Manly wives and womanly husbands [Archives:2008/1135/Community]
By:Emad Ba-matraf
[email protected]
We can all agree that every human being enjoys certain unique characteristics not found in any other. Further, general characteristics mark each gender and even bolder ones distinguish human beings as a whole. For this reason, preserving personal or gender characteristics is the utmost task.
Male-female relations recently have been portrayed as a conflict wherein one side attempts to seize the other's rights while the other fights for survival. It seems that we've failed to recognize the different qualities of each party.
I don't deny the mistreatment women experience and the neglecting of their rights. However, in such cases, the call should be to restore women's rights and existence rather than denying gender differences. While it's part of a woman's rights to enjoy being a woman, we may argue just what are those rights.
ust like those claiming equality, we fight for equality but only regarding those issues that don't involve personal being; thus, human and mental aspects are preserved and respected for both. Both have considerable and total ownership over his or her property, both enjoy decision making and thinking rights and both should enjoy the right to education and the chance to achieve the highest academic marks.
However, to transpose a man into the body of a woman and vice versa seems nonsense. I can't imagine a family with a manly wife and a womanly husband, can you? In such a family, the wife is responsible for maintaining the family and solving its problems while the husband performs the domestic duties. Likewise, to lay aside the tasks that women are responsible for and consider them old-fashioned when they are part of her physical existence (I mean motherhood here) is unfathomable.
Cooperation in running a family and carrying out domestic tasks is coordination that is appreciated. If we all agree that motherhood is a woman's task, then why create a distraction to this? If we agree that womanhood and motherhood are the greatest tasks, why should a woman be like a man?
We Muslims are different because we are Muslims, characterized by our deep belief in our religion. We may consider the wisdom behind this or that command – once it's determined that it indeed is an Islamic command – but we may not contradict it due to our inability to recognize its wisdom.
We should admit that in general, humans are mistreated and women particularly. Thus, we should treat others according to Islamic commands and guidance, rather than accusing Islam of such mistreatment.
Dear readers, I invite you to defend women's rights and stand against those intent upon torture. However, on the other hand, I invite you to respect every person as he or she is. Additionally, we should call for those human rights as stated in Islam, which is beyond the control of any figure so long as he speaks his own opinion.
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