The Muslim Brotherhood of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has greeted a UN proposal designed to reduce violence against women with unabashed horror. By Dan Murphy | Christian Science Monitor 7 hrs ago.. . http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-says-un-proposal-women-destroy-180243943.html Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, the power behind President Mohamed Morsi, usually makes its more incendiary statements in Arabic only. But such was the movement's horror at a United Nations proposal to reduce violence against women that it issued a statement in English today complaining that "the complete disintegration of society" would result if the UN adopts a set of recommendations from its Commission on the Status of Women. While I haven't read the document in question, judging from the Brothers' response, the UN thinks it would be useful to raise the age of marriage, decriminalize homosexuality, make contraceptives more readily available, and give unmarried mothers the same rights as married ones. The Brothers are not pleased: "The document includes articles that contradict established principles of Islam, undermine Islamic ethics and destroy the family, the basic building block of society, according to the Egyptian Constitution," the movement wrote. "This declaration, if ratified, would lead to complete disintegration of society, and would certainly be the final step in the intellectual and cultural invasion of Muslim countries, eliminating the moral specificity that helps preserve cohesion of Islamic societies." A concern about cultural colonization is what spurred the foundation of the Muslim Brothers 80 years ago. Founding member Sayyid Qutb, executed by the Nasser regime in the 1960s for his activism, spent time in the late 1940s in the US and was horrified by what he considered the country's loose morals and materialism. A desire to preserve Egypt and Islam from what its leaders view as an external, hostile onslaught remains at the forefront of their agenda today. They are terrified that the modern world is dragging Egyptians back to jahalliya, the age of ignorance before the coming of Islam, and made that clear in their complaint today. "These are destructive tools meant to undermine the family as an important institution," they complained of the UN proposal. "They would subvert the entire society, and drag it to pre-Islamic ignorance." It's hardly a surprise that the Muslim Brotherhood is opposed to equal rights for women in society. But the vehemence of today's statement, directed at a UN committee document that will have no binding authority over any member state, let alone Egypt, is striking. At least there's admirable clarity from the Brothers on where they stand. Some of their complaints are on specifically religious grounds, some related more to cultural attitudes toward women that require them to be subservient to men. Below is their list of what "decadence awaits our world" if the UN passes this violence against women document: 1. Granting girls full sexual freedom, as well as the freedom to decide their own gender and the gender of their partners (ie, choose to have normal or homo- sexual relationships), while raising the age of marriage. 2. Providing contraceptives for adolescent girls and training them to use those, while legalizing abortion to get rid of unwanted pregnancies, in the name of sexual and reproductive rights. 3. Granting equal rights to adulterous wives and illegitimate sons resulting from adulterous relationships. 4. Granting equal rights to homosexuals, and providing protection and respect for prostitutes. 5. Giving wives full rights to file legal complaints against husbands accusing them of rape or sexual harassment, obliging competent authorities to deal husbands punishments similar to those prescribed for raping or sexually harassing a stranger. 6. Equal inheritance (between men and women). 7. Replacing guardianship with partnership, and full sharing of roles within the family between men and women such as: spending, child care and home chores. 8. Full equality in marriage legislation such as: allowing Muslim women to marry non-Muslim men, and abolition of polygamy, dowry, men taking charge of family spending, etc. 9. Removing the authority of divorce from husbands and placing it in the hands of judges, and sharing all property after divorce. 10. Cancelling the need for a husbands consent in matters like: travel, work, or use of contraception. It's also worth remembering that Egypt is gripped in a financial and political crisis, yet the Brother's would prefer to fight quixotic battles against foreign "subversive immorality." - - - Updated - - - Muslims really need to get over the fact that men and women are equal human beings and just have different plumbing.
Strange he would admit this bit of laziness. The terms "Islamic" and "ethics" have no business being in the same sentence when it comes to speaking of the treatment of women in their societies.
I agree that things should improve in Egypt, but it isn't simply a Muslim thing; in fact, some of the worst area for women's rights in the world aren't Muslim majority states.
In response to the Morsi Regiemes rebuff of the UN proposal, A UN representative issued the following statement: "A Morsi's morose, of course, of course And no one can talk to Morsi, of course That is of course unless the Morse Is the famous Moham-Ed!"
I cannot find the UN report. I would be interested to know who was involved in it. In any case I think you would find that Fundamentalist Christian's in the US would find it just as horrifying. The far right would too, given that they abhor homosexuality so while Egypt may be being honest that this is too much for them at the moment, they certainly would not be alone in that. In Scotland in bringing in same sex marriage a lot of leeway was made to those who do not believe in this due to their faith. Ministers did not need to conduct these marriages and teachers did not need to teach about gay sexuality if it went against their believes so to pretend we are all sorted out on these issues ourselves is a bit hypocritical.
first part is against the Abrahamic religions in our region age of marriage is 18 so what is the UN proposing on raising it to? contraceptives can be bought in any pharmacy easily so what is the problem? abortions are performed here in Egypt when they consult a doctor again what is the problem? no thanks we dont want to go down that path we already have enough orphans with absent Gulf fathers to take care of no comment rape is a capital offence and offenders are hanged for it, sexual harrassment is usually dealt with by the families of the victim since we have had no police force for 30 years under secular Mubarak Equal inheritance would then mean equal sharing of care and maintainance for the parents and siblings. I doubt ANY woman would swap equal inheritance for the extra cost and work of that suggestion. My grandfather died 2 weeks ago. His sons inherited double what my mother and sister inherited. My uncles money goes to support all their family and extended family. My mothers share is her own. No one can touch it. She is looking at buying a property with it which will be in her sole name. It has nothing to do with my father and will be passed down to me and my siblings along with all the rest of her inheritance and property. I guess my aunt will bank hers because she owns too many properties now and has no use for any more I dont think. the UN obviously have no clue what they are talking about Polygamy is only by consent of first wife and is very rare anyway in most Muslim countries. If he married and doesn't tell her she can divorce him easily. How bad would it be if a Muslim woman was to marry a non Muslim man to hear him disrespect her religion and prophet? I just have to listen here each day so imagine what would be said to a Muslim woman!! If a Muslim man marries a non Muslim woman she would never have him say one word about her prophet as Muslims respect ALL prophets. It is not the same the other way around so Islam protects the woman from that happening to her. all Muslim woman sign a divorce statement and they can put ANYTHING they like on it BEFORE marriage. The Muslims had pre nup centuries before Hollywood. Saudi Arabia is not 1.9 billion Muslims
It would be very interesting to hear what Egyptian Coptic christians have to say about the 10 UN suggestions. They are very conservative. They pray and fast more than the Muslims. They follow many of the same culture and rules. Do you really think that Egyptian Coptic christians will be demanding for homosexuality and prostitution and all the rest of that stuff? You obviously don't know the Copts then and you dont know the processes of their marriages and families Lets hear what the pope of the Copts says about this and if he agrees with the UN suggestions. I doubt it very much. The Coptic church famously buy up properties at very low prices because it is agreed that no Copt will bid against the church at a sale of a dead persons estate. They will want to keep the status quo for sure.
To be fair this UN proposial looks...strange and weird. 1)Granting girls with sexual freedom? Pedoes in the UN? How exactly they are going to decide their parents' gender? 3)Granting equal rights to adulterous wives ....or taking on marrige institution? 4)Hey!!! LGBT!!! Sodomia!!! Cute! [/sarcasm] 5)I assume husbends would be able to accuse wifes in sexual harrasment either? Strange they didn't give us Jewish woman to mary non-Jewish man example. Basically these are very doubtful from moral point of view propositions, which are covered by banner of "violence against women".
