Why Are They Opposed to Women’s Education?
By Anila Ali
Irvine, CA
I still recall the day I went to drop off my four-year old son at a co-ed Montessori in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and found that a battalion of policemen were waiting to greet me. They had raided the school and found four-year old boys and girls studying together. That was haram (not allowed) and so they shut the school down!
My son had to be separated from me and sent to Pakistan to finish first grade. Yes, first grade. That was one of the most ghastly experiences of my life. Sure enough, that was the year I decided to QUIT the Holy Land!
That same radical, illogical thinking has pervaded the mosques in Pakistan, especially the ones funded by the Wahabis that are in the tribal areas of the North. Although Wahabism has seeped into the moderate southern region of Pakistan, Karachi has still fared better and held its ground.
Malala lived in the North of Pakistan, shattered and demoralized by the constant scare of Taliban and then drones. She fought bravely for her rights - rights that are clearly stated and divinely mandated in the Holy Qur’an:
“Read in the name of the Lord who has created you.” Verse 96-1-5 and the Prophet of Islam urged his followers to go to China if they had to seek an education.
So then why do these people not want women to get an education? First of all, they are not Muslims; they are barbarians, so let’s get that straight. Secondly, it’s in their political interest to keep women from understanding the Qur’an because they know if they read the Qur’an, they will know their rights as they are stated clearly. If women get educated, they will lead their societies and that is a portent of the Day of Judgment, according to most Wahabis. They also believe that if women dress up in Western clothes, especially pants and shirts, they will be imitating men and that might bring ruin to their society. Moreover, wearing high heels is a sign of the evil West and a portent of Doomsday. On the contrary, it’s all right for men to ogle at women on Sex and the City and Bay Watch who are wearing high heels and flaunting their bodies.
In my book, Three Steps Behind, I try to capture some of the oppressive behaviors that are prevalent in these countries and shed the true light of Islam on these matters.
Although, the shockwaves have rocked the foundations of the country, it is likely that most people will go back to their loves and forget. Just like they forgot the woman, who was recently dragged naked through the streets of her town for asking for a girl’s hand in marriage for her son.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/419189/women-paraded-naked-after-asking-for-girls-hand-in-marriage/
Malala and her cause will soon become a topic for debate for the politicians and after-dinner discussion, kitchen table-talk, for the intellectual elites. Nothing more.
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