A War on Women

Richard Van Dyke

Kitty King

JOU-105125-SP14

4-15-2014

A War on Women

            In the article, “How I escaped”, Sabatina James shines a light on the harsh realities of growing up as an immigrant in a strict Islamic family.  As a girl, she and her family emigrated from Pakistan to the city of Linz, in Austria.  Coming from a country where women are routinely repressed and treated like possessions, life in Austria was a total sea change.  She enjoyed the new freedoms afforded her, and quickly took to this new way of life.  Her parents, unhappy with the manner in which she embraced her new western lifestyle, attempted to restrain her both emotionally and physically. They ultimately attempted to force her into an arranged marriage.    In the article she documents the troubled relationship she had with her parents, and her rebellion against their fundamentalist way of life.  The unjust treatment Sabatina James suffered at the hands of her Islamic parents is not unique.  Women are abused and killed in the name of religion every day. 

            I believe that it is unfair to characterize the treatment that James suffered at the hands of her parents as exclusively an “Islamic” problem.  Most of the religions of the world (especially the Abrahamic religions) openly promote the idea that women are subordinate to men in their holy books.  Most sects of Christianity and Judaism, however, have undergone major reformations over the last few centuries, and the passages in their texts (the Bible and Torah respectively) that blatantly advocate female subjugation have been “reinterpreted”, or are simply ignored by modern believers.  This unfortunately has not been the case with many of the followers of Islam.

In the article, James highlights how her parent’s shame at her disrespect for their way of life drove them to extreme measures against her.  Shame and “family honor” are powerful forces in Islamic culture.  If it’s perceived that a family member has, with their actions, brought shame upon that family, they may call for an “honor killing” per Islamic law.  These honor killings are not only tolerated, but the legal frameworks of many Middle Eastern countries actually encourage them.  In Pakistan alone, over 500 women and girls are killed each year for perceived damage to their families honor (Jihadwatch.org, 2014).  This very real threat to her life was what finally drove James to flee her family, go into hiding, and finally form a foundation to help other women who have suffered her same plight.

There is never an excuse in a civil society to abuse women or treat them as chattel.  Sabatina James was lucky to finally escape the violence and maltreatment that is suffered by other women around the world every day. That these atrocities are carried out by the very people who are supposed to care for them cannot be excused or allowed to continue unchecked.  How many more women and girls have to die for an outmoded, despicable code of honor created by theistic thugs?