Jordanian bloggers are currently talking about women’s rights in Jordan. Sweet! I like that. The reason for the interest in this issue now is because Jordan recently endorsed a United Nations convention eliminating discrimination against women — albeit with some reservations.
I’m not sure if this endorsement will really mean anything since Jordan did express some concern over clauses that related to the Personal Status Law, citizenship, housing and the free movement of women. I’m assuming that although Jordan endorsed the convention, Jordanian women are still unable to pass citizenship on to their children and will continue to receive half the share of inheritance compared to men [in accordance with Sharia Law, which, in this case, is applied to both Muslim and non-Muslim alike]. I hope I am mistaken.
While reading some of the comments on Roba’s blog, I was surprised to realize that "the law requires a married woman to obtain her husband’s permission to obtain a passport (see Section 2.d.)." Is there anyone out there who would like to make my day and tell me that this antiquated law is no longer enforced? Is this really the case? With all due respect, I see this type of legislation as the epitome of discrimination. Would I need my American husband’s permission to renew my Jordanian passport? I wonder.
Update: Nas just made my day. I do not need permission to get a passport thanks to Provisional Passport Law (No. 5 of 2003). Phew… This is from the Freedom House report on Jordan:
Jordanian law provides citizens the right to travel freely within the country and abroad except in designated military areas. Unlike Jordan’s previous law (No. 2 of 1969), the current Provisional Passport Law (No. 5 of 2003) does not require women to seek permission from their male guardians or husbands in order to renew or obtain a passport. Nevertheless, in several recent cases mothers reportedly could not depart abroad with their children because authorities complied with requests from fathers to prevent their children from leaving the country. Social norms continue to play a major role in maintaining restrictive measures on women’s freedom of movement.
Alurdunialhurr,
ya right, blah blah blah….
Yes. Right. The English have been civilized since the time that Arabs were bedouin pagans in the Arabian desert. Your racist opinions about them don’t change historical fact.
God also says: “O men! We have created you from a single pair, a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other (not that you may despise each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is the most righteous of youâ€
وقال تعالى عز وجل “يا ايها الناس انا خلقناكم من ذكر وانثى Ùˆ جعلناكم شعوبا وقبائل لتعارÙوا ان اكرمكم عند الله اتقاكم ” (Sura Al-Hujurat, 49/13).
The Prophet , peace be upon him , said : “ People are all equal like the dents of a combâ€
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : “الناس سواسية كاسنان المشط”
He , PBUH, also said : “No preference is allowed to an Arab over a non –Arab , or to a non-Arab over an Arab , or to a white over a black nor to a black over a white except by righteousness and pietyâ€.
وقال عليه اÙضل الصلاة والسلام : ” ليس لعربي على اعجمي ولا لاعجمي على عربي ولا لابيض على اسود ولا لاسود على ابيض Ùضل الا
I did not notice that you (Craig) answered me by two posters.I will try to find times to reply you on your first poster because I am so busy these days .
Anyway I would like to add last thing about slavers .I challenge you if you could bring to me something in history calling to free slavers Before UK decided to prevent slavers trade two hundred years ago. In islam Muslims were told to free slavers for wiping sins before 1400 years. For example if I breakfast in Ramadan without an excuse you could wipe the sin by freeing slavers. In Islam, There are more than 20 ways to wipe sins by freeing slavers.
You might find this sound strange about this system . But please think how was the life before 1400 years ago.. I am not saying other cultures like Greeks or roman did not have some good things but I have not heard or read there is ancient history talks about human rights more than Islam. I believe in human rights but the rights could be applied not rights is suit for USA or west..
Finally, You said (As long as they converted to Islam and learned Arabic, right? 🙂 I am going to quote a verses from holy book Quran to prove you are wrong , Please read the first word in verses ,Allah said men((( he did not say Muslims or Arabs or non- Muslims) men means her in Arabic culture referring for women and men .
God says: “O men! We have created you from a single pair, a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other (not that you may despise each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is the most righteous of youâ€
وقال تعالى عز وجل “يا ايها الناس انا خلقناكم من ذكر وانثى Ùˆ جعلناكم شعوبا وقبائل لتعارÙوا ان اكرمكم عند الله اتقاكم
“The English have been civilized slightly longer than Arabs.”
ya right,civilised in slaving millions of African , slaughtering 1000s of Indians and Pakistanis, killing 1000s of Arabs, enslaving millions of Africans, Asians and even North Europeans immigrants ,using chemical weapons in 1920 in Iraq, dividing the whole world as pie to conquer and blunder and let us not to forget,the instalments and support of dictators and corrupt royal family such as “the royals” of Saudi Arabia and many others.
Nothing to say, but I have to say this, in jordan muslims and christians lived together for centuries, jordan is a special case and I hope it will stay like this or lets I hope that the coexistence between us in jordan becomes the norm.
The city that I originally come from we have almost 35% christians, the mosques are next to the churches, christians fast with us in ramadan and when the fasting ends we eat together, christmas is celebrated just like we celebrate any muslim holiday, BUT jordanian christians are still considered tribal and the culture still plays a great role on how we interact with each other, but rest assured christians in jordan don’t fall under the islamic law, they have their own courts to solve any dispute, but to be honest I don’t know what happens if there was a dispute between a muslim and a christian which I think most likely will be solved the traditional tribal way.
Gos bless jordan..
Sorry for any typos:)
You said ((If you force non-Muslims to comply with Islamic rules, you have violated that one))
In jordan , our christian community are not different from us.It is very difficult to say who is muslim or not. If you tell me about saudi arabia or iran, Do not foregt muslims who live in these countries have not get human rights for themsselve.what about mainority .. may god help them.
You said [Well, Islamic rules clearly contradict one very important human right. Freedom of Religion. …..]
There is a sign to chnages going on middle east.But the problems ,People are not enough eductaed wellto accept these chnages…. Please the fellow article,
I believe in USA untile 1965 there were school for blacks students and white students.
Very true. But racism is not a human rights issue. It is a civil rights issue. Slavery, which existed in the US until 1865, was a human rights issue.
Do human rights stand when there are arab student pass through airport in USA.NO?
Again, this is outside of the scope of human rights. It would be a civil rights issue. And I am not prepared to concede that the civil rights of Arabs are being violated by the Department of Homeland Security. The scope of “Human Rights” is actually pretty narrow. It has to be, because human rights are supposed to be universally accepted. Civil Rights, on the other hand, apply only within a society. Never outside of it. And every society is free to define their own civil rights.
1-Do you believe in democracy ?
Yes I do.
Democracy is a political system where the citizens vote on major policy. When majority vote for certain law, this law should be respected .Am I right?
No, I don’t agree with that. Laws must be fair and just, and respect the rights of all. If the majority votes in a law that affords them (the majority) a special status or preferential treatment, that is what we call a “tyranny of the majority”. That isn’t a democratic concept.
2-I will not be extremist wit you about that because I believe there are a lot of way to develop Islamic rules to fit in this age. I believe human rights do not conflict with Islamic rules around 95%.
Well, Islamic rules clearly contradict one very important human right. Freedom of Religion. If you force non-Muslims to comply with Islamic rules, you have violated that one.
3-We live in different age and we need to educate people how they can fit this age ..I support to have prime minister from Christian community .
I understand what you are saying. My ex-wife is Chinese, and she grew up in communist China. She used to say there was no such thing as “human rights”. And she actually believed that. But long story short, I don’t believe the UN makes any attempt at all to enforce their own laws on Human Rights, so it’s not very important, is it? Those countries that respect human rights, do so because they wish to. Because it is what those societies have defined for themselves. All anybody can do about countries that don’t respect human rights is complain, and support internal rights movements when they arise. That’s my opinion, anyway.
Hi Ahmad,
Thank you for useful information about human rights .I asked about human rights if it was put by human although I know the answer. I DO NOT think it is fair to say this is what human need because who put it they were from west. They did not ask if this system will suit people in east or Middle East or Africa.
You may have a point. It depends what you mean by “West”. The modern notion of “human rights” came from the 18th century humanist philosophers of Europe, it’s true, but they based much of their philosophy on past works, particularly the Greeks.
But the notion of “human rights” is not supposed to be a system of laws, it is supposed to be a basic set of rights that all people can agree is universally understood. Freedom of person, for instance, and the right to self defense. Freedom of expression. Freedom of Religion (nobody can force somebody to “believe” something they don’t accept, right?) and so forth.
Do you think some of those are not agreed to by people in the Middle East on cultural grounds? Let me ask you… if you moved to the United States and were a Muslim, but the US government forced you to convert to Christianity, do you think that would be a violation of your rights? Or would it be OK? What if the US government decided Islam was an illegal religion here, and put Muslims who were caught practicing their religion in prison? Would that be OK?
I don’t really accept the idea that these rights are only applicable in some countries, and not in others. I don’t think it’s a case of people not accepting that “human rights” exist. I think it’s a case of people being selective about who has those rights (in their opinion) and who does not.
You are in state; do you believe that your governments respect human rights?
I think we do as well with it as anybody does, but we are not perfect.
it is hypocritical when countries are accused to break human rights and their culture is too old for this century by your country
Our country is new. Our culture is not. The early colonists (and the founding Fathers of America) were all English by nationality. The English have been civilized slightly longer than Arabs. But not by much, I’ll grant you.
It is unfair to use human rights as stick to hit poor countries before they make sure the culture will suit the human rights.
I don’t agree that it is unfair. Most of the criticism of Israel is based on purported human rights violations. Why is it OK to beat up Israel on human rights, but not Muslim countries? As a Christian, I can’t even bring a Bible to Saudi Arabia. I can’t go to a Church in Saudi Arabia, because there aren’t any. There are places in Saudi Arabia that only Muslims can go. I am required to follow laws that are supposed to be only for Muslims, even though I am not a Muslim. I could even be prosecuted for breaking laws that are supposed to only be for Muslims. Is there anything in Israel that is comparable? Would I be discriminated against,as a Christian, in the same way, in Israel?
And lets not even get started on other human rights violations in KSA.
You might have something against Islam, As Muslim m I believe we are the frist nation on earth believe in human rights.
OK. You are free to believe that. I don’t know enough to argue it with you.
Long time agao , we find there is different between black and white or brown or rich and poor people apart of their good work .we never judge people based on their root .
As long as they converted to Islam and learned Arabic, right? 🙂
continuing in another comment…
Dear Craig
Thank you for useful information about human rights .I asked about human rights if it was put by human although I know the answer. I DO NOT think it is fair to say this is what human need because who put it they were from west. They did not ask if this system will suit people in east or Middle East or Africa.
You are in state; do you believe that your governments respect human rights? it is hypocritical when countries are accused to break human rights and their culture is too old for this century by your country
You asked about Islam. I have learnt to read and listen and think …Then I follow what my heart lead me based on knowledge which I get it from books and scholars.
It is unfair to use human rights as stick to hit poor countries before they make sure the culture will suit the human rights.
You might have something against Islam, As Muslim m I believe we are the frist nation on earth believe in human rights. Long time agao , we find there is different between black and white or brown or rich and poor people apart of their good work .we never judge people based on their root . I believe in USA untile 1965 there were school for blacks students and white students. Do human rights stand when there are arab student pass through airport in USA.NO?
Your question about non Muslim …..I can anser your question from different angles
1-Do you believe in democracy ? Democracy is a political system where the citizens vote on major policy. When majority vote for certain law, this law should be respected .Am I right?
2-I will not be extremist wit you about that because I believe there are a lot of way to develop Islamic rules to fit in this age. I believe human rights do not conflict with Islamic rules around 95%.
3-We live in different age and we need to educate people how they can fit this age ..I support to have prime minister from Christian community .