Politicians and clerics keep Malay women under control

 

March 8 is International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate the successes of women in various fields such as education, sports, cultural, social and political.

It is also a day when we strive to achieve equality in women’s rights and to create a safe environment in the home, public space or at work.

At the same time, we highlight abuse against women, challenge stereotypes and break down barriers.

However, around the world, not just in Malaysia, many women still suffer discrimination and injustice.

Iranian women are fighting the authorities against the compulsory wearing of the headscarf. Those who support the movement have allegedly been beaten and tortured. Some have died.

Women and girls caught up in the fighting in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict suffer from the violence, the constant call to relocate and the bombings. Several thousand women have died. Pregnant mothers suffer extreme shock and stress, and may miscarry.

Other women are affected by the lack of adequate hygiene facilities and the problems caused by the shortage of sanitary products and water. As most women are mothers and are tasked with finding food to feed their children, they are fearful that the scarcity of supplies of food and water may lead to starvation.

In Britain, many women have been victims of sexual assault and rape by policemen. Some have died and a public inquiry after the deaths have found many serious lapses in the police investigation and the failure of several leads which were not followed up.

Too modern, or just different

For decades, Malay Muslim women have attracted the ire of holier-than-thou Malays, who have condemned them for being too modern, too westernised, too progressive or just different.

The critics are mostly Malay men, but increasingly, the more vocal critics have disturbingly been other Malay women.

A female MP from PAS claimed that flight MH17, which was shot down over Ukraine, had possibly incurred “Allah’s wrath”. She urged MAS to stop serving alcohol and revise the dress code for female cabin crew.

When the public pays a visit to the government department, it is more often than not the woman who is told that she is inappropriately dressed.

The beautiful Malay woman cannot show off her beauty and benefit from business opportunities, unlike her non-Malay peers.

Remember how in 2013, four Malay finalists of Miss World Malaysia, Sara Amelia Bernard, Wafa Johanna de Korte, Miera Sheikh and Kathrina Ridzuan, were disappointed when the pageant organisers advised them to withdraw from the finals.

Religious officials had threatened to fine and jail them for taking part; but there is hardly any news about Malay men taking part in body-building competitions, if it is true that Muslim men are also not meant to flaunt their bodies.

Criticised by die-hard conservatives

Malay women who are different from the typical Malay attract criticism from die-hard Muslim conservatives, presumably because they lack the right ‘kabel’ (connections) to the top.

Dog lover Maznah Yusof faced the wrath of officials from the Federal Territories Islamic Department (Jawi), who claimed that she had insulted other Muslims by keeping dogs.

Would Jawi ever dare to enter the homes of the elite Malays in Kenny Hill, where pet dogs live in better conditions than homeless Muslims in Kuala Lumpur?

The authorities sensationalise the stories about beer-drinking Malay women, like the sad case of Kartika Dewi Sukarno, but they rarely publicise or punish the Malay man who is caught imbibing.

The late Perak mufti, Harussani Zakaria, claimed that “Marital rape does not exist in Islam, because it is a European invention”, while an MP from PAS, Nik Abduh Nik Aziz, once said that “Thailand is the reason for Kelantan’s high number of HIV and AIDS cases”.

He ignored the fact that many wives in Kelantan have been infected by their husbands who visit Thailand for their horizontal gymnastics and refused to practise safe sex.

Living in a gilded cage

Malay leaders and clerics often absolve men of their responsibilities, and instead will put Malay women down. They will claim that a woman invites rape because she did not dress to cover her aurat. How about telling men to contain their sexual desires?

She may not touch a male who is not her relative. She is called “dirty” when she is menstruating. She lives in a gilded cage.

Within the confines of her own home, a wife who is bullied may not feel brave enough to stand up to her husband, who warns her that she could be cast out of the marital home, or else he will acquire a new, younger wife.

Many women freeze, when they hear the latter threat.

Today, both politicians and clerics want to control the Malay woman.

Despite the New Economic Policy and other bumiputera benefits, the Malay girl does not have an equal position in society to her male counterpart. Her movements are monitored and her aspirations often blocked by officials in the religious departments.

Happy International Women’s Day. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.