Rasheed Al-Baidani Okaz The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) recently adopted a declaration that urged an end to violence against girls and women. The document says that women all over the world are equal to men in regard to rights, including inheritance. Those who drafted the document included some controversial points such as legalizing abortion, allowing wives to legally accuse their husbands of rape or sexual harassment, granting equal rights to homosexuals and other points that clearly contradict the religious principles as well as customs and traditions of peoples in the West and the East alike. A group of Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Libya and Sudan expressed reservations regarding these provisions and said they will implement certain provisions of the charter in line with the laws and regulations prevailing in their respective countries and the special customs of their societies. The document consists of 18 pages and the leading Western states that were at the forefront of drafting the document agreed to remove four controversial points that were the object of stiff opposition not only from Muslim states but also from several non-Muslim states. These countries saw, in a number of articles of the document, something that seeks to destroy the institution of family as well as family relations that are highly valued by both occidental and Arab-Muslim societies. I had expected that the Muslim states, under the leadership of Saudi Arabia, would present an alternative Islamic charter for women that focuses on rights guaranteed by Islam to mothers, sisters, wives, daughters, girls, young women and the elderly. This Islamic charter would then become the focal point of such discussions at any conference or meeting held by an international body like the UN. I also expected that, instead of taking a defensive position, we would demand the entire world abide by this charter. Such a move would not only allow us to raise our objections to the provisions of the original document which are contrary to our religion and ideology but also popularize our values, traditions and customs. As far as this issue is concerned, I firmly believe that the position taken by the Muslim states was weak. We failed to convince the world about our sincerity on the issue of women's rights, and this was not because of any absence of such support in our religion but because of the current situation across the Muslim world with regard to our conduct toward women. The prevailing situation is appalling where there is no regard for women and no protection of their rights. Here men are the aggressors and tyrants who beat or dishonor their wives and daughters. They prevent women from playing their role not only in society but within family circles too. There are instances of women being kept under virtual detention at home until their death or until Allah shows them a way to escape. In some Arab societies, the situation has reached such extremes that men think twice before taking their wives or daughters out with them when they go shopping or take a trip. Some men think that listening to their wives will somehow lessen their masculinity. Such perceptions are wrong especially if we look at the status given to women by the Divine religion of Islam. Muslim women are not in need of any charter to protect their rights as drafted by the Americans or other Westerners because they have a Divine charter prepared by their Creator –Almighty Allah. He knows well what is required to serve their interests, protect their honor and ensure their independence and dignity in the best manner. Contrary to popular belief, the dignity and honor of women are not well protected in Western societies and this has prompted some organizations and agencies to come out with certain provisions that are incompatible with the biological and psychological features of women. In my opinion, we are more in need of a charter for man to rein in his arrogance, prevent him from abusing women and halt his attempts to put hurdles in front of women that prevent her from playing her role in family and society in line with the principles of the Islamic Shariah. The charter must also ensure what Allah granted us as human rights, as mentioned in the following verse from the Holy Qur'an: “Does He who created not know, while He is the Subtle, the Acquainted?”
