Today we all attended a lecture (in English) on the Feminist Movement in Jordan by Rula Quawas, a highly intelligent and provocative professor from Jordan University in Amman. Her presentation was interesting, to say the least, and I'd like to share the high-points. As we all know, Jordan, and really all Arab countries, are male-dominated societies. Religion and culture dictate this reality. But why? To be quite honest, until today, I don't know that I have allowed myself to ask the hard questions needed to understand the complex dynamic between men and women in this country. Let's consider a few things before jumping into a more sociological understanding of the current situation for women in Jordan: 1) Women did not gain the right to vote in Jordan until 1972, some 52 years after their counterparts in the West. 2) Because less than 5% of the population here is Christian, society is dominated by Islam. On the ground, this means dealing with Sharia Law, a legal-system completely lacking the involvement of women. Men interpret scripture, make the laws, and prosecute offenders of the law. 3) Save for a very small number, women are not represented in the political system. In most cases, they aren't even allowed to discus political issues; that is to be left to the men with requisite knowledge. And 4) women are considered the"sole custodians of their family's honor." As Prof. Quawas said, quite bluntly, "family honor rests in the daughter's vagina." As shocking as that may be for some of you to hear, it pales in comparison to how shocked I was to hear that word uttered by a native-Jordanian women.
Prof. Quawas explained that Jordan is ruled by a tribal system, which emphasizes family honor above all else. She explained the smallness of Jordanian society, and how much it is affected by what she called "gossip mongerers." I couldn't help but think about the prevalence of gossip and some form of "family honor" in the American South, maybe not so much today, but surely in the recent past. Here, however, these ideas are taken to the extreme. Consider this: The practice of "honor killing" is still in place around the Arab world, in however small a number. Basically, if a woman jeopardizes the family honor by some sexual deviance (sex before marriage, infidelity, etc.), then it is incumbent upon the family to kill the daughter in order to salvage the family name. The practice is antiquated and uncommon, especially in Jordan, but it's legality under Sharia law reflects the idea of women as objects as opposed to thinking individuals who deserve respect of autonomous decision-making. In some cases, women are imprisoned in a last-ditch effort to protect them from their own families, referred to as "administrative detainees." Another atrocious yet much more common act is that of "virginity tests" before marriage. Because of this reality, Prof. Quawas explained, some women travel to other countries to undergo "sexual reconstruction" before they are married.
Speaking more broadly, Prof. Quawas discussed the societal differences between the East and West, and how those ideas help to reinforce gender ideas. In the Arab world, society is much more collectivist, as opposed to the idea of "individualism above all" in Western society. She said, "the idea of self-hood, and even more so of self-love, is almost completely lacking in the female population of Jordan." Prof. Quawas conceded that she has only recently come to the realization that she cannot empower women, but only give them the tools and knowledge to free themselves from society's bonds. "It is just as much about 'un-learning,' than it is about learning" she said.
And perhaps the most enlightening idea in her presentation was that "protection is a conspiracy committed against women" in Jordan and throughout the Arab world. We have been focusing on these issues in all of our Arabic classes the past week or so, and I was struck by something one of my favorite professors (a man) said a few days ago that may shed some light on why this was such a revolutionary idea for me. In one of our classes, he seemed surprised by my emphatic position that women should receive ALL of the same rights as men. So he countered, "but women are weak and can be easily taken advantage of if not protected by the man." The words "weak" and "protection" came up so many times in his explanation, as to stifle debate completely by saying this is just how things are, and how things will always be. It's not that this man is a bigot; not that he doesn't love his wife; not that he thinks women are any less than men... it's simply that society has taught him that women are and will always be dependent upon men to survive in the world. Prof. Quawas gave a brilliant rebuttal to this line of thought, citing the late American civil-rights activist Frederick Douglas who once said, "If we cannot stand up, let us fall down!" If women are always expected to be dependent upon men, then how will they ever grow and learn to live and think for themselves? In my opinion, this is the most important question Jordanian society needs to ask itself. Until then, I fear women will remain second-class citizens.
I hope you found some of that as enlightening as I did. In other news, we have our first round of tests this week. Wish me luck! Also, we'll be taking our first trip this weekend. On the schedule is Mount Nebo, Jesus' baptism site on the Jordan River, and the Dead Sea. We visited these sights last year, but I'm excited to go again and take a few more pictures this time.
Hope all is well in the States. Missing everyone, as always. Until later...
Salaam,
-Alex
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