Last New Year's Eve it was reported that 2000 men sexually assaulted 1200 women in Cologne, Germany. Immediately, politicians and pundits jumped to make the connection between the rash of violence against women and the influx of refugees. And each time another incident takes place, the battle between political positions is reignited. One liberal politician in Germany noted that the debate must be centered around "no means no" and not around "whether refugees should be deported" or allowed safe haven in Western countries, and I agree with this completely. This is not a refugee issue. It is a case of incongruent cultural practices. Men from societies that reject women's rights must reform their attitudes and practices if they wish to exist in Western societies in which women are treated as equals. But more broadly, this sort of antiquated thinking must change.
Just this month in Reutlingen, Germany, a man stabbed a pregnant woman to death after reportedly being rejected by her. His status as refugee has nothing to do with a tendency towards violence against women--his fundamentalist upbringing in which he was indoctrinated by perversions of Islamic teachings do. This is not meant to condone or excuse his behavior, but rather it points to a much bigger problem that will not be solved by demanding blanket bans on Muslims because it fails to consider the women who face this brutal ideology in Muslim majority countries every day.
Two weeks ago in France, a Muslim man from Morocco stabbed a woman and her two daughters--ages 8 and 14--because the he believed they were too scantily clad. He didn't try to hide it nor did he commit his violence in secret. In fact, he was vacationing with his family when he served the punishment he felt was deserved. This was not a refugee, but a man who was raised under the similar fundamental ideology that holds that women exist as subservient beings meant to respect men and have no business as free-thinking individuals.
Just consider a few of the current laws in Muslim-majority countries. Today in Saudi Arabia, in 2016, it is illegal for women to go anywhere without a male chaperone, drive a car, try on clothes in a clothing store, interact with men or play sports. In Pakistan, the Shariat Court sits parallel to the country's judicial system and openly calls for "swift and efficient punishments" for alleged Sharia violations that democratic court systems cannot carry out sufficiently. This court brazenly calls for violence against women when a man feels she has dishonored a Sharia principle or if she dares to deny him sex (an act considered to be a sin under certain teachings). Rather than crying out against refugees and Muslim immigrants, we should be demanding the entry of Muslim women and children so that we can teach them that women are equal and deserving of respect. We need to spread this message in the West and empower the Muslim reformist movement within Islamic culture -- throughout Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and other repressive societies - to bring Islam into the 21st century as leaders like Egyptian President Sisi have insisted upon. Obviously, this is a mammoth task given the pervasiveness of these beliefs, but the work of leaders like Sisi and others must be recognized, applauded and expanded.
Last year, I took courses from a Qatar-based fundamental Islamist online school to gain insight into their teachings. I was told that "there are many more women in hell than men" and that women are to blame for many sins in the world and, as such, they should be respectful towards their husband and provide sex when a man requires it. The course trained students to understand that a woman covering her body and most importantly her hair, entirely in black is crucial to keeping her feminine nature and sexuality hidden from the outside world. Of course, this restriction of freedom for women conflicts with everything we are taught in Western society.
As a career woman who champions equal treatment and respect for women around the world, I can't help but wonder why there seems to be no liberal outrage about oppressive male-dominated Islamic-fundamentalist societies that victimize women, girls, and young children. The same people who claim to care so deeply about feminism and equal rights have been virtually silent on this topic. It's time to say OUT LOUD that the cultural beliefs in these societies must shift. It must be mandated by United Nations authorities - especially those tasked with protecting women and girls in societies that openly oppress and subjugate half of their populations. We must unite with the Muslim voices speaking out against unequal treatment and violence against women. Women must be valued and viewed as equal to men and given the right to pursue an education, to voice their opinions and to live for themselves and not just for the sake of men's pleasure. Together, we must create a world in which no actually means no.