Wives should submit! Really?
Published:Sunday | June 26, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Anastasia Cunningham, Senior Gleaner Writer
On May 21, Manal Al-Sharif, 32, was arrested in Saudi Arabia for the second time for driving a vehicle. This sparked international outrage and led to the 'Women2Drive' campaign that had 50 Saudi women risking arrest by taking to the streets in a 'mass drive' on June 17.
There are no traffic laws that make it illegal for women to drive in Saudi Arabia, however, their Islamic religious laws are often interpreted as a prohibition of female drivers.
Such edicts also prevent women from opening bank accounts, obtaining passports, or even going to school without the presence of a male guardian.
Sharif learned how to drive in the United States and urged other Saudi women with international licenses to start driving in Saudi Arabia, the only country where women are not permitted to get behind the wheel.
But the battle is not peculiar to Islam. Many religious groups and cultures have been wrestling with the concept of the submission of women for centuries.
Some religions pattern the husband-wife relationship after Biblical teaching that the man is the head of the household and wives ought to submit to them. Some men have even used this interpretation to control women and relegate them to subservient roles.
But a growing number of women across cultures have also been rebelling.
President of the Islamic Council of Jamaica, Mustafa Muhammad, said despite the fact that extremists within the Muslim faith subject women to extreme subservient roles, this is far from the truth of real Muslim practices.
He said the Qur'an clearly defines gender roles.
"The Qur'an teaches that the male is the maintainer, the protector of the family. The woman ensures that while the man is out seeking provision for the house, she is taking care of the house. And if children are a part of the family, she is the one who is entrusted with their care and upbringing," said Muhammad.
"She must be obedient to her husband, but not in the sense that he dictates to her and tells her 'you do this' regardless of whether or not it is correct. She is also under no obligation to obey the man if what he is telling her is against Almighty God.
"We have been taught that when you teach a man, you teach an individual. When you teach a woman, you actually have taught a nation," Muhammad noted.
"But it is imperative that the woman strikes a balance between her duties at home and her career. If there is no balance, then there will be problems," he said.
CHRISTIANITY
Many Christians live by the principles taught in scriptures such as Ephesians 5 v 22-28, Colossians 3 v 18-19 and I Corinthians 11 v 3.
"The Bible teaches us that God has placed the man as the head. The head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. So we cannot have two leaders, one must be submissive to the other. But the man must lay down good principles for her to follow. If he asks her to do drugs, for example, she cannot submit to that because it would be wrong," said Pastor Charles Francis of the Faith United Church of God International.
"The intention of God was that man should stand in that gap of leadership. However, he must not rule with an iron fist or be cantankerous or emotionally or physically abusive," he said.
He said in instances where a woman is head of a household, it is either because the man has passed on or has failed to play his God-given role.
He also believes men should embrace a woman's independence. "If a man is confident in himself, then he would not feel emasculated by a woman's independence. I encourage every woman to be independent," Francis said.
Carla Dunbar, pastor of the Buff Bay and Orange Bay Church of God of Prophecy agreed, adding that two persons ruling a household will cause conflict.
"God has set the man as the one in authority in the home. We were created to be our husband's companion and helper, in terms of helping them fulfil God's purpose in their lives. The vision for the household is there, and we submit ourselves in terms of helping them to carry out that vision," said Dunbar.
"However, it is not about being a doormat or a pushover for the wives, and for the husband being a dictator. It is about being in autho-rity and me following on as long as you are giving me godly, good and clear directions, leading us on a good path, not to the detriment of the family."
Dunbar said some men have regressed because they give up too easily.
The Reverend Karl Johnson, general secretary of the Jamaica Baptist Union, shares a different view from his colleagues. He believes, instead, in the mutuality of a relationship.
"We live in a patriarchal kind of society, and there is a little bit of socio-cultural yoking that has allowed us to read the scripture through certain lenses and be quick to see those things that almost make this male superior," said Johnson.
He said even though we will struggle with the difference in roles, we would almost want to believe that the role and place of man in the family is as head and viewing head as superior, "but my whole reading of it is that any relationship must affirm the mutuality of each partner.
"And I think that is how we should read the Ephesians passage. It emphasises that 'husbands, love your wives as Christ loves the church and gave himself'".
He said we often use the word 'submission' in a bad light. "Submission does not call on you to strip yourself of your dignity or deny your personhood. You cannot submit to anyone or anything that will dehumanise you and you become like a blind zombie following," said Johnson.
RASTAFARIANISM
The original role of women in the Rastafari movement, which began in the 1930s in Jamaica, was housekeeping, childbearing and pleasing her 'king'. She was first referred to as 'daughter' and subjected to strict rules laid down by the men. The Boboshanti order was the strictest when it came to the role of women, as they adhere to the strict Old Testament principles of the Bible.
Today, things have changed drastically. Men now refer to their wives as 'queens' and 'empresses', and Rasta women are among the more educated, pursuing careers of their choice.
Owner of the Ashanti Oasis Restaurant, Yvonne Hope, joined the Rastafarian movement as an 18-year-old girl in the early 1970s and was subjected to strict rules.
"When men read the Bible, they tend to interpret it to suit themselves and Rastas used the scripture to exploit and control women. We had to listen to the man and do whatever he said. They really believed in the full submissiveness of women, that's why they call us their daughters," said Hope.
"Women are now more in control of their destiny, in control of their children. A lot of us went back to school, got a degree, are now working, while some of the men are still marking time," she said.
"That doesn't mean we have moved away from spirituality, but we are now looking at it from a different perspective and a different angle."
Rastafarian attorney-at-law Miguel Lorne said although the 'king' is the head of the house, they do not ever require their 'queen' to be submissive.
"Is only a weak man 'fraid of a strong woman. A strong man loves a strong woman," said Lorne.