The Qatar 2022 World Cup shows the lack of women’s rights in the Middle East

Today, Qatar is in the crosshairs of the Football World Cup and this allows us to see more closely the legislative and religious practices in this region of the world, where the Islam is the dominant religion The Koran dictates, to a greater extent, codes of honor and conduct, in many cases to the point of becoming part of the law.

Does the Quran violate women’s rights?

The Koran poses a asymmetrical relationship between men and women and highlights the subordination of the female sex. In the paragraphs of the Quran the woman is considered an appendage of the manis described as a reward and wishes herself puritanical, beautiful, young, virgin and affectionate (Aleya, 36-48).

There are matrimonial, sexual and polygamous norms, all these attacks on women’s freedom, but not only that, they leave a gigantic door open to violence: “if they obey you, don’t mistreat them”, “those you fear will rebel, exhort them and leave them alone in their bed or resort to some other measure to make them reconsider” (Surah 2, wing 34).

Around 28% of Qatari women experience violence at home, while no law expressly punishes domestic violence. Inequalities are noted between what is allowed to teachers. Women are assigned the role of obedience, selflessness and modestywhile men have more freedom and rights.

male guardianship

These practices have been transferred to the state environment in almost the entire region and an example of this is the male guardianship system and the morality police in Iran. The male guardianship system refers to the criminalization of sex outside marriage in Qatar.

Women need permission to marry, travel, study and access reproductive health servicesMoreover, if a woman reports rape, she runs the risk of being charged with “illicit relations” and being sentenced to prison if found guilty.

vice squad

Meanwhile, the morality police in Iran, which until a few days ago was in charge of check that women are wearing the hijab obligatory it was abolished, after three continuous months of violent protests and more than 300 deaths.

In Saudi Arabia, it was only until 1970 that women had access to universities in their own country and 16 years ago, women could not access the vital right to obtain identity documents147 years after Mexico, even though in our country we were living in a civil war.

strict restrictions

The strict restrictions on freedom of expressioneither activists who publish peaceful information in favor of women’s equal rights on social networks and who sare punished with longer prison terms.

Among many other things, the fact that today the world is watching this region helps more than highlight, empower activist groups, araddress the situation of Muslim women and to promote encounters between women from elsewhere to establish dialogues that promote cooperation for the emancipation of women.

Currently there is a “less strict” way of dressing inside stadiums in Qatar, but this is not a victory in a region where women cannot play sports without gender restrictions.

Let us always remember the thousands of brave women and girls who have put their lives on the line for decades to protest for their rights.

Today, with or without the World Cup, we must build bridges between men and women of different cultures. to build a fairer and more equitable worldin the sense that we all have the same rights.

Keep reading:

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