 |
|
head of the CIO
givng the statement of the
CIO
in an official session in
the CSW50 |
The Statement:
Most UN data and conventions, including the Beijing document, reflect legal and
justifiable concern for the status of women worldwide, and attempt to make
changes for the better. Thanks to this international concern, the status of
women has improved in the areas of illiteracy, political participation, and some
health services that are provided to women in many societies. However, we are
still far from achieving our goal, as humanity continues to suffer from many
problems, including the following:
· The suffering of women and
children as a result of armed disputes and occupation
· The rise in family
deterioration which is demonstrated by increasing divorce rates, and the
replacement of marriage by other types of relationships that result in
illegitimate and abandoned children who have no one to care for them and thus
become delinquent, and in some cases are used in drug trafficking and
prostitution
· The exploitation of women’s
bodies for publicity purposes and in the media
· The deterioration of values and
ethics which has led to sexual relations outside of marriage, as well as
homosexuality (which in some cases begins during adolescence). These practices
result in sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS, and lead to problems
related to teen pregnancy such as dropping out of school and illegal abortions.
As our religion and culture are based on the principles of equality between the
sexes, and refusal to accept all forms of injustice regardless of the cause, the
Coalition of Islamic Organizations (CIO) believes that it is one of its
obligations to support such efforts. More than 1400 years ago, Islam
established principles that succeeded in accomplishing the following:
· The establishment of equality
between the sexes in general human rights and responsibilities, and affirmation
of women’s full legal competence and financial independence.
· The belief that education is an
obligatory right for women just as it is for men, while emphasizing women’s
rights to family and social care, her right to participate in all aspects of
general life, her right to employment. Islam rejects all forms of injustice
between the sexes and does not establish rights on the basis of one’s femininity
or masculinity, except for those rulings that are based on the differences
between men and women with regard to their natural duties.
· Islam emphasizes that each sex
has characteristics that set it apart from the other, without implying that one
is ultimately superior to the other. It is for this reason that the Qur’an has
forbidden the practice of preferring sons to daughters.
· Islam opposes all injustices
against women such as female infanticide, which is practiced in some societies
by way of prenatal sex selection to abort female fetuses, forced marriages, and
depriving women of their inheritance. All forms of aggression against women are
unconditionally prohibited.
The CIO believes that the document interpretation and application should
comply with the following principles:
· Respect for the religious and
cultural variability and the specific identity of every people; for just as
problems differ according to cultures and societies, so do their solutions.
· Equality must be based on the
principles of justice and fairness, and should not assume identicalness in all
aspects.
· Root solutions should be
developed to deal with problems comprehensively so as to avoid the causes of
problems before they begin. Solutions should not merely address the effects of
problems like teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases such as
AIDS. Islam solves these problems by emphasizing a “culture of chastity”
and prohibiting sexual relationships outside of marriage.
·
Men and women should be treated within the frame of their social roles in order
to maintain familial and societal interests, and avoid individualistic
attitudes. |
