Feminism and Religion: the fight to matter in a patriarchal society.

Gender equality is a fundamental development
objective, and is essential to enabling women and men participate equally in society and in the economy.

In recent years significant progress has been made in closing gender
gaps in Sub-Saharan Africa: by 2008, there were 91 girls for every 100 boys in primary school, up from 85
girls in 1999. And at 61 percent, women in Sub-Saharan Africa have one of the highest labor force participation rates in the world. Despite these gains, African women continue to face some grim facts. Girls are still much less likely than boys to benefit from a secondary education. An African woman faces a 1 in 31 chance of dying from complications due to pregnancy or childbirth, compared to a 1 in 4,300 chance in the developed world. And women and girls often have little influence over resources and norms,
restricting what jobs and crops are considered appropriate for women and thus limiting their earning potential in agriculture, enterprise or the labor market. Women’s voice and agency remain limited, with rates of gender-based violence reaching alarming levels.
Poor access to legal rights, sexual and reproductive health services, freedom of movement, and political voice pose additional constraints for women. Attitudes and customs perpetuate many of these inequalities across generations.

Nigeria just like most nations in Africa have been last on the list of countries that champion the course of equality between men and women chiefly becaue of religion and tradition. Recently the The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Abubakar, has called on the Nigerian Senate not to consider the bill seeking gender equality in inheritance because of
its religious implications. The sultan said this while speaking at the closing ceremony of the 20th Zamfara State annual Qur’anic recitation competition.
According to him, the bill is unacceptable to Muslims
because it is against Islamic teachings.

"Our religion is our total way of life; therefore,
we will not accept any move to change what
Allah permitted us to do... Islam is a peaceful
religion; we have been living peacefully with
Christians and followers of other religions in
this country. Therefore, we should be allowed
to perform our religion effectively.” He said.

Now the question is,  what is equality for the purposes of religion and how do we balance the conflicting views of the religious and secular?  The word – Equality – which many thinkers
around the world advocate in various
fields of life is a word which is based on deviation and a lack of understanding, especially when the speaker attributes this idea of equality to religion (especially
Islam and/or Christainity). One of the things that people misunderstand is
when they say that “Islam or Christainity  is a religion of equality”.  I rather feel the best view is that what they should say is that Islam and/or Christainity  is a
religion of justice.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen once famously said and i quote:

“Here we should note that there are some people who speak of equality instead of justice, and this is a mistake. We should not say equality, because equality implies no differentiation between the two. But if we say justice, which means giving each one that to which he or she is entitled, this misunderstanding no longer applies, and the word used is correct.  Hence it does not say in the Qur’aan that Allaah enjoins equality, rather it says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, Allaah enjoins Al‑‘Adl (i.e. justice)”
[al-Nahl 16:90]

The bible also is not in any form less guilty of breeding patriarchy as Genesis 03:16  thus says:

Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy
sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt
bring forth children;
and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.  As this scriptural piece has been largely interpreted by most clergy men as authority to male superiority. It's obvious that a superfluous interpretation of these holy books will unavoidably work hardship on women and the society at large and i personally will be reluctant to side the secular view point while ignoring the views of the religious. In order to come to a mutual ground one has to implore the Golden rule of interpretation.

The best way to live through the challenge is striking a balance between the rights of women and men paying particular attention to opinion from both the secular and religious view points but for a start I believe the middle ground is redefining our theology instead of radically changing views in the society.

Your thoughts and comments.

Note: comments are not the views of the Author and no liability will be assumed. Thank you.

Rise Up Africa.

Africa is currently experiencing another form of slavery through Religion.

Hi; a friend of mine emailed me this and i deemed it fit to share with you this piece.

We are now mentally lazy and our ability to reason scientifically has been incapacitated. The write up below gives a vivid reality of the way we think. The African pastor won’t talk about Usain Bolt or Serena Williams. The African Pastor won’t talk about Steve Jobs or the young people in Silicon Valley reshaping our world. They won’t talk about young American scientists spending endless hours in search of a cure to a disease that’s predominantly in the Tropical African Region. The African pastor won’t talk about Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie or Ben Okri. In every corner of the world, there exist young men and women who have defied all odds and become successful through hard work, creativity and dedication…. The African pastor won’t talk about them neither will he ask his members to emulate the spirit of these individuals. He would rather talk about sister Agatha who got a job she WAS NOT THE MOST QUALIFIED FOR because she prayed and fasted in line with their church programme or brother John a millionaire because he used all his salary as a seed in the church, or Papa Miracle who he laid his hands on and 3 of his children got admission in the university, or Mama Esther paid her tithe and her business started growing everywhere across the nation with no business plan, just boom, everywhere. This has led to a new breed of mentally lazy young people who now see God as a rewarder of mediocrity. To the African pastor, the only way to prosper is by paying your tithe and sowing seeds in the church. So they will never talk about those, who have through hard work and dedication placed themselves on the world map. No…..the African god only blesses the first 30 people that rush to the alter to drop Ghc 100,000 as seed. The African god abhors hard work and creative thinking, he only gives to those who sow seeds and offerings…..and those who shout “I am a millionaire” every morning and do nothing the rest of the day. You want the Almighty to come down and help you use the talent He gave you and bless you because you are going to church to shout “Daddy I receive it” you are all jokers. Can someone tell these jokers that irrespective of your creed, faith or religion, blessings and favours follow you once you start using your talent and become useful to your society “ The Bible tells the story of the Talents. Use it. Blessing is already bestowed upon us. When we use it positively, we ask the Lord to bless it. The Bible says His Grace is sufficient for us. The Western world and Asians are excelling and dominating the world. Let no imam or pastor manipulate our minds while they jollificate in wealth and splendour while our people are mostly in abject poverty. Be Wise. Study, work and pray!!!