How can individual behavior become public culture? This question is always asked when discussing some behavioral phenomena that were never practiced widely until circumstances caused them to begin spreading in society and shift into permanent and public conduct. No one seems to condemn the practices and over time, they become part of public culture.
One of these is violence against women. The problem is not confined to any one place but exists all over the world. People may think that the so-called advanced societies do not have this problem; however, statistics show that the problem is as widespread there as anywhere else. In fact, women in advanced societies suffer more because they expect justice and fairness after all the fake clichés of human rights and the platitudes promoting freedom, justice and equality. When it comes to women’s issues, the empty promises and fake mottos reveal their lack of meaning.
In a stand supporting women, countries around the world decided to establish an International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women every year. Women’s activists have marked Nov. 25 as a day against violence since 1981. The date commemorates the brutal murders in 1960 of the Mirabal sisters, three political activists in the Dominican Republic, on orders of Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo.
Most countries pay little attention to this day but those with many organizations and institutions supporting women’s rights attach great importance to it. Women’s activists find such countries a perfect environment in which to discuss women’s issues, problems and rights denied them by the male-dominated society. Sometimes these activities go to extremes of exaggeration when the woman’s natural identity is neglected. She is after all not equal to man in everything. Otherwise, the universal balance would have changed and roles reversed creating a chaotic relationship between the two sexes.
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women was organized because of inhumane behavior and practices by men against women. This day is not the only day on which women’s issues are discussed and debated; there are also International Women’s Day on March 8, Mother’s Day, and the International Day of the Family on May 15.
It would have been appropriate for Islamic countries to dedicate some time and energy to this day. Islam honored women and granted them rights. Islam preserved a woman’s dignity whether she’s a mother, wife, sister or daughter. Our religion’s rules in general never differentiate between man and woman. Both men and women are asked to fulfill the same duties and obligations toward Allah.
Islam in its essence honored and respected women and that is the rule. But some individuals ignored and neglected the rule and used violence and abuse when dealing with women. This individual behavior over time became public culture — a phenomenon that should not be allowed to last or spread.
The day doesn’t only remind the world of women’s rights; it also reminds women of their duties and obligations toward their husbands, families, societies and nations in the name of wanting to achieve a society free of contradictions and problems that result from one of the partners violating the other’s rights. The public culture that people must be aware of in relation to marriages and family relationships is to discard discord. Equality is always essential but it must ensure and guarantee each person’s right within the role God created him or her for. Men and women must do their best to fulfill their roles in life without violence, dominance or abuse so that compassion and sincerity are never absent from our communities.
