Sexism
Most organized religions are tinged with overt sexism. The recent exhibition of extremist Judaism in Israel illustrates the roots of this sexism. Religion has always been a tool of human control. State religions control whole nations. Community versions of religions control the people within that community. Sharia Law is a very good example. When I walk the streets of Boston and see women in head scarves willingly submitting to sexist oppression, I mourn for all the courageous women in the U.S. who fought for a century for equal Constitutional rights for women in our society. Yes, that head scarf, no matter how rationalized, is a symbol of sexist oppression, because it represents submission to a religion which is sexist to its roots. The head scarf is as much an insult to female liberation in this society as the swastika is an insult to the human rights of Jews, gypsies and homosexuals.
Willingly submitting to oppression furthers oppression. This is the strength of bullies. They exploit conformity and fear within a community to exercise their power against individual choice. To those who defend their head scarf as a symbol of culture I would pose the question: If you are so happy with the sexism of your native culture, why have you chosen to move to a culture where sexism has been fought at great expense by generations of women?
As a humanist, I do not wish to control women. If a woman chooses to wear a head scarf or to be beaten by her husband, it is not my wish to control her. However, as a humanist, it is not ethical for me to placidly accept or approve of her decision to do either. Assuming the physical manifestations of a sexually oppressive culture is unhealthy in my informed humanist opinion. And, as an American humanist and activist for sexual liberation, I do see this assertion of sexual oppression in our society as a negative environmental influence on our society.
I'm sorry but I don't agree with you on this one. You say yourself that all religions are sexist, but then why pick on Islam? A mere clothing convention should not be a threat to any society. Amish women, for example, wear long robes and a bonnet. Why doesn't anyone see them as a threat to their liberated society? No Muslim obeys the Sharia word for word as no intelligent person obeys any religion word for word, so why is the Sharia taken so literally when other religions can say what they want, and it's the interpretation that counts? Why?
ReplyDelete"No Muslim obeys the Sharia word for word..." This is a very inaccurate statement. Iran is ruled by a shadowy, religious despot, who is committed to Sharia Law enforcement. Who are the mobs who hang gay men in countries where Islam and government merge? Are they not Muslims? Who are the people who publicly decapitate women in Saudi Arabia? Are they not Muslims? Who are the family members in the recent honor killing case in Quebec? Are they not Muslims? I haven't seen any Amish honor killings reported lately. I haven't even seen pedophile Catholic priests stoned by their congregations, despite their reprehensible behavior against children, male and female. I haven't seen Hasidic honor killings reported anywhere. Shunning, perhaps, which is bad enough, but not murder. I am not "picking on" Islam. Organized, politicized Islam is picking on women and LGBT people with violence and condemnation. I am simply pointing out that the proliferation of an outward symbol of submission by women to a religion associated with such extremes of violent homophobia and extremes of violent sexism is a very disturbing development in my culture, where I and many other have had to fight for our human rights throughout our lives.
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