By Margaret Weiss
November 29, 2006
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| Palestinian children celebrate suicide bomber Wafa Idris (PMW) |
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On November 6, eighteen year-old Mervat Masaoud joined the ranks of an increasing number of Palestinian women who end their lives by becoming human bombs. She struck in Gaza on November 6 and, fortunately, only managed to lightly injure one person. This latest attack got me thinking about the reactions of supporters around the world to female suicide bombers since the initiation of this new violent tactic with Wafa Idris' assault in Jerusalem in 2002.
Reactions to this first female Palestinian suicide bomber went so far as to liken Idris to Joan of Arc and even Jesus. But the claim that most interests me, and which has been repeated time and again, is that this act proves Palestinian women's equality to men.
A female columnist for the Egyptian newspaper Al-Akhbar wrote the following in response to Idris' attack: "Palestinian women have torn the gender classification out of their birth certificates, declaring that sacrifice for the Palestinian homeland would not be for men alone; on the contrary, all Palestinian women will write the history of the liberation with their blood, and will become time bombs in the face of the Israeli enemy."
Barbara Victor, a journalist who has written a book called Army of Roses: Inside the World of Palestinian Women Suicide Bombers, recalled an incident that transpired in 1982 during her coverage of the war in Lebanon. A Palestinian woman who had lost her family in the violence of Sabra and Shatila told Ms. Victor, "You American women talk constantly of equality. Well, you can take a lesson from us Palestinian women. We die in equal numbers to the men."
Regardless of one's opinion of suicide bombings, if this claim that the equality of Palestinan men and women is expressed by women's death alongside men is to be given any credibility, it must be shown that women's rights extend beyond the right to die and into life itself. If equality in Palestinian society is shown, at least in part, by women's willingness to die for the Palestinian movement, then are there other aspects of life in Palestinian society that support this claim of equality?
This question can be answered only with a firm "no." Palestinian society is organized around clans or tribes. These groups maintain status and power by protecting their honor. Women carry the primary burden of maintaining the honor of their families as modesty and propriety, especially sexual modesty and propriety, are central elements.
But what modesty and propriety requires for women differs considerably from what it requires of men. In essence, this means that Palestinian women's actions and options in life are extremely limited.
Men feel it is their duty to help and control women in order to ensure that their clan's honor is not violated. For example, a modest woman does not leave her home unless she has a very good reason to do so. This means that the request must be approved by a male relative and the reason for her outing must be apparent to the community at large." In a book by Cheryl A. Rubenberg written in 2001, a woman she interviews reports, "The situation is quite critical for women who go out. People talk about them and my brother doesn't like people talking about me. So he forbids me from leaving the house. My fiancé encourages me to get some skills but my brother refuses."
In stark contrast to the expectations placed on women, men, as the dominant and superior sex, have complete freedom of movement and have fewer restraints placed upon their relationships with women. According to Islam, no woman or man should have a sexual relationship outside of marriage; however, men are not held to this standard in the way women are. In Palestinian society, the families involved in a wedding would expect to have proof of the bride's virginity on her wedding night.
In addition, it is fully within a man's rights to divorce a woman who is determined not to be a virgin. As for the groom, there is no such expectation and it would be completely unacceptable for a bride to ask her groom to prove his chastity before their marriage.
The consequence of deviation from the strict honor code in Palestinian society is shame. When honor is not preserved, it brings shame upon the entire family, so one's actions essentially affect everyone. When women, the upholders of honor, violate the rules of accepted conduct, they receive a harsh punishment from their family as a public demonstration that the family has been shamed and seeks to regain its standing.
There are different punishments for deviation, from gossip and ostracism to honor killings. Honor killings are the most extreme punishment for a woman's violation of the honor code. This form of punishment is gender specific and is never used as punishment for a man.
Honor killings are used as the ultimate punishment for women who have been adulterous, which, in Islam, includes any sexual relationships between a man and a woman outside of marriage. A family that goes to the extreme of murdering a female relative who has brought shame and dishonor upon the family shows that its priorities are as they should be -- their primary concern is with upholding the good name and honor of the family and not the life of the daughter, wife, aunt, or mother whom they loved.
A recent New York Times article discusses a report entitled ''A Question of Security: Violence against Palestinian Women and Girls,'' which claims that "the level of violence [against Palestinian women and girls] is getting worse while the remedies available to the victims are being further eroded." The study shows that violence committed by relatives and significant others is at a "record high." Furthermore, the Palestinian laws in place lessen the punishment for men who hurt or kill female family members who have been accused of adultery and exempt rapists who agree to marry the female victim from any criminal trial.
The very essence of Palestinian society is such that women are inherently unequal to men. Men are the leaders of society and enforce honor in order to maintain the status of their clans. Palestinian women live in a society that limits their choices and independence in order to ensure that honor is upheld.
When making the claim that Wafa Idris and those who have followed her are proof of women's equality to men, one should stop and consider the reality of life for women in traditional Palestinian society. Not only is it absurd to call the sexes equal, but isn't it possible that the hardships of Palestinian women's inequality to men is precisely one of the reasons why they resort to suicide terrorism?
Views expressed by the author do not
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