by Linda “iLham” Barto
“Men are protectors of women because Allah has blessed some more than others, and men invest of their earnings [in caring for their families].“(Noble Qur’an, Surah 4: 34)
The believers, both men and women, are protectors of one another. They enforce what is just and forbid what is evil.” (Noble Qur’an, Surah 9: 71-72)
Men are charged with the responsibility of creating a world where women are protected and where their dignity is maintained. Instead, however, men, in general, have created a world where girls and women must live in a culture where rape is normal and often even glorified. One woman in six will experience an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime, according to the National Violence Against Women Survey. Globally, the statistic is one in three, according to the World Health Organization. Former U. S. President Jimmy Carter has said, “The abuse of women and girls is the most pervasive and unaddressed human rights violation on earth.”
Unfortunately, the justice system does not take sexual assault seriously. According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, 98% of rapists will never spend even a single day in jail or prison.
A Muslim woman takes sturdy aim of a handgun indoors. Take advantage of any self-defense classes for women offered in your area. Usually men are not allowed to be present during the classes, so inshaa’Allah you will feel comfortable & able to focus on your instructor & getting the techniques correct.
Don’t wait another day – take advantage now of any self-defense classes for women offered in your area. Try to convince other sisters to go with you. Tell all the women you know, non-Muslims included. Usually, men are not allowed to be present during the classes, so inshaa’Allah you all will feel comfortable & able to focus on your instructor & getting the techniques correct. (Photo courtesy of US Army)
As a karate instructor, I sometimes teach rape prevention classes for women. The man who plays the part of the rapist is an honorable person who is very respectful of women and would never attack any woman. He has to put his own dignity aside to act as a sexual offender and attack the students in fake rape attempts. The women in the class have to put their own dignity aside and allow the attacks in order to learn how to defend themselves. Women who have been victimized in the past have to fight their post-traumatic stress and remain in the class even though they really want to run out. This is the predicament in which a corrupt society has put women
Honorable men and women need to do more to create stronger laws to protect those endangered by sexual predators and to teach boys to respect girls and women as sisters in God’s way. “Rape is one of the most terrible crimes on earth, and it happens every few minutes. The problem with groups who deal with rape is that they try to educate women about how to defend themselves. What really needs to be done is teaching men not to rape. Go to the source and start there.” (Kurt Cobain).
But women are not the only victims. One in thirty-three adult men has experienced attempted or completed rape in his lifetime, according to the National Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. Department of Justice figures that one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before their eighteenth birthdays. When a boy or man is raped, it is no less traumatizing than the rape of a female.
We cannot consider ourselves as dignified human beings living within the will of God as long as we allow the rape culture to permeate our national and global societies. Change must begin, and it must begin with those of us who have arisen to enforce what is just and forbid what is evil.
