Clippings
(Article Via Jordan Times)
AMMAN (AFP) — Islamists on Sunday criticised the government’s endorsement of a United Nations convention eliminating discrimination against women, describing it as a “most dangerous” agreement.
Last month, the Kingdom endorsed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, 15 years after it signed the international document.
“This is one of the most dangerous agreements that affects the rights of citizens as well as the nation’s identity and values,” the top legal scholar of the Islamic Action Front party said in a statement received by AFP.
“This agreement, as well as similar American and Zionist efforts, seeks to steer people away from religion,” said Ibrahim Zeid Kilani.
“Scholars, rulers and citizens must confront such efforts, which are aimed at destroying the Muslim family,” he added.
The UN says the convention, first adopted by the global body’s General Assembly in 1979, “provides the basis for realizing equality between women and men through ensuring women’s equal access to, and equal opportunities in, political and public life — including the right to vote and to stand for election — as well as education, health and employment”.
Kilani noted with satisfaction that in endorsing the agreement, the government expressed reservations on clauses related to the personal status law, citizenship, housing and the free movement of women.
But he chided the government for failing to express reservations on one clause that stipulates that women should have the same rights as men concerning the legal guardianship of children.
Women’s groups and human rights organisations in Jordan, who have been pushing for the convention’s endorsement, have welcomed the decision.
Adnan
August 6, 2007 @ 11:49 am
well my friend I think this is being taken out of context.. they are not objecting on the “ensuring women’s equal access to, and equal opportunities in, political and public life — including the right to vote and to stand for election — as well as education, health and employment”. In fact, islamists in Jordan are living these rights to the maximum without having a treaty (how many islamist women are working in hospitals, schools.. etc.. its Jordan for God’s sake not Saudi.. ikhwan has a female member in the parleament which is got the highest votes in Jordan in 2003.. around 19,000 votes while some women support by the government won only by quota support with no more than 500 votes!!)
They are infact objecting on other parts of the treaty related to the sexual rights, abortion… etc which are clearly against islamic way of life which we - Jordanians- mostly adhere to.
you have all the rights to scream your lungs out but make sure to do it on the right basis.. the Jordanian government endorsed most of the treaty BUT with conservation of section 9/2 about the right of a woman to grant her nationality to her children (i.e. children of a Jordanian woman and a father from another nationality cannot get Jordanian nationality). I think this is what you need to scream your lungs out for as a Jordanian woman.. dont you think?
Also the islamist speaker argued about the right of the government to endorse such a treaty without getting back to the parleament like any self-respecting country would do before approving an international treaty! is that action “democratic” or guarantees “equal rights”? in fact it is unconstitutional..
I dont describe myself as islamist although I am definately a muslim. but I think it is fare and rightous if someone wants to blog his or her opinions and participate in creation of the public opinion then he/she should at least read and investigate well before shooting biased acqusations..
I normally like your blog btw :)
khalid jarrar
August 6, 2007 @ 12:08 pm
Roba, I have a couple of question for you, please take a moment to answer them so readers can understadn where you stand:
1.what are the rights that women are denied in Jordan exactly? and,
2. what do you hope this agreement will achieve? finally,
3. what are the points that made ikhwanjiyyih oppose this agreement? because all the good things that you mentioned about this agreement sound very islamic to me. what are the things that sounded “unislamic” to them?
Roba
August 6, 2007 @ 12:11 pm
Adnan, good point. I guess I’m already frustrated with the government and seeing the Islamist bloc support and be “satisfied” with such decisions makes it worse.
Kuwaiti dude in Jordan
August 6, 2007 @ 12:32 pm
we call them ikhwanchiya too!!:P
Nas
August 6, 2007 @ 1:11 pm
Welcome to my world!
khalidjarrar
August 6, 2007 @ 1:22 pm
Adnan, great point actually. too bad my browser didnt show your comment when i wrote mine.
Roba, would you kindly answer my questions too?
mohannad
August 6, 2007 @ 3:28 pm
Adnan, you are right, the woman should have equal right to grant nationality to her childrens.
To be fair, this law should be amended.
mohannad
August 6, 2007 @ 3:32 pm
Arab parleaments have no time for small topics like these, their agenda is full with other hot issues like Ruby clips or members fighting each others.
Mohanned
August 6, 2007 @ 5:19 pm
It doesn’t need any explanation, what they said is clear and obvious, women for them is nothing but tools, and your information is WRONG about the woman that got 19,000 votes because all women won on the Cota in 2003, you can go back the the Jabha.net and look it up before you throw false information. None of their candidate got more than 16,000 votes and the only “islamist” woman got 7133 votes only in zarqa and won on the COTA, this propaganda stuff will work on illiterate people, respect the readers amigo!
The Ikhwanjehhey is the most hypocrite movement on the planet, just watch how they enforce women to wear neqab eventhough it is not islamic, and NEVER EVER forget their support to terror and calling the martyrs in amman “ahl fisq” and zarqawi a “hero”…And regarding the usual Out of context execuse, play another one, this one is too old and is overused to the degree that it lost its meaning!
WOW!
Mohanned
August 6, 2007 @ 5:21 pm
Their total vote percentage in 2003 is less that 10% so don’t Blow thing up to make it look right, I hate it when people do that, they are what they are, a bunch of hypocrite relegion traders..
Husams
August 6, 2007 @ 5:42 pm
“”Eliminating discrimination against women is “most dangerous” agreement”"
Again I have a good solution, just if anyone would listen.
Khalid you are not sure what is against women rights in Jordan, well you asked for it, so enjoy the reading.
“” Violence against women is common. Reported incidents of violence against women do not reflect the full extent of the problem. Medical experts acknowledge that spousal abuse occurs frequently. However, cultural norms discourage victims from seeking medical or legal help, thus making it difficult to assess the extent of such abuse.
Abused women have the right to file a complaint in court against their spouses for physical abuse but in practice familial and societal pressures discourage them from seeking legal remedies. Marital rape is not illegal. NGO’s such as the Jordanian Women’s Union, which has a telephone hot-line for victims of domestic violence, provide assistance in such matters. Wife- battering technically is grounds for divorce, but a husband may seek to demonstrate that he has authority from the Koran to correct an irreligious or disobedient wife by striking her.
The Criminal Code provides for leniency for a person found guilty of committing an “honor crime,” a violent assault with intent to commit murder against a female by a relative for her perceived immodest behavior or alleged sexual misconduct. Law enforcement treatment of men accused of honor crimes reflects widespread unwillingness to recognize the abuse involved or to take action against the problem. Fourteen such murders were reported during the year, in which the victims were strangled, stabbed, or shot several times. The actual number of honor crimes is believed to be significantly higher. Human rights monitors believe that many more such crimes were committed but not documented as honor crimes. Moreover, most crimes of honor are not reported by the press One forensic medical examiner estimated that 25 percent of all murders committed in the country are honor crimes. The police regularly imprison women who are potential victims of honor crimes for their own protection. There were up to 40 women involuntarily detained in such “protective custody” during the year.
According to Article 340 of the Penal Code, a “crime of honor” defense may be invoked by a defendant accused of murder who “surprises his wife or any close female relative” in an act of adultery or fornication, in which case the perpetrator of the honor crime is judged not guilty of murder. Although few defendants are able to meet the stringent requirements for a crime of honor defense (the defendant personally must have witnessed the female victim engaging in sexual relations), most avoid trial for the crime of murder, and are tried instead on the charge of manslaughter; even those convicted of murder rarely spend more than 2 years in prison. In contrast to honor crimes, the maximum penalty for first-degree murder is death, and the maximum penalty for second-degree murder is 15 years. Such defenses also commonly rely on the male relative having acted in the “heat of passion” upon hearing of a female relative’s alleged transgression, usually without any investigation on the part of the assailant to determine the veracity of the allegation before committing the assault. Defenses in such cases fall under Article 98 of the Penal Code. Women may not invoke these defenses for murdering a male relative under the same circumstances, nor may they use them for killing men who attempt to rape, sexually harass, or otherwise threaten their honor.
In June Fadia Mohammad reportedly was shot and stabbed by her brother, who killed her for “reasons of family honor” after learning that she was pregnant. Coroner’s reports later indicated that Fadia was 6 months pregnant at the time of her death. Her brother surrendered himself to police after initially fleeing the scene of the killing. The case was pending at year’s end.
In July a 15-year-old boy from Irbid confessed to killing his 20-year-old sister. He claimed to have acted in defense of his family’s honor. The boy repeatedly struck his sister in the head with a club before covering her body in kerosene and setting it on fire. A coroner’s report found that the girl had not been sexually active. Her brother surrendered himself to police and his case was pending at year’s end.
There were no developments in the April 2000 death of Fathieh Mohammad, who reportedly was shot and killed by her father to “cleanse his honor.” The police subsequently arrested and charged both her father and brother for the crime.
There were no developments in the November 2000 beating death of a 19-year-old girl. In December 2000, police arrested the girl’s brother for beating to death his sister for “reasons of honor.” Police were investigating a second brother for his suspected involvement in the killing. Medical tests indicated that the victim had not engaged in sexual activity.
Most activists believe that even if Article 340 were repealed, honor crimes likely would persist, with sentences continuing to be reduced under Article 98.
Women experience legal discrimination in matters of pension and social security benefits, inheritance, divorce, and the value of court testimony. In Shari’a courts, a woman’s testimony is worth only half that of a man (see Section 1.e.). The Government provides men with more generous social security benefits than women. The Government continues pension payments of deceased male civil servants to their heirs but discontinues payments of deceased female civil servants. Current laws and regulations governing health insurance for civil servants do not permit women to extend their health insurance coverage to dependents or spouses. However, divorced and widowed women may extend coverage to their children.
Under Shari’a as applied in the country, female heirs receive half the amount of male heirs and the non-Muslim widows of Muslim spouses have no inheritance rights. A sole female heir receives half of her parents’ estate; the balance goes to designated male relatives. A sole male heir inherits both of his parents’ property. Male Muslim heirs have the duty to provide for all family members who need assistance. Men are able to divorce their spouses more easily than women. Marriage and divorce matters for Christians are adjudicated by special courts for each denomination (see Section 2.c.). Married women are ineligible for work in the diplomatic service, and, until recently, most women in the diplomatic corps automatically were assigned to administrative positions. There are six female judges in the country.
The law requires a married woman to obtain her husband’s permission to obtain a passport (see Section 2.d.). Married women do not have the legal right to transmit citizenship to their children. Furthermore, women may not petition for citizenship for their non-Jordanian husbands. The husbands themselves must apply for citizenship after fulfilling a requirement of 15 years of continuous residence. Once the husbands have obtained citizenship, they may apply to transmit the citizenship to their children. However, in practice such an application may take years and, in many cases, citizenship ultimately still may be denied to the husband and children. Such children become stateless and, if they do not hold legal residency, lack the rights of citizen children, such as the right to attend school or seek other government services.
Civil law grants women equal pay for equal work, but in practice this law often is ignored. Press and union leaders reported during the year that that some employers in the private sector reportedly paid their female employees well under the legal minimum wage, despite the fact that the women were under contract.
Social pressures discourage many women from pursuing professional careers. Nonetheless, women have employment opportunities in many professions, including engineering, medicine, education, the military, and law. Women constitute approximately 16.5 percent of the work force and 50 percent of university students. According to local NGO reports, while female employees hold approximately 52 and 39 percent of jobs in the education and health sectors respectively, they hold only 7.5 percent of managerial posts and 10 percent of all jobs in the private sector. Women’s groups stress that the problem of discrimination is not only one of law, but also of women’s lack of awareness of their rights or unwillingness to assert those rights. The Jordanian chapter of the Business and Professional Women’s Club holds seminars on women’s rights and assists women in establishing small businesses. The chapter also provided several programs for potential female voters and candidates for the since-rescheduled 2001 parliamentary elections. In 2000 the University of Jordan established a new graduate degree program in women’s studies to promote “objective awareness between the sexes.” Members of the royal family work actively to improve the status of women. “”
euroarabe
August 6, 2007 @ 6:46 pm
nice one Husams.
طفيلي(ahmad)
August 7, 2007 @ 4:04 am
I think in next 5 yeras We need to establsih an organisation to protect men rights in jordan ????
I hop they will chnage some of these rules and tradaition which is good for women .
I will give an example….
when women get married ,she does not not contribuite in marrige and groom prepare every things.,house, gold,wedding party….
Even when she get divorced , husband has to pay her combinsation around 20000 doller why?!
and
she is not supposed to pay for life cost even she has get income!!!!!!
And
if man hit women ,it will be disaster where men get hit by women it is inoccent case .
…
Adnan
August 7, 2007 @ 11:29 am
Muhannad,
I have no interest in taking this discussion to the level that you may find in government newspapers or try to get into a “saleh gallab” kind of discussion, but some points to clarify:
- You are right about the female candidate from Zarqa, I must have got confused between her and Ali Abul Sukkar who did get the highest number of votes in 2003 elections. Still, that does not cancel the main point: islamists are actually practicing equal opportunities to women even inside their own house by presenting women candidates in elections on all levels: from universities to parleament and even to ministers level like the case in Palestine .. I was not actually arguing that they have 100% approval by the people as you may think!
- I am not doing any propaganda or anything, and I hope that we stick to polite, gentle language when we discuss if we respect this forum and its owner. I am not a “ikhwanji” and never was before, I never elected an islamist and I normally do not agree 100% with their programs and actually went into strong discussions with some of their leaders (which btw never went to a level of false and blind accusations and normally were structured and quite discussions). I am married to a well educated and working woman who does not wear hijab. I am not saying that being one of them is an accusation but its just not who I am, all what made me post a reply is that the piece of news Ruba quoted said that the islamists are rejecting the treaty because it promotes equal opportunities of work, education… etc and I just wanted to set the record streight..
- Democracy my friend is a nobel thing, but it will get the good and the bad as well and the people should have the right to chose and take responsibility of their choices. If the government still believes that it is the “father” of all people and that without its control and intervention then we are still far away from Democracy, and if you want to practice democracy then you should expect to be criticized and to criticize as well, look at the response of the prime minister to the acqusations of forging the elections; it was full of the old fashioned 80’s language of a police man.. if the islamists want to accuse the rightousness of the elections then let it be, let them take their accusations to courts - it is the only democratic way to resolve conflicts between governments and oppositions in the free world, last time I checked the justice authorities were ensured to be independent.
finally, thank you Ruba for changing the title of the post, it reassures my feeling about you that you are a smart, fair person..
Mohanned
August 7, 2007 @ 7:21 pm
Adnan,
I didn’t not mean to disrespect you in any way, and no need to get so defensive.
In your comment above you complained and said
“he/she should at least read and investigate well before shooting biased acqusations..”
you did exaclty the opposite, and that is wrong and you lost your credibilty with me at least. And regarding democracy I know exaclty what it means and I am one of the biggest advocates for it, but at the same time it is my duty and my right to show what the “ikhawejeyeh” really are.
Anyway, I hope you don’t take it personal, but I simply don’t like the IAF, and I will do my best to unmask them and strip them to their real truth.
I alos read between the lines, islamists are threatnning with civil disobedience and taking things to the street, but rest assured there are still men in jordan who will give up their lives to protect our security.
Thanks, and again don’t take it personal ;)
Adnan
August 8, 2007 @ 11:18 am
Mohanned,
one simple old saying came to my mind; I think it is of Sarter.. it says something like “I may disagree with you but I am ready to give my life to ensure that you say your mind freely”.. I think that if we ever get to believe in this and practice it on the ground (in the street, university, voting, media… etc) then at that moment we can call ourselves democracy..
no hard feelings.. its just a blog and exchange of opinions.. :)
Pheras Hilal
August 8, 2007 @ 2:14 pm
Husams, thanks so much for the information you have posted.
First, I still do not understand, why do some Jordanians, mainly the most religious of Jordanians, and in general, Islamists, strongly oppose granting women further rights and space? Why has the average Arab, grown to develop a phobia against providing women with equal rights? Why does empowering women scare Arabs so much? And why do Arabs feel threatened by women?
The Muslim Brotherhood, only used female candidates in the elections to run, so that they can guarantee a bigger representation by using the Government’s quota for women. So, the quota guarantees six seats for women, and the MB wants to make sure that they can get as many seats as possible by using female candidates to get a portion of these six seats.
Another thing, I, as a Jordanian citizen, do not care whether women’s rights do not adhere to the Islamic Law. First of all, the percentage of Christians is around 6 percent. So why should these Christians adhere to such Islamic laws opposed by them? Why is it that we still insist on letting the majority overrule the minorities?
Also, if you want to bring it back to Islam. How are these idiotic so called “honor killings” part of Islam? Islam clearly stated that in the absence of a proper Islamic State, not one person is allowed to act upon Islam’s law of punishment individually. Meaning, that only a proper Islamic State can impose a punishment or a sanction on a so called “sinner”. Not to mention that over half of these “honor killings” the victim is normally a virgin, or not sexually active to say the least. It’s time that we remove this law, and if the MB is in the way, then so be it, they have only caused us more damage than benefits.
It is clear what the MB wants. The MB controls placing our school curriculum. Our curriculum is planted with meaningless crap. In a 1st Grade and 2nd Grade textbook, you read the following: “Ali is helping his father in the field, while Reem is helping her mother doing the dishes”. What kind of message does this send to our children? That your mother and sister’s place is in the kitchen?! And that your father is busy playing shepard with the sheep?! How backward is that? Plus, I have yet to learn, about a Science book, that connects religion with science. Religion is one thing, and science is another. So why exactly do you have to embed excerpts of the Quraan in a science book? I respect Islam as a religion, and all religious people. But when it comes to the point that it is brainwashing our children, and it reaches the point of “do or die”, that’s where I, as a Jordanian citizen, have got to draw the line.
True, the MB are not rejecting providing women with equal opportunities to men in the workplace. But they are rejecting the country’s political and social reforms in empowering women. The MB clearly still want women to be under the authority and shadow of men. The MB clearly wants women to remain washing the dishes, and to walk around in black tents, and for women refrain from speaking out, and to only remain as baby-making machines. My proof? The MB’s wives and daughters. They want to our mothers, daughters and sisters to become like their wives and daughters, and I simply reject that. Women’s rights should become a BIRTHRIGHT, and not a privilege.
imad
August 8, 2007 @ 3:40 pm
Husams , i am writing my MA dissertation on this topic, is it possible to correspond with you via e-mail? you can write me at: zunji@ hotmail. com
Don Cox
August 9, 2007 @ 9:21 pm
“I dont describe myself as islamist ”
I don’t think anyone describes himself as an Islamist. It is an expression used to describe other people.
imad
August 16, 2007 @ 8:14 pm
Calling HUSAMS Again:
i am writing my MA dissertation on this topic, is it possible to correspond with you via e-mail? My e-mail is: zunji@hotmail.com Drop me a line as I’m unable to view your contact details.
Thanks
Imad
44 (0) 798 447 1940
Anisah
August 18, 2007 @ 3:33 pm
I think they are trying to prevent things like honor killings, in which the murderer gets little or no time in jail (and complains about the little time that they get!). A man can kill a woman for any reason and make up a story and get away with it. Sorry but this is not equal rights!
Anisah