Week 11 Readings: Kogacioglu & Enloe

Dicle Kogacioglu's piece is about honor crimes and their framing within Turkish society. An honor crime is when a women's family murders her because they do not approve of her sexual behavior. These kinds of crimes have been framed by Western society as a traditional cultural norm but third world feminists point out the disregard of power structures and inequality plagued by this stance (119). There is a value placed on family honor at the expense of the woman by the legal system. "Legally when an adult murders a woman, the penalty is increased if the victim is a minor and a family member. Yet, while these articles and others point to alternative ways that existing laws could be applied, criminal judges and prosecutors almost never take up these alternatives" (123). When interviewing civil court judges, they sympathized with their colleagues in the criminal court as taking an appropriate understanding of social norms into consideration when sentencing, ultimately lowering the punishment of the perpetrators committing honor crimes. Honor crimes are different depending on different institutions and governments. To me, this tradition is egregious, I mean how can people be slaughtered by their own family because of their personal choices? Thinking this, I have to remember that people hold different things as important and in different societies, different things are held to the highest measure, but it's still hard for me to wrap my brain around this.

The second piece by Cynthia Enloe is about the power of the Iraq and Afghanistan military and how that power is held over women creating a power dynamic between men and women in these countries. The military is an institution with immense power and because women are not actively seen by the United States, Enloe says that this causes them to be forgotten in policies that are enacted by foreign agencies. She invites us to examine the notion of women's status within society being directly affected by the military and invites us to examine why women who do participate in the government sector are seen as not important and unpolitical.

Both of these readings invite us to examine the multiple ways that perpetuate women's oppression in that are both sanctioned by institutions. Just like every group of people, women's rights are directly affected by institutions around the world, all human rights are. What is it going to take for these institutions to change the way they view their people? How much can foreign entities intervene when we can't claim oppression because it is subjective? What can be done within these countries and by external agencies to ensure the path to equality is being taken?

Week 11

In Dicle Kogacioglu's "The Tradition Effect - Framing Honor Crimes in Turkey"  she describes honor crimes and how the perceptions of honor killings are primarily based on tradition or culture and are referred to as “ codes of honor.Honor crimes stand at the intersection of multiple political and social dynamics. She argues against this way of thinking and states that once tradition is blamed people feel there is no necessity to inquire into the ways the institution can be implicated in the making of honor killings. She critiques the differences in law for honor killings where women are victim to that of blood feud in which men are victims. Honor crimes are defined as the murder of a woman by members of her family who do not approve of her sexual behavior. Sentences for honor killings could be reduced if the person was feeling “ uncontrollable grief”, if he was provoked, a younger man and for several other reasons all supported  by law. In contrast in blood feuds which occurred between two families and each family kills a male member of the rival family the law increases penalties and deems them as unacceptable behavior. 

In Cynthia Enloe's "Updating the Gendered Empire" she too discusses the effects that military institutions have on Iraq and Afghanistan women. She argues that we need to become curious about the U.S imperial empire, to make sense of and become curious about marriage of factory women, gender dynamics in families, sexual policies the U.S military forces in Afghanistan. Womens roles in an empire are crucial yet over looked as where they are naturally meant to be. Enloe discusses the importance of women’s roles yet men trying to rank and manipulate the varieties of femininity. As seen when the government choses its allies which will more than likely privilege masculinity. 

Both of the articles talk about the power of institutions in the control of women and women’s rights. As well as show the clear separation of women and males rights. For sentences to be  reduced from a 24 to 30 year to only 4 to 8 i think is crazy. Yet when a man is murdered the law increases the penalties in hopes that it will be less likely to occur. 

WEEK 11: "Upholding The Gender Empire" and "The Tradition Effect"

"The Tradition Effect" by Dicle Kogacioglu talks about how honor crime which means the murder of a woman by family members who do not approve of her sexual behavior is considered a "tradition" in Turkey. From 1994-1996, 53 women were victims of honor crime. This type of violence against women is justified by "tradition", in which the author does not agree with. Kogacioglu critiques how men have the protection from the law and if men are victims they are prioritized. As for women, they do not have the same nor are protected like men are. Honor crimes and the traditions they show are different, depending on the political struggles and different institutions; for example the Turkish government. There is a clear differentiation between how men and women and treated. This honor crime should not be allowed, the murder of a women should never be justified as tradition. It is unfair, unhumane and unacceptable it is not a traditional act nor should be tied with tradition.

Cynthia Enloe's article "Upholding the Gender Empire" elaborates on the problems the military has on women in Iraq and Afghanistan. The military as an institution has control, the dominant masculinity takes over and has control over women. Women are affected in the military more than we know, Enloe wants to shine a light on this topic so more people are aware of what goes on in that institution. Women do not have the same rights as men and the issue concerning women get swept under the rug.

Both these readings had interesting views on how institutions treat women, although I personally thought "The Tradition Effect" was a better read. My question would be, when will these institutions treat women equally and protect them as much as they protect men? These institutions try to justify everything they do and never change. It is very disturbing that "honor crime" is allowed and that the government does not do anything to defend women from this horrific act.

Week 11: Cynthia Enloe and Dicle Kogacioglu

Both authors for this week, Cynthia Enloe and Dicle Kogacioglu, discuss the role of institutions in perpetuating gender disparity and oppression in the Middle East- Enloe looks specifically at Afghanistan and Iraq, while Kogacioglu looks at Turkey.

Enloe's article "Upholding the Gender Empire" looks at the harmful effects military institutions have on women in Afghanistan and Iraq. In the United States's mission to develop into an empire, they must develop relationships with local military forces in Afghanistan and Iraq- relationships, Enloe argues, that turn a blind eye to the patriarchal ideologies and abuses the local forces implement, and instead are forged on a connection between men for their participation in the masculinity of combat. This blind eye occurs because for the US, women are not actively seen and therefore are not considered in the policies or actions of allied military forces. Enloe argues that to the contrary, all women are consistently affected and influenced by the actions of military forces- not just women involved in government, but women who participate in domains seen as unpolitical (such as beauty parlors). Enloe discusses how crucial it is to consider as well as question the position of women in a society affected by military. The US fails to do this when it forms alliances with local forces that do not exhibit an interest in empowering women; consequentially, women's rights are not considered pressing issues, and toxic masculinity will only be perpetuated.

Kogacioglu writes "Framing Honor Crimes in Turkey" on the practice of honor killings in Turkey (defined as "the murder of a woman by members of her family who do not approve of her sexual behavior" (Kogacioglu 118)), and the dangerous effects of attributing this practice solely to tradition. While dominant understandings of honor killings are quick to blame them on the prevalence of tradition, Kogacioglu recognizes that honor killings are conducted from a number of factors, particularly, Turkish government institutions that portray themselves as modern and Westernized. Like Enloe, Kogacioglu critiques institutions that allow for a perpetuation of patriarchal power; in this case, institutions like the law allow for loopholes around punishment of honor killings (where victims are women) but crack down on another "tradition-based" crime, blood feuds (where victims are men). Such a double standard on these crimes, which have both been perpetuated through history, demonstrates a prioritization of men's rights above women's rights and a clear instance of patriarchal abuse of power. Honor killings are also de-prioritized when it comes to Turkey's admittance to the EU- an institute which, Kogacioglu argues, is primarily concerned with the economic benefits of admitting a nation and secondarily with the human rights violation of honor killings. The EU is thus another institution that does not demonstrate active concern for women's rights and as a result, is complicit in the perpetuation of honor crimes.

Institutions play a crucial role in the treatment of women in societies all over the world, even when they are passive about women's rights. So when institutions like the military or the law place women's rights underneath other issues (such as regime control or the market), they become complicit in violations of those rights. Based on these readings, it is crucial to ask- what does it take for institutions to shift their focus onto women, and how can this be accomplished in areas where patriarchal interpretations of Islam dominate?

Week 10: Motherhood, Marriage and Divorce in Islam

In the first chapter of Kecia Ali’s book Sexual Ethics and Islam, “Marriage, Money, and Sex”, she discusses how Muslim men and women engage in these topics, and “the gap between expressed doctrine and practice” in the US specifically. She goes into detail on the development of the dower and how it was not an Islam innovation, but an adoption from 17th century Arabic practices. Then, the dower was paid to the wife as a guarantee that her offspring would belong to the husband’s tribe rather than the relatives of the woman. Because of this perception of the dower as economic security for the wife, this notion has been used as “proof of Islam’s liberatory stance towards women.” The dower being looked at in this way, as the husband paying for his control over the relationship, leads to the explanation for divorce laws. The husband has more say over divorcing his wife than vice versa due to the power role given to the male. In the jurists logic, because of the monetary compensation supposedly given to the wife upon divorce, the power to choose divorce lies in the hands of the husband. This is due to the wife’s potential ability to allow the marriage to be consummated and then divorce solely for financial reasons. “Any attempt to modify the rules surrounding divorce but not these governing dower, as some advocates for women’s rights have proposed, would alter the marital dynamic significantly.” She also discusses sex and the lack of taboo it holds in the religion. She compares it to the contrasting approach in Christianity on sex and the way in which the religion highlights purity, versus the acknowledgement of sex as “a natural and desirable part of life” in Islam. She talks about the husband’s duty to fulfill his wife’s sexual desires but also acknowledges by quoting Al-Ghazali that this is moreso a matter of being the husband’s duty rather than the wife’s right, because the right of sex belongs to the man not the women. Although he may be responsible for her pleasure, the decisions surrounding sex are decided by the husband. She ends on a positive note that although there are challenges that arise with applying Islam to more contemporary views, there has been many

In the chapter “Crafting an Educated Housewife in Iran” of Remaking Women by Afsaneh Najmabadi, she talks about the shift of the viewpoint of women from “house” to “manager of the house.” Whereas traditionally women did not have much to do in terms of educating or the caretaking of their children, and the men were the educators, there was a shift onto women playing important educational roles. Tusi wrote in the 13th century that he “considered his ideal reader to be not a Muslim man in search of this-worldly and other-worldly perfection, but an Iranian man concerned with the fate of Iran. The perfect man had changed from a Muslim believer to an Iranian citizen.” In this approach, the woman became a necessary piece in the progress of Iran. Women’s need to become more educated developed as a response to realization of the role women played in children’s life. It was realized that the education of children would benefit the nation as a whole, and therefore the mothers would need to start this chain of events. She talks about one of the first writings that spread awareness of women’s education, a piece entitled the “Liberation of Women”, that was translated into Persian by Yusuf Ashtianti. He published the piece under a different name “Education of Women”, and changed a paragraph regarding the veil, but even with the changes, this was the first time full attention had been placed on the necessity of women’s education. This notion that the “progress of the nation was dependent on the education of women” changed the way in which mother’s and women’s roles were depicted in society.

In reading these chapters, it stood out to me that although the western perspective of some Muslim practices is negative, in what ways do our practices run parallel? In terms of money, sex, divorce, and women’s education, we may not agree with the way the matters are conducted, but what western version of the same thing are we condoning? In some of these topics, is one really any better than the other? Or are they undoubtedly accepted because they are rooted in our historical and political association?

Week 10

In Afsaneh Najbadi "Crafting an Educated Housewife in Iran", she discusses the Persian books of ethics. In the book, it says what roles a Muslim man and woman should have. A man was in charge of the household and took care of the financial needs of the house. A woman was to take care of the house and that the only purpose is to property and to have kids. It was believed that the women could teach her kids while in the womb, but the need for educated women grew. The role of a Muslim changed from a housewife to manager of the household. She could teach her children growing up that would guarantee the prosper of the country.

In "Marriage, Money, and Sex" and "Lesser Evils: Divorce in Islamic Ethics", Kecia Ali discusses the position of women regarding the subject of marriage, money, and sex. A marriage obligates the man to pay a dowry to the brides family in exchange for considering her future children as a part of the family. Because of the dowry, it is believed that the man has the power over the woman and her reproductive ability. It is also said that Muslim women has their own sexual rights which are overpowered by the need to keep their husbands pleased.

Both readings had interesting views of a woman's role in societies. I found the concept of dowry interesting because it is a lot different that the Indian perception of dowry. The man would pay the brides family in order for her cute offspring to be a part of the family. Whereas in Indian culture, dowry is give to the mans family to marry a woman and take her off her families hands.

Remaking Women & Sexual Ethics and Islam

In the text Remaking Women, Afsaneh Najmabadi touches base on the notion that newly veiled women of the Middle East are equal products of the modernity as upper and middle class women who unveiled themselves in the turn of the 20^th century. Specifically, in the chapter “Crafting an Educated Housewife in Iran” Najmabadi focuses on shifts of the meaning of “mother” and “wife” for women as well as the roles men were supposed to play in marriage. A postmodern normative concept was that “the father, not his wife, was the manager of the household and in charge of the discipline and education of the children…”(92). The women were not expected, sometimes not even wanted, to be the caretaker or educator of the child. Women were seen most useful for the ability to carry a child in their womb. Often times that alone was their only job, as it was believed the child would gain its ethics and character traits from the mother while in her womb. In the first years of the 21^st century, Iranian reformers began to argue that “reform regarding women’s status was women’s education” (101). A new way of thinking began to arise and it was believed that women’s education needed to improve for the sake of a prosperous civilization. Mother’s eventually gained more respect and they began to take charge of girls’ education by encouraging and creating the means to organize fund-raising events and prove free schooling in their homes for those who could not afford to receive an education.

In the chapters “Marriage, Money, and Sex” and “Lesser Evils”, Kecia Ali starts by discussing the sexual subordination required by Muslim women in both Muslim cultures and Islamic belief. She argues against several Muslim authors, one being Abdul Doe, with his conception that men always willingly fulfill their expected duties as a Muslim man. Ali argues that Islam is “men’s Islam” because the interpretation and regulation is done by men and male scholars. Ultimately, she pushes for advocacy to reconsider dower, spousal support, and intermarriage to form a new structure of egalitarian marriage. The concept of a dower in marriage is most problematic. The common idea of including a dower in marriage is to ensure the husbands words to provide for his wife and family and create an economic safety net. Jurist’s, however, shine light on it to be a form of control and dominance for the husbands to have over their wives and children. Ali brings up sexuality as another problematic marriage topic. “Significant texts in the Qur’an and hadith allude to the importance of female gratification and satisfaction in the sexual act” (7). In marriage, women have sexual rights and Ali highlights the dissociation of sex from reproduction. However, even though it categorized as a woman’s “right” to such pleasure, the concept of women being obligated to keep their husbands sexual pleased often overrides that right.

Though Muslim women have made great efforts in gaining some respect and rights, there is still a lot of equality to fight for. In terms of marriage, what should/should not be expected of both the husband and wife to create a more egalitarian relationship?