We have a moral obligation to liberate all Muslim
women from the yoke of Sharia.
Anke Vandermeersch points out the Sharia, i.e. the Islamic law, teems with
barbarous prescriptions that conflict with the generally accepted principles on
which our European civilization is founded, e.g. the observance of personal
liberties, the equality of woman and man, or the protection of physical
integrity. The Sharia denies each individual his personal free choice, imposes
the inequality of the sexes, exhibits absolute intolerance against the heterodox
and promotes inhuman punishment.
Catherine Ashton will never forget the young woman she met in Tahrir Square, who
said: "The men were keen for me to be here when we were demanding that Mubarak
should go, but now that he is gone, they want me to go home". Ashton said to her
"Do not go home!". Women have to remain at the heart of the transformations, you
have to lead the way towards the future you believe in.
Women's rights will be the litmus test of a successful transition. It is a long
and difficult road and none of us has yet completed the journey on human rights
and gender equality. It is a battle that must be won every day, with every law,
in every school, at every election. We have to keep going.
We condemn the gender-based violence against women that is on the rise at all
levels of Egyptian society. It began in 2005 with the government's systematic
campaign of sexually assaulting and intimidating female activists and
journalists. When the regime attacks women and holds no one accountable, it
sends out a signal that women are fair game. When the street then attacks women
and the police stands by and does nothing, that continues.
Ashton points out that leaving aside the moral principle, gender equality is
also about empowerment, democracy, and economic development. We all know about
the talent that is wasted and the wisdom that is lost when a society refuses to
break with inequality. A tragedy for the individual and a loss for the society
at large.
A recent survey conducted by the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights showed that
more than 80 percent of Egyptian women face sexual harassment, groping, and
unwanted sexual attention. This is a problem the Egyptian people must not hide
from.
Ashton asserts the human aspiration for dignity and freedom belongs to women and
men alike, young and old – it is universal. All those engineers and scientists,
and doctors and dancers, and artists and musicians. All of those wonderfully
talented girls and women who never got the chance to fulfil their potential; a
loss for them but a loss for all of us. In short, democracy and women's rights
go hand in hand, reinforcing each other.
Egyptian women are attacked by the regime, women are attacked by the street,
women are attacked openly. There is something about gender-based violence in
Egypt that is horrific. We have to look it in the eye and we must speak out
about it, not just when it is the regime that is doing it to women, but when
it's Egyptian men on the civilian level who are doing it to women.
Many Egyptian women told Ashton, 18-months later there is much progress to be
made. They fear that women's rights are not a priority in this ongoing
transition phase. And they are right. And of course that is wrong. The proposed
amendments to the Personal Status Laws, the lack of language on gender equality
or women's rights in the new Egyptian Provisional Constitution, the attempts to
decriminalize Female Genital Mutilation are some worrying developments.
This is why there is a need for strong Egyptian institutions, like the National
Council for Women, working to protect and support women's rights. An active and
independent civil society is a key component of any democratic society and women
must be allowed to play their part.
Vandermeersch notes the first and foremost victims of Islamization are women.
Females in the Muslim world, but also in the Islamic communities of Europe, are
systematically discriminated against, oppressed and molested. According to
Islam, women are subordinate to men, as they owe their fathers and husbands
unquestioning obedience. In Islamic tradition, the men invariably take all
important decisions in the stead of their wives and daughters. Islam dictates, a
man may chasten his wife, if necessary, in order to keep her in line.
The scarce representation of women in the ministries, their exclusion from
leadership and political positions, and their small representation, only 2%, in
the Egyptian Parliament show the many challenges ahead.
Vandermeersch declares Islam is synonymous to humiliation and discrimination.
Muslim women can only inherit half as much as a man. According to Islamic
jurisdiction, the testimony of a woman is half as trustworthy as that of a
man's. Furthermore, Islam coerces females into wearing head scarves, veils and
even burqas, for women are deemed responsible for men's sexual restraint. Islam
also considerably curbs women's liberty of action. Without permission of her
husband a Muslim woman may not leave her dwelling. Along with Islam, savage
practices such as honor killings, forced marriage, polygamy, and circumcision
are making inroads into our society.
Ashton asserts that governments across the world must take proactive measures to
address the factors preventing women from participating in politics and public
life. These include violence, poverty, lack of access to quality education and
health care, the double burden of paid and unpaid work.
Veil and headscarf are not welcome in Fourth Reich (EU), because they are
symbols of women's subservience, repression, incivility, and an increasingly divided
Fourth Reich. Veil and headscarf make women invisible, transform women to
zombies, invalidate women's participatory rights, flag women as evil
temptresses, oppress women with barbarity, are brands of misogynist Islam, and
are a security threat.
Anke Vandermeersch points out the Sharia, i.e. the Islamic law, teems with
barbarous prescriptions that conflict with the generally accepted principles on
which our European civilization is founded, e.g. the observance of personal
liberties, the equality of woman and man, or the protection of physical
integrity. The Sharia denies each individual his personal free choice, imposes
the inequality of the sexes, exhibits absolute intolerance against the heterodox
and promotes inhuman punishment.
Catherine Ashton will never forget the young woman she met in Tahrir Square, who
said: "The men were keen for me to be here when we were demanding that Mubarak
should go, but now that he is gone, they want me to go home". Ashton said to her
"Do not go home!". Women have to remain at the heart of the transformations, you
have to lead the way towards the future you believe in.
Women's rights will be the litmus test of a successful transition. It is a long
and difficult road and none of us has yet completed the journey on human rights
and gender equality. It is a battle that must be won every day, with every law,
in every school, at every election. We have to keep going.
We condemn the gender-based violence against women that is on the rise at all
levels of Egyptian society. It began in 2005 with the government's systematic
campaign of sexually assaulting and intimidating female activists and
journalists. When the regime attacks women and holds no one accountable, it
sends out a signal that women are fair game. When the street then attacks women
and the police stands by and does nothing, that continues.
Ashton points out that leaving aside the moral principle, gender equality is
also about empowerment, democracy, and economic development. We all know about
the talent that is wasted and the wisdom that is lost when a society refuses to
break with inequality. A tragedy for the individual and a loss for the society
at large.
A recent survey conducted by the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights showed that
more than 80 percent of Egyptian women face sexual harassment, groping, and
unwanted sexual attention. This is a problem the Egyptian people must not hide
from.
Ashton asserts the human aspiration for dignity and freedom belongs to women and
men alike, young and old – it is universal. All those engineers and scientists,
and doctors and dancers, and artists and musicians. All of those wonderfully
talented girls and women who never got the chance to fulfil their potential; a
loss for them but a loss for all of us. In short, democracy and women's rights
go hand in hand, reinforcing each other.
Egyptian women are attacked by the regime, women are attacked by the street,
women are attacked openly. There is something about gender-based violence in
Egypt that is horrific. We have to look it in the eye and we must speak out
about it, not just when it is the regime that is doing it to women, but when
it's Egyptian men on the civilian level who are doing it to women.
Many Egyptian women told Ashton, 18-months later there is much progress to be
made. They fear that women's rights are not a priority in this ongoing
transition phase. And they are right. And of course that is wrong. The proposed
amendments to the Personal Status Laws, the lack of language on gender equality
or women's rights in the new Egyptian Provisional Constitution, the attempts to
decriminalize Female Genital Mutilation are some worrying developments.
This is why there is a need for strong Egyptian institutions, like the National
Council for Women, working to protect and support women's rights. An active and
independent civil society is a key component of any democratic society and women
must be allowed to play their part.
Vandermeersch notes the first and foremost victims of Islamization are women.
Females in the Muslim world, but also in the Islamic communities of Europe, are
systematically discriminated against, oppressed and molested. According to
Islam, women are subordinate to men, as they owe their fathers and husbands
unquestioning obedience. In Islamic tradition, the men invariably take all
important decisions in the stead of their wives and daughters. Islam dictates, a
man may chasten his wife, if necessary, in order to keep her in line.
The scarce representation of women in the ministries, their exclusion from
leadership and political positions, and their small representation, only 2%, in
the Egyptian Parliament show the many challenges ahead.
Vandermeersch declares Islam is synonymous to humiliation and discrimination.
Muslim women can only inherit half as much as a man. According to Islamic
jurisdiction, the testimony of a woman is half as trustworthy as that of a
man's. Furthermore, Islam coerces females into wearing head scarves, veils and
even burqas, for women are deemed responsible for men's sexual restraint. Islam
also considerably curbs women's liberty of action. Without permission of her
husband a Muslim woman may not leave her dwelling. Along with Islam, savage
practices such as honor killings, forced marriage, polygamy, and circumcision
are making inroads into our society.
Ashton asserts that governments across the world must take proactive measures to
address the factors preventing women from participating in politics and public
life. These include violence, poverty, lack of access to quality education and
health care, the double burden of paid and unpaid work.
Veil and headscarf are not welcome in Fourth Reich (EU), because they are
symbols of women's subservience, repression, incivility, and an increasingly divided
Fourth Reich. Veil and headscarf make women invisible, transform women to
zombies, invalidate women's participatory rights, flag women as evil
temptresses, oppress women with barbarity, are brands of misogynist Islam, and
are a security threat.
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