From child marriage to women as male ‘possessions,’ a region wrestles with its future
| Faith-based media network SAT-7 reports that culture battles rage across the Middle East |
In the Middle East, the culture battles are fierce – but are shockingly different from the West. While those in the West spar over gender identity, abortion and immigration, many in the Middle East and North Africa are embroiled in deep struggles over child marriage, women’s autonomy, and whether girls should be allowed to go to school. “These are fundamental battles over every person’s God-given dignity,” said John Cerniglia of SAT-7, a Middle East-based media ministry broadcasting in Arabic, Farsi, and Turkish. “In many parts of the region, girls and women are denied the equality that many in the West take for granted.”
Treated as property: Women fight for personhood
One of the most hotly contested issues is the deep-rooted perception of women as male possessions. In Iran, for example, a proposed new Hijab and Chastity Law would impose even stricter dress codes, compelling all women to wear the hijab headcovering – a move critics say is more about control than modesty. “The more the regime tries to suppress women, the more they push back,” said women’s rights advocate Maryam Banihashemi. “Many women who chose to wear (the) hijab voluntarily have turned against it due to the coercive measures.”
Girls married at nine-years-old
In Iraq, another disturbing cultural norm is under fire. In February, lawmakers granted religious leaders the authority to determine family law – including the legal age for marriage. The result? Men can now legally marry girls as young as nine. Nearly one million girls under 15 are already married, often forced to drop out of school and give up their dreams for the future. “Iraq is facing an emotional, social, and economic crisis,” said Iraqi human rights advocate Banin Elias.
Girls under siege: Poisoned for learning
In Afghanistan and Iran, efforts to educate girls have been met with shocking brutality. Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban regime has banned girls from secondary education and even repurposed some universities into military compounds. Young Afghan women hoping to become doctors have been shut out of the classroom. In Iran, more than 100 girls’ schools have been targeted with chemical gas attacks – incidents widely believed to be punishment for student involvement in anti-government protests. Around 13,000 girls have reportedly required medical care. “There have been poisonings at schools in our province,” one viewer told SAT-7. “There is mayhem. No one is allowing (their daughters) to go to school. We live in fear.”
Silenced generation: Youth push back
Across the Middle East and North Africa, a growing number of young people feel voiceless – and increasingly restless. According to advocacy group Article 19, more than 70 percent of the population lives without basic freedoms, and no country in the region is considered “open.” The culture war is between those ruthlessly clinging to power and those demanding change, said Egyptian pastor Youssef Nathan. Those in power reject “anyone who is different, to the point of getting rid of them,” he said, “not necessarily by killing them, but through (destroying) their reputation.” Speaking to SAT-7, an Afghan journalist who fled his homeland put it more bluntly: “If I was in Afghanistan, I would not last a day. Freedom of expression doesn’t even cross their minds.”
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