Not in the Image of Man She is the Image of God

Women and men are in the image of God, whatever you perceive god to be, life, source, nature etc. The image is love. There have been many misconceptions about women. This poem was written as a tribute to the women of Afghanistan whom have extraordinary courage. My former partner was Afghan and I met many Afghan women over the years.

Not only do the women have to face the terror of war (since 1979), the death of the children, family members but also suppression of their rights as they are not viewed as equal. According to Afghan’s close to me, in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime there were women only buses, windows blacked out, no photos of women allowed, they had to wear full chaldari and they had to be escorted by men (relatives). In marriage they have to obey their husbands if they don’t they can be killed. Many women have been accused of adultery and under Sharia Law they only need four male witnesses to make the allegation and she is stoned to death in Kabul Stadium. In some cases it could be gossip that a woman is going to a man’s house. The male voice is given more weight than a woman. Many have been beaten badly or burned/disfigured by their husbands, as men they are sanctioned to do this. Women do not have the right to say no to sex when he wants it. Women do not have the right to work, so economic freedom is out of the question and in a place like Afghanistan it is more a tribal society that is constantly recovering from conflict. Even female doctors would have to wear chaldari (cover) even with patients. My former partners sisters were doctors, and they complained at the difficulty of being covered whilst trying to treat a patient. I’ve tried on one of those coverings (chaldari), and they have bars (gauze) where you look out, they are hot, it is hard to breathe, there is no periphery vision and you can’t feel the wind on your face. You are completely covered, it is like wearing a bag. Hard to conceive from a western perspective. I may just add that there were also many men who protected their wives and sisters from the Taliban, who did respect them but were under pressure to conform or be seen to be. Always there are good men, but when a culture of violence is sanctioned by those in control, it is very difficult to resist and becomes a way of life. The days of equal schooling fade as the smoke of ignorance rises and engulfs society as the chaldari decends like a depression over the community.

My understanding is that the Taliban were the orphan afghan children during the Russian occupation (1979-1989). They were raised in madrases (religious schools) in Northern Pershawar (Pakistan). Many had no contact with mothers and learned the Koran from the Mullahs (religious priests). Their rule is fierce and oppressive of women.

I have met women who have fled the violence of husbands and war, and to survive they have had to find cleaning jobs or cooking or some even became prostitutes which is deeply shameful in Afghanistan. Some separated from children in order to escape and found their way out of Afghanistan as refugees. If they are separated from children, it is deeply painful and they constantly pine for their children. So the lot of women is very hard, economically impossible and socially they are rejected. Hence the importance of international pressure to ensure their human rights are protected and processing by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expedient. I have heard many cases of people wanting to desperately leave and can’t or wind up in refugee camps or on leaky boats, to then find themselves type cast as queue jumpers here in Australia. There is no queue in Afghanistan and many have to bribe officials in Pakistan to get out. That is the reality of life and death situations every day. Something we cannot imagine in Sunny Australia. Nice and safe here.

I dream of a day where I don’t need to post this type of information. Gender inequality should not exist in the 21st century, yet it does. I think of all the Einstein’s, Galileo’s, Rumi’s, Newton’s, Escher, Gandhi’s in female form out there. You’d never know they exist, but indeed they do. Equality will make visible the great women amongst us, long suppressed under stereotypes that were the true veils all women wear. However, I see a new future emerging.

http://www.rawa.org/temp/runews/2011/02/24/threat-to-girls-education-in-afghanistan-report.html

RAWA (Revolutionary Afghan Women’s Association) posted…

“The education system is facing its greatest challenge since 2001,” said Neeti Bhargava, Oxfam’s country programme manager in Afghanistan.”

“We’re seeing a rollback of some recent gains made in getting young, motivated Afghan girls into school. This is an appalling waste of talent and potential.”

Abdul Waheed Hamidy of Afghan NGO Coordination for Humanitarian Assistance added: “It’s crucial that donor governments sustain their support for development, especially education, even once their troops leave the country.”

The study was conducted last year and is based on interviews with over 1,600 girls, their parents and teachers in 17 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.

It found that the main obstacles to education for Afghan girls were poverty, forced marriages and security problems. The Taliban has often targeted schools, although these attacks have tailed off in recent months.

It added that many of those who are in school receive a “poor education” due to issues including a lack of female teachers and basic equipment.

Only 30 percent of teachers are women and most work in urban areas, the report said. This is particularly problematic in conservative rural areas where men rarely teach girls.

GO FORTH, KEEP GOING ON

My words are sent forth,
Like an arrow of love,
To the women of Afghanistan and beyond,
They have suffered endlessly,
They have disappeared in the eyes of men,
RAWA made a stand,
Under the beards of the Taliban.

Women are NOT fighting,
Women are NOT killing,
Women are NOT at war,
Women ask WHAT FOR?

When I look into the eyes of a baby,
There is no evil in that face,
Another human life made homeless,
In a war that has no place.

Why can’t you see the mother’s pain,
Reflected in the eye of your enemies … slain,
Destroying her future joy,
Destroying his unborn girl or boy,
You have been used, a discarded toy,
With no love, no feeling for your life,
You are the knife, you have abandoned your wife,
To cut down the trees of hope and love,
Riding on the back of anger and hate,
You are alone,
Your trouble has turned your house in to rubble,
Your children are blown,
On the landmine of sacrifice,
Which empties the bags of rice,
There is nothing left but strife.

It is the mother that lives and dies,
Why tear out her heart?
Her family spread on the winds like shrapnel,
She is torn apart.

In the explosion of her soul,
Her torment digs a hole,
Digging the grave to bury her dreams,
Under the dirt of silent screams,
Lost in the blackness of death,
Forced to take another breath,
Tears well up in a drought of dry dust,
There is no more feeling just a crust,
Too sad for healing,
The living dead … are walking,
The living dead … nightmares are stalking.

War has betrayed women,
Religion has imprisoned them in a cage,
Men have stolen their dignity,
And intensified their rage,
They are not simple creatures,
They are not less than a dog,
They are not there for his pleasure to be kicked and flogged.

Allah made women perfect,
She is not less than his boot,
She is not a target practice,
For him to shoot,
She is the source and richness of life,
She is the wind that carries the kite,
She is the womb of all worlds,
She is the hope for the future,
She is your greatest teacher.

The cage is open,
She is now free,
She will learn the ways of the world,
Awoken from her sleep she will see,
She IS capable,
She has rights,
She IS incorruptible,
And in this way she will fight.

She is not in the image of man,
She has a heart of compassion,
The nation now must become her child,
She must nurture the people,
From her mountain of strength,
She must speak up for truth,
She is the roof,
Protection from the rain and cold,
She is wisdom,
She is beautiful and bold.

Go forth…. release the dove,
Go forth ….turn fear into love,
Go forth…..it is time to rebuild,
Go forth … may education be your shield,
Go forth ….bring food and have a meal,
Go forth ….come out of the shell of hell,
Go forth ….you are blessed you can heal,
Go forth ….make the odds even,
Go forth ….you will experience heaven
on earth.