By Dyna Fayz*
The Qur’an, often used by religious conservatives in the Middle East and North Africa to justify the subjugation of women, offers, to the contrary, a basis for both genders to work toward equality. Consider the following verse, which makes a point of placing men and women side by side:
“The submitting men, the submitting women, the believing men, the believing women, the obedient men, the obedient women, the truthful men, the truthful women, the steadfast men, the steadfast women, the reverent men, the reverent women, the charitable men, the charitable women, the fasting men, the fasting women, the chaste men, the chaste women, and the men who commemorate GOD frequently, and the commemorating women; GOD has prepared for them forgiveness and a great recompense”.{33:35}
The statement may be understood as an assertion that men and women must not only strive equally to serve God; they are also equally entitled to God’s reward. The many women across the Middle East and North Africa who now strive for equal rights in worldly matters understandably draw inspiration from the verse: the spirit of God’s logic should find its way into the organization of human society as well. Women and men should be equally entitled to an education, a career, and a family life based on mutual respect, love, and understanding. But to pursue this vision in the region is to strive against entrenched cultural forces that subject daughters, sisters, mothers, and wives to injustice at the hands of men. A popular saying in many parts of the Middle East: “To educate a woman is wrong because she has no place but her husband’s home.”
Women over the past four decades have nonetheless made great strides in many parts of the region, entering a range of careers and winning growing acceptance of the principle, if not the practice, of equality.
Promoting equality in education would play a pivotal role in bridging the gender gap between men and women — the key, in turn, to developing the region. Even amid vast challenges and violent conflict, young people in the area aspire to positive change. The region is rich in talent and social energy, and its women and youth are honing their creativity, leadership, determination, and resilience as a natural result of the daily struggles they face. Women in the region are known to be leaders at home; they raise their children, care for their families, and increasingly contribute income to the household by working. Among them are doctors, social service workers, professionals in a range of fields, and, for that matter, volunteers helping the needy and alleviating suffering beyond their more immediate community of loved ones. Women have organized protests, run family businesses, worked in agriculture, and educated others on health and safety.
To support their struggle is to fortify the region with hope and promise.
*Dyna Fayz is a public figure and TV broadcaster based in London. She’s now joined WTX news as presenter and senior anchor for the weekly news wire show.
