? Why can't they protest in their countries to change the laws, if indeed most Muslims don't agree with abuses or unequal rights

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-21-2009
Thu, 09-17-2009 - 10:55am

((Look around you. Domestic violence is a huge problem in America. Rape is a big problem. Pedophilia is a huge problem.))

I am not sure why you keep comparing what I am trying to say to crimes committed in America. I agree that rape, pedophilia, etc. are big problems. However, in America...we don't punish the victim because they were raped. We aggressively prosecute the rapist and administer justice. Not so in many Islamic countries. Rape victims are punished severely in many Islamic countries. Their families turn against them, shun them, or worse commit an "honor killing" against them for shaming their family. This does NOT happen in America.

((Yet, you claim the rest of us are insensitive because we can't overhaul another culture's abuse of women and children?))

I never claimed any such thing. I just said I don't understand why people are uncomfortable discussing the issue. Instead of discussing it, it seems that most just say "what can we do?", "it's their culture, who are we to interfere?", or "we should clean up our own back yard first"

((Because I work in a pediatric hospital I see and hear quite a bit of what OUR culture is like. Last week a 6-week old baby was brought in to the ED with his head bashed in. I ask you - WHERE is the protest?!?! ))

Again, not sure why you are comparing your story to what I am trying to say. Beating a small infant is not something that the law in America turns a blind eye to. We aggressively prosecute to person responsible. In many Islamic countries, baby girls are routinely killed or left to die....and nobody says a word about it.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-24-2009
Thu, 09-17-2009 - 11:04am

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Yes, it does; however, we can prosecute them for killing someone...can't do that for shunning or turning against them.

Avatar for ddnlj
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 09-17-2009 - 1:00pm

Are you saying we should go to war with these countries?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-21-2009
Thu, 09-17-2009 - 2:09pm

((Are you saying we should go to war with these countries? ))

What??? Not sure why you would say this or where you would get that idea that I said it. Wow....talk about spinning an argument.

((You seem very passionate about this issue and I can appreciate that. Sometimes the most difficult issues are the ones we become most passionate about. Just the fact that you're discussing these things helps make more people aware of the injustices some women around the world face. As the public becomes more aware and responds negatively, some of these countries may feel the pressure and work to change their archaic ideals.))

Exactly!! Now where on earth would you get the idea that I said we should go to war with these countries????

((I'm trying to be a realist and look at the overall picture. I don't think the way they treat women is good, but again, change MUST come from within their own culture. ))

I totally disagree. We certainly don't feel that way about AIDS, now do we? We get involved in those cultures to spread awareness and educate them on the disease and how it is spread. We certainly didn't leave it to "their cultures" to change their attitudes towards the disease. By your logic, we should have just left them alone, let the disease continue to spread, and let them figure it out for themselves, only then can they begin to change their culture.

((Americans, especially, can't become involved in this.))

Sure we can. If we don't, then who will? Nobody has done anything about the gross human rights violations involving women in those countries for thousands of years. It's time somebody start, IMHO.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-30-2002
Thu, 09-17-2009 - 2:17pm

***<>


Yes, it does; however, we can prosecute them for killing someone...can't do that for shunning or turning against them.***


This is true. Our culture may not do honor killings, but very much, we have the "blame the victim" attitude towards some crime victims.



iVillage Member
Registered: 08-30-2002
Thu, 09-17-2009 - 2:35pm

A link to Muslim Womens organizations.


http://www.geocities.com/rabiyah_hamnach/info/womens.html


One way women (and men) in poorer nations can be assisted is through microloans through organizations like this.


http://www.kiva.org/



iVillage Member
Registered: 08-24-2009
Thu, 09-17-2009 - 3:12pm

((Are you saying we should go to war with these countries? ))

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I think that is why it was phrased as a question, trying to figure out what you particularly think we, as a nation, should do about it.

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You obviously don't want us to go to war, so what do you want us to do?

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-24-2009
Thu, 09-17-2009 - 3:13pm

Great points, as usual.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-22-2009
Thu, 09-17-2009 - 11:08pm

Just as an aside, when people ask for clarification on the board, they generally aren't "spinning" anything, but seeking to understand. When you ask questions, is it to "spin" an argument?

Also, if you could take a moment and answer my query from the other day, re: which other countries you think the USA should cease supplying any aid, that would be great. I took the time to list some of the reasons why they continue to help out in Jordan, for ex., and am very curious as to what specifically you'd like to see done.

~I totally disagree. We certainly don't feel that way about AIDS, now do we? We get involved in those cultures to spread awareness and educate them on the disease and how it is spread. We certainly didn't leave it to "their cultures" to change their attitudes towards the disease.~

I'm not sure that educating people about a particular illness is the same sort of situation as eradicating thousands of years old attitudes and laws re: women. Do you see the differences?

For example, those in positions of power (religious, political, familial, etc.) in the countries assisted re: HIV are vulnerable themselves to contracting HIV as are their children, plus HIV is disruptive for them in re: to trade, labour force, etc.. It's another story altogether to try to convince them to treat those they believe to be subordinate to themselves differently.

~Sure we can. If we don't, then who will? Nobody has done anything about the gross human rights violations involving women in those countries for thousands of years. It's time somebody start, IMHO.~

What steps have you personally taken towards this end? I'm not trying to be difficult, I am just sincerely interested.

Also, again, do you recognize the obstacles to the US as a country taking steps in such countries, given the competing agendas (ie. trade, access to oil, allies, places to have bases in the Middle East, etc.)?

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