National Women Policy
After reading The Daily Star report on the Ulema Council's review comments on the National Women Policy, I feel it necessary as a citizen of Bangladesh to put in my "two cents" on several of the issues debated by the Ulema Council as presented in the DS report.
Before anyone debates the National Women Development Policy, we need to debate the merits of the members of the Ulema Committe and their qualification to be representative of the country's conscience. Islam has very strict guidelines on who can be an Islamic scholar. Knowing the Holy Quran and Hadith by heart is not the only qualification. One has to be able to interpret the holy book and the Hadith in the correct context and apply it in the correct contex. An Islamic scholar therefore must have the knowledge or "hikmah".
I raise this issue in reference to the observation made by a member of the council reproduced in The Daily Star: "A woman cannot enjoy rights equal to a man's because a woman is not equal to a man by birth. Can there be two prime ministers--one male and one female--in a country at the same time?" This statement should raise eyebrows of all Muslims.
There is no doubt that males and females are not equal biologically. By the same token, one cannot deny differences among members of the same gender either -- no two males or two females are the same. Therefore if we are to deprive access of one gender to rights and opportunities based on biological difference alone - then why not impose similar restrictions on members of the same gender based on inter-gender differences, in other words why not then implement a caste system? The prime minister is and can be only one person whether that person is a male or a female. The position of prime minister should go to the one suited for the task. Islam requires that Muslims select a person for a task based on the candidates' qualifications.
On the issue of child marriage - the Ulema Council is clearly aligning itself with the culture of this subcontinent and not Islam. Child marriage has been and continues to be practised in this sub-continent. Islam does not dictate child marriage. Furthermore, Islam prohibits forced marriages. Therefore a marriage against the objection of the female is invalid.
I do however agree that a gender group cannot enjoy access to equal rights and opportunities and quota based access to the same rights and opportunities at the same time. It has to be one or the other, since enactment of one automatically negates the other.
I must also ask the question - why just a National Women Policy. What about the men? Are they somehow faring any better in a corruption ridden nepotism oriented society? Why not have a National Code of Ethics that all citizens are expected to live by? Doing so we will have a code of ethics on paper that will ensure that if someone is wronged in any way, the victim can have his /her day in the court and seek redress.
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