Women and Religion

Last Updated on Thursday, 21 January 2010 06:50 Thursday, 21 January 2010 06:14

Written by Vivek ji

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Last month, the Former US President Jimmy Carter was speaking in Australia' at Parliament of world religions. The subject which hit the scene was religions and women.   

Often it is cited, in length spoken and condemned that religions are responsible for the conditions in which women are forced to live and the reason why they have been treated like second grade citizens.  

It is also assumed that religions have done nothing to help the situation in which women are, but politics around women is never questioned, politicians were never put on argument. What they have done towards the condition of women being movers and shakers of laws and traditions?   

I would take it further: the insight what I had is… we never worked towards the improvement of the situation except finding cheap scapegoat for the problem and I assume often religions had been on notch of it.   

Religions, has some ideas of what we shall become. For me religion is the finest thought, which has come in human mind for our society. Sometimes pro religious people do it, other times by non-religious. Religions for me does not mean a dogma centered around a person or image, for me religions means the system of thought, from where the finest ideas about our civilization had emerged and still emerging, for me religions means the spring thoughts which has a flavor of mankind unending journey, sometime its an institution, sometime its an individual.

It could be a great debate to see if we have learnt anything from religions or not? At the same time, there are several examples from (established religions) Christianity to Judaism to Hinduism to Islam of how people have found excuses for social and moral injustice.  

We are the tools to learn and act upon and if we don’t learn from religions it is not their mistake.   

The US constitution, for example, gives the brightest freedom and humanist critics towards racism but if citizens are still trapped in racism across US we cannot say the US constitution is bad and not working.   

Actually we are the force behind each and every aspects of society, if we have not changed we will make even the center of thoughts in a Concentration camps. It’s we who are the factor not religions neither politics.   

Jimmy carter said in his speech “Women are prevented from playing a full and equal role in many faiths, creating an environment in which violations against women are justified. The belief that women are inferior human beings in the eyes of God”, Mr. Carter continued, “gives excuses to the brutal husband who beats his wife, the soldier who rapes a woman, the employer who has a lower pay scale for women employees, or parents who decide to abort a female embryo.”   

I do wonder if it is about faith or us as human beings, I would go further: if it is about faith or about us MEN, it is about faith or us Egoists? Shall I ask to the former president how many women were in the world parliament for religions, participating or speaking? 16 out of 60 confirmed speakers of the event? It is worst then Indian average for reserved seats for women in Municipality election.  

Islam always comes on fire (whenever subject of women is in the list). Concerning Islam favors only half of the shares in property to the women; I would like to acknowledge the time in which it was done. In Pre Islam Arab societies, from where Islam had emerged it is worth noting that nothing was given to women at that time providing half of the shares in property to women I would call revolutionary stuff done by Muhammad, does any one remember that in late 20^th century there were some countries in Europe where women were not allowed to Vote? How did we forget that?  

I would not go in details what happened to Islam after Muhammad, but just wish if one day we could understand Islam better to qualify as a moral citizens of this world.  

There are hundreds of fables in Hinduism about women but I would still recall everyone that in Hinduism too women are given the honest priority in religions, where goddess of wisdom is a women, goddess of Finance and money is a women. In Hinduism the Earth is called Mother earth, signifying the importance of women etc etc.  

What we as human being have done to the society is another matter of debate, it is us who have made what we are, it is neither the philosophy nor the religions, yeah politics could be.   

Nicholas D. Kristof the columnist of New York times wrote in a piece last week “But religious leaders sanctified existing social structures, instead of pushing for justice. In Africa, it would help enormously if religious figures spoke up for widows disenfranchised by unjust inheritance traditions — or for rape victims, or for schoolgirls facing sexual demands from their teachers. Instead, in Uganda, the influence of conservative Christians is found in a grotesque push to execute gays.”   

Okay okay, where does the politicians are hiding themselves? They are the movers and shakers of this filthy society in which we live. They could send soldiers to fight a war against fellow human beings but can’t they stop the violence against women, which is hindering here and there.  

 Of course I am not speaking that each and every act what religious leaders are favoring is good enough, but at the same time I can not push my beliefs where I see religions behind each and everything wrong doing around us, unless I am looking for cheap scapegoat having very little power to act on.   

The change what Jimmy Carter is looking for is not going to come from anywhere except if we change us…. within us.   

It’s a lot about brining understanding to this society, which is held by men; or we could call it the society factor starts with men. Yeah, after that anything which is produced weather it is religion or science the flavor of men is there. Religions are not, which had kept women out of liberty and freedom of self, it is men who have done it.   

We can not change any position unless we change our opinion, and my opinion is that men are responsible for the situation where women are, whether it is naked beauty at fashion show, or locked, self bartered women in any hidden corner of this earth.   

If we change ourselves, as a men I have no doubt that the situation in which women are will change too. And there will be no need to find any scapegoat around us.  

Vivek ji

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