Violence Against Women in Muslim Families Essay Example for Free

Violence Against Women in Muslim Families Essay Nasim Basiri Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, declared in a 2006 report posted on the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) website that: Violence against women and girls is a problem of pandemic proportions. At least one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime with the abuser usually someone known to her, (Kofi Annan 2006) One of the key issues addressed at the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing was the elimination of violence against women. Violence affects the lives of millions of women worldwide, irrespective of their socio-economic status. It cuts across ethnic, cultural and religious barriers, impeding the rights of women to participate fully in the society. The urgency of addressing this global problem is tragically illustrated by the treatment of women in conflict or crisis situations, where various forms of harassment, intimidation, rape and forced pregnancies are being used as instruments of war, especially by the opposing forces or the supposed peacekeepers. The recent incident in the Darfur region of Sudan, where women were violently abused both physically and sexually and some killed, is typical. However, it is not only in times of war that women are vulnerable to abuse. Throughout the world, women suffer untold violence in the family, at work and in the wider community, while the perpetrators include individuals and the state apparatus. Women worldwide remain vulnerable to life-threatening conditions and abuse of physical and psychological integrity. Although violence against women is highly under-reported, its prevalence is high in many cultural settings both in the developed and developing countries. For instance, studies indicate that 10-58% of women have experienced physical abuse by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Furthermore, cross- sectional studies show that 40% of women inSouth Africa, 28% in Tanzania and 7% in New Zealand reported their first sexual intercourse was forced. More than half a billion of the women in the world are Muslim. They are concentrated in approximately 45 Muslim-majority countries in a broad belt from Senegal to the Philippines, with the largest number on the South Asian subcontinent. The most populous single Muslim-majority nation is Indonesia.The policing of Muslim communities in the name of gender equality is now a globally organized phenomenon and one that has become even more pronounced after the events of September 11, 2001 when the United States began its ‘War on Terror’ in response to the terrorist bombings of the World Trade Centre and Pentagon. The policing is organized under the logic that there is an irreconcilable culture clash between the West and Islam with the latter bent on the West’s destruction. (Huntington 1997) They are tribal and stuck in pre-modernity, the argument goes, possessing neither a commitment to human rights, women’s rights nor to democracy. It is the West’s obligation to defend itself from these values and to assist Muslims into modernity, by force if necessary, as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq both underline. The body of the Muslim woman, a body ï ¬ xed in the Western imaginary as conï ¬ ned, mutilated, and sometimes murdered in the name of culture, serves to reinforce the threat that the Muslim man is said to pose to the West and is used to justify the extraordinary measures of violence and surveillance required to discipline him and Muslim communities.( Jiwani) THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN ISLAM Some scholars have argued that MPL cannot be effectively recognised and implemented by the South African government because Islamic law conflicts with gender equality. Since the height of the feminist movement in the late 70s, a magnifying glass has been placed over the status of Muslim women. Unfortunately, the magnifying glass used is an unusual one. Unusual in the sense that it is highly selective about which items to magnify; other items it distorts to such a degree that they no longer look familiar (Ellison, 2004). The image of Islam is portrayed (Khalid and Tucker, 1996:9) as the: fount of unmitigated oppression of women, as the foundation of a gender system that categorically denies women equal rights and subjugates them to men, this recurs in the movies, magazines, and books of our popular culture as well as in much academic discourse. I concede that many rules, as they exist within the Muslim community, have been interpreted by males and, therefore, are patriarchal. However , it is hard to conclude that Islam itself is antipathetical to equality of the sexes. I will briefly discuss the elevated position of women in Islam. In post-apartheid South Africa, women are only now really able to have their voices heard. The issue of gender equality has become central to the development of constitutional democracy in South Africa. But what is gender? It is usually described as the way society understands the differences between men and women. This can be extended to what can be identified or recognized as masculine or feminine in a socio-cultural sense. Gender is indeed socially constructed and determined by things such as culture and religion. It is also not fixed in time and place, and is, therefore, subject to change. In Islam it is important to note that the word gender has no corresponding current term in the Arabic language, the language of the Quran. The word gender is general, and reference to men and women is made by the reference to the word sex, which is believed to be value free. The Quran bears evidence to the forgoing in its reference to the story of creation where it purposely employs gender neutral terms (Hassan, 1998). According to Seedat (2000), some of the concerns and experiences emerging from Muslim women are as follows: * Women are often merely verbally informed by their husbands of their being divorced, without any sort of written legal documents; * Imams often grant talaqs without any consultation with the wives; * Women who spend their lives cooking, cleaning and looking after the children, are often left destitute at the end of the marriage. Those who find themselves financially dependent on their husbands, are unable to secure their own economic development, and are less likely to leave an unhappy or abusive marital relationship. * Many women also find it difficult to negotiate contracts due to the stigma attached, ie that she will be branded a modern Islamic feminist filled with western ideas. CONCLUSION Domestic violence is deep-rooted in many African societies Arab societies and etc, where wife beating is considered a prerogative of menand a purely domestic matter by the society. Domestic violence is one of the greatest barriers to ending the subordination of women. Women, for fear of violence, are unable to refuse sex or negotiate safer sexual practices, thus increasing their vulnerability to HIV if their husbands are unfaithful. A more productive approach, it seems to me, is to ask how we might contribute to making the world a more just place. A world not organized around strategic military and economic demands; a place where certain kinds of forces and values that we may still consider important could have an appeal and where there is the peace necessary for discussions, debates, and transformations to occur within communities. We need to ask ourselves what kinds of world conditions we could contribute to making such that popular desires will not be overdetermined by an over whelming sense of helplessness in the face of forms of global injustice. Where we seek to be active in the affairs of distant places, can we do so in the spirit of support for those within those communities whose goals are to make womens lives better . REFERENCES ^ a b c d e Moradian, Azad. Domestic Violence against Single and Married Women in Iranian Society. Tolerancy International. September 2009. Retrieved 16 Nov. 2011. Popularly referred to as the ‘‘clash of civilizations’’, the phrase and the argument can be found in Huntington (1997) For critique and examination of its widespread inï ¬â€šuence and appeal, see Said (2001). For a discussion of how the culture clash thesis inï ¬â€šuences feminists see Razack (unpublished). For a discussion of how the Muslim woman’s body has been represented in the press post 911 see Jiwani (forthcoming). Abdo, Nahla, and Ronit Lentin, eds. Women and the Politics of Military Confrontation:Palestinian and Israeli Gendered Narratives of Dislocation. New York: Berghahn Books, 2002. Abdullah, Ustaz Yoonus. Sharia in Africa. Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria: Shebiotimo Publications, 1998. Abou El Fadl, Khaled. Speaking in God’s Name: Islamic Law, Authority and Women. Oxford: Oneworld Press 2001. Abu Lughod, Lila. â€Å"Introduction: Feminist Longing and Postcolonial Conditions.† In Lila Abu Lughod, ed., Remaking Women: Feminism and Modernity in the Middle East. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998. Abu Lughod, Lila, ed. Remaking Women: Feminism and Modernity in the Middle East. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998. Abusharaf, Rogaia Mustafa. â€Å"Revisiting Feminist Discourses on Infibulation: Responses from Sudanese Feminists.† In Bettina Shell-Duncan and Yvla Hernlund, eds., Female â€Å"Circumcision† in Africa: Culture, Controversy and Change. Boulder: Lynne Reiner, 2000. Fadel M (1999) Two Women, One Man: Knowledge, Power and Gender in Medieval Sunni Legal Thought, in International journal of Middle East Studies. Hassan SO (1998) Gender and Islamic Law, Some general observations on the Status of Women under Islamic law, paper delivered at Gender and Law workshop, World Bank. Hughes TP (1886) Marriage in Dictionary of Islam (1886), see also http:// muslim- canada. org/marriaged iction . United Nations. The Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action, Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, China. UNDoc.DPI/1766/ Wom.1 12-113. New York: United Nations, 1996. De Bruyn M. Violence related to pregnancy and abortion: a violation of human rights. Sex Health Exch 2002; 3:14-15. Heise LL, Raikes A, Watts CH and Zwi AB. Violence against women: a neglected public health issue in less developed countries. Soc SciMed 1994; 39(9): 1165-79. Molloy J. Ending war against women. CRLP sponsors workshop on violence against wom en in situations of armed conflict duringBeijing + 5 Regional Conference. ReprodFreedom News 2000; 9(3): 2. Schreck Laurel. Turning point: a special report on the refugee reproductive health field. InterFam Plann Persp 2000; 26(4): 162-166. Girard F and Waldman W. Ensuring the reproductive rights of refugees and internally displaced persons: legal and policy issues. Inter Fam Plann Persp 2000; 26(4): 167-173. Nordstrom C. Catitas war. Development 2001; 44(3): 30-5. Refugees International. Visual mission: violence against women in Darfur, October 2004. http:// www.urefugeesinternational.org/content/report/ detail/4329/ . Rath DG,Jarratt LG and Leonardson G. Rates of domestic violence against adult women by men partners. JAm BdFam Prac 1989; 2:227-233. Odimegwu Clifford O. Couple formation and domestic violence among the Tiv of Benue State,Nigeria. Paper presented at the International Colloquium Gender, Population and Develop- ment in Africa organised by UAPS, INED, ENSEA, IFORD, Abid jan 16-21 July 2001. Foster LA. South African experiences in fighting domestic violence. Sex Health Exch 2002; 3: 3-4. Brinkerhoff MB, Grandin E and Lupri E. Religious involvement and spousal violence: the Canadian case. JSci StudyRel 1992; 31(1): 15-31. Heise L, et al. Ending violence against women. Pop Reports Series L, No. 11. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, Population Information Program, December 1999.

Reality TV :: Television Media

Whether we watch a group of people live together in a house (big brother), or watch them build the house (the Block), reality television exposes that little peeping tom in all of us. Reality TV satisfies that instinct of prying into the personal affairs of others, and the reality of reality television is that as humans we enjoy this. Reality TV is not much different from normal programs, like any program, reality television has the essentials, it has a mix of characters, it puts those characters in situation, and the result is usually a failure or success. But the catch of reality television is that the characters are real people, the story is not scripted, and with any failure or successes comes emotion. But does this reality TV revolution present the viewers with real life? Or does it present what the TV producers want the viewers to see? Reality TV is built on the foundations of exposing and exciting human emotions. In this aspect reality TV has successfully portrayed human emotions. The cameras have captured all features of being humans. For example, Survivor consists mainly of emotions associated with survival, leadership, the failure and success as co-operating as a team. The cameras have successfully conveyed to the audience all these emotions, and the stories connected with these emotions. There is no doubt that reality TV presents the viewers with small aspects of real life. Reality TV provides the viewers with true conflicts and emotions that have been felt. However, in the attempt to portray all traits of real life, I believe reality TV often fails. There are many contributing factors to this failure. There is the reality that like any show, reality TV’s goal is to obtain and keep viewers. With only an approximate hour of television each week it is difficult to include all stories. Therefore storylines and parts are often cut out, edited or deleted. This not only helps by keeping the show to the hour, it also is used to obtain the most interesting show. By doing this TV stations secure viewers and can get more advertising money. The result is we don’t always hear the absolute truth to any story. Some aspects of reality TV are cut because they threaten our idea about a character. For example in Big Brother there may be a character that is disliked and is receiving many phone votes.

Key Principles of Economics

3 Key Elements of Economics There are many key factors that make up the economic system all which must work together in order to effectively direct scarce inputs into wanted outputs. For this purpose the focus will be on 3 of those key elements. this includes the idea of no such thing as a free lunch, transactions as an obstacle to trade, and how the invisible hand directs buyers and sellers toward activities that increase general welfare. All three of these elements are essential for a greater understanding of how the economy thrives. In our market, resources are limited yet humans desire for goods and services is nearly infinite.Because of this there is no such thing as a free lunch. The sacrifice most commonly thought of in receiving lunch is the monetary cost however there are other sacrifices as well. Productivity, which provides the money for that lunch, is a large sacrifice when we stop to take a lunch break as in this explanation. However, the main sacrifice to focus on is th e cost that we pay for any good or service. This sacrifice is something both consumers and producers must face. To say that you did not pay for the lunch you received still does not make it free to you or the person who paid the bill. It simply shifts the cost, it does not reduce it.As consumers we are always looking to get more for less. Yet what we do not see so directly, is how the cost of any given good influences us on what we choose to purchase. With out comparing the cost advantage of given products we as consumers would end up using the money we had intended for groceries perhaps on other items that are not of equal value. Therefore, if Sally goes out shopping with the intent of buying only a few essential items that her daughter will need for the winter weather and does not consider the cost of what she is buying she could easily over spend and have to sacrifice at the grocery store.Or maybe Sally will then not be able to heat her house effectively. Both of these are exampl es of items that are more essential to Sally and her daughter's well being than the brand name of her daughter's clothing. This shows how by purchasing the more expensive clothes for her daughter Sally is no longer able to direct her resources as effectively as she could have had she perhaps taken her daughter to Goodwill and gotten clothes that are just as effective for less money. For producers the cost that most effects them is of the resources they use to make any given product.If a paper mill produces only two types of paper type A and type B Then in order for the paper mill to produce 500 bundles of each type of paper the mill must accrue the cost of only being able to make 500 bundles of type A because they must also make 500 bundles of type B instead of 1000 of type A and none of type B. This also shows cost because 1000 bundles of type A is the cost of 0 bundles of type B. Trade is a voluntary exchange of goods of services however, trade cost the consumer and the producer.T he producer must pay things like time effort, shipping, and negotiations in order to make the sale. These cost then get reflected on to the consumer in order to create a profit. Transaction cost are effected by several factors physical obstacles, lack or information, government taxing and regulations, and middle men. Physical obstacles such as rivers, mountains, and oceans all increase transaction cost because they increase the difficulty of getting the product from the shipping point to the destination. This can be seen in the cost of nearly anything.If John orders a new muffler for his Toyota motor cycle and it has to be shipped from Japan he will incur a much larger transaction cost than if he had ordered the part locally because that muffler must travel across the ocean and possibly some other land barriers. Lack of information is costly in the way of the producer and consumer. If the producer of an anatomy book is looking to find a consumer they producer must spend valuable tim e looking for a consumer because they are unaware of where they might find the consumer.The same goes for the consumer who must look for a producer or other student who has the book he or she needs. This could also involve finding multiple sellers of the right book in order to compare price and get the most value for his or her dollar. This all takes time in which the producer and consumer could be doing more productive things therefore bringing in more income. As most people are well aware of the government increases transaction cost in varying ways including taxes, licensing requirements, price controls, tariffs, and quotas.Every time I go to the grocery store I can look at my receipt and see where I was taxed. Some things only have a 2. 5% tax others have a 5% tax. This increases my cost of trade by the percentage of tax on every item I purchase in a given transaction. Government also increases transaction cost on other nations by enforcing tariffs in which a tax must be paid in order to import the goods shipped here to the U. S. Another example is in licensing. If I want to go fishing legally I must first buy a fishing license. Therefore I must pay in order to go and fish for the good of potentially catching my dinner.The final element of economics that will be covered is the invisible hand, how market prices direct buyers and sellers toward activities that promote general welfare. Every person is out for his or her own gain however, what he or she does not realize is that the â€Å"invisible hand† or market prices promotes the goals of others which leads to greater riches for everyone. For producers the actions of the consumer allows them to know how to adjust to meet the demands of the consumer. It reflects information about a consumers preferences in regards to cost, timing, location and circumstances.For example if people are able to get canned pumpkin all year at the super market but around thanksgiving the demand for canned pumpkin sky rockets in Louisiana then the producer can then tell that they are able to raise the price of the pumpkin in Louisiana and because they raised the price they can also afford to supply more cans of pumpkin with out the fear of the canned pumpkin expiring on the shelf. For the consumer to buy a product the consumer must feel they are getting at least the monetary value of the good they are buying.Therefore, if the pumpkin is priced too high the consumer will reduce the amount that they buy causing spoilage and costing the producer. However, if the price is too low the producer will see a great increase is the purchase of the pumpkin because the consumer now thinks they are getting more for their money than before. This is how the â€Å"invisible hand† directs prices by showing when there is a surplus or shortage allowing for the market to self adjust to cross over clearing where there is very little excess or shortage in the real world.

Master Skills and Enjoy Your Summer Creative Writing Workshops Online and Gratis

The most successful students are those who are constantly trying to improve their learning skills. There is a tremendous variety of possibilities to gain and develop this or that learning skill. It is quite possible to devote time to various specifications. One of the most significant is definitely writing skills. Thanks to the development of the Internet, it became possible to find the necessary information as well as enjoy various services for whatever purpose you have. Thus, it is possible to attend free online summer creative writing workshops, which can provide all eager students with the required feedback. You only should find and compare different online resources. Each has its own peculiarities and focuses on different kinds of activities. Considering Efficacious Online Workshops Here is a special survey of different online resources, which offer similar, as well as dissimilar, possibilities to improve the creative writing skills. Book Writing Coach. This is a specific online resource, which offers the â€Å"one-on-one† creative coaching. In comparison to other similar workshops, this one does not involve all participants at once. Irene Graham, a successful writer, publisher, and coach will conduct individual lessons for all eager people. She will teach how to write your Novel or Memoir in the most efficacious and original way. This will be another quality level of your writing education. The Writers Circle Creative Writing Workshops. This resource is also known by its abbreviation – TWC. It organizes free workshops each week. The workers of this website provide effective master-class lessons that can greatly motivate and inspire writers. You will receive the guidance on each matter regardless of your abilities, stage of writing and age. There are carried out webinars for children, teens, and adults. Each webinar will impress you with effective planning and the implementation of interactive tools. Writer’s Digest Free Webinars. This is another gratis service, which will provide students with smart tips on any issue to improve their creative writing skills. You will receive detailed information on how to structure your writing, quicken the process of composing the texts, overcome different impediments, and so on. One Year Adventure Novel. This website offers reliable webinars for free. The live video-streamed meetings will focus on different topics that are associated with the writing in general as well as the implementation of creative writing skills. Students can attend webinars twice a month. Free Webinar Series. This online resource, likewise, offers live streaming related to different aspects of creative writing. You will learn many necessary things that will help you to sustain your writing abilities. Mind that these were only a few websites, which can provide you with crucial tips on how to promote your talent as a writer. Yet, there is a lot more to find. Make a deep research and look through some other similar resources. There is a lot to discover. Make a list of your personal preferences and needs and find the most suitable website, which would provide you with necessary webinars.