Women - Sex objects and baby machines only?

[Al-khiyal]

Fouad Al-Hashem comments in Al-Watan (Sept 12) on a Saudi story. A Saudi woman urges her husband to marry one of her best friends. The husband agreed and now the three live happily in the same house. The wife can see her friend everyday and the friend has a husband. Al-Hashem adds, "if every Saudi woman does the same, the one and a half million single Saudi women would be married overnight and the problem of stigmatised unmarried women is solved." Al-Hashem proposes the same solution for the 100,000 single Kuwaiti women. This solution would mean that yearly the Kuwaiti population would grow by 100,000. Al-Hashem concludes he is prepared to contribute to solving Kuwait's population problem by marrying four women on the spot, provided they are as pretty as the artist Sumaya Al-Khashaab.

That is a great idea! But Al-Hashem and we Arabs must be reminded that women are not merely breeding machines. Women are not either there just to satisfy men's sexual lust in the name of "protecting" them. Women are first and foremost human beings and as such they must be respected and treated. Certainly, women who are not married in Arab countries are stigmatised. Women are treated as inferiors if they do not get married. On the other hand, how many married Arab women wish they were not married? They are treated like slaves. They are oppressed and subjected to the will of their husbands. They are abused and treated like sex objects. Men are free to do whatever they want, but women are not.

Al-Hashem, and for that matter other Arab men, don't want to marry so many women for their brains and performance. He wants to marry them to solve a population-growth problem, and eventually for lust. The woman must be pretty in the first and only place.

Nawal, a married Kuwaiti woman, wishes she were still single. She has so far given birth to nine little daughters. Her husband does not love her and does not respect her because she has not delivered a son yet. She is also ill treated by the family of her husband. Nawal feels that she is really solely a breeding machine.

Fatma Mernissi, a Moroccan sociologist, writes in Le Monde Diplomatique (March 2005), the problem is not the big number of unmarried women in Arab societies, the problem is rather the status of women in Arab traditions and men's repressive attitude towards women. Arab men in general are misogynist and hate equality for women. The number of unmarried women is on the rise because they are becoming better educated and more qualified than men, or at least as educated and qualified as men. Arab men, also highly educated men, prefer to marry a woman who is less educated than they are. "A less educated woman is less emancipated than an educated one," says Saad, a typical Arab man. "She is easier, much easier, to control and submit."

Kuwaiti women have lately acquired political rights, but yet we have not heard from any emancipated woman any word about emancipation of Kuwaiti women. No movement in this direction is forming. Kuwaiti society and Kuwaiti women are modern, merely on the surface. Under this thin surface, women, both married and single, are suffering from men's hegemony. It is high time that Kuwaiti women stood up and demanded better laws and better day-to-day treatment. Schools and media are urged to work on liberating both men and women from archaic norms and beliefs about women. Women deserve a humane place in society. Women are as effective players in society as men.

Dr Sami Alrabaa: Women - sex objects and baby machines only?

[Bent_Bladi]

true, and by the next 1/2 decade or so, the headlines will be saying "Men -- sex objects and credit cards only?"

[Cheba_Mami]

Fouad Al-Hashem comments in Al-Watan (Sept 12) on a Saudi story. A Saudi woman urges her husband to marry one of her best friends. The husband agreed and now the three live happily in the same house. The wife can see her friend everyday and the friend has a husband. Al-Hashem adds, "if every Saudi woman does the same, the one and a half million single Saudi women would be married overnight and the problem of stigmatised unmarried women is solved." Al-Hashem proposes the same solution for the 100,000 single Kuwaiti women. This solution would mean that yearly the Kuwaiti population would grow by 100,000. Al-Hashem concludes he is prepared to contribute to solving Kuwait's population problem by marrying four women on the spot, provided they are as pretty as the artist Sumaya Al-Khashaab.

There are women who want to share the most important, other half of the soul- the husband to another woman at the same time? not me-speaking for me personally, which is not about jealousy or being possesive. am ready to share anyting. just let one person be mine.simple -. Maybe many women do not want this, thats why it cannot be solved this way.

That is a great idea! But Al-Hashem and we Arabs must be reminded that women are not merely breeding machines. Women are not either there just to satisfy men's sexual lust in the name of "protecting" them. Women are first and foremost human beings and as such they must be respected and treated. Certainly, women who are not married in Arab countries are stigmatised. Women are treated as inferiors if they do not get married. On the other hand, how many married Arab women wish they were not married? They are treated like slaves. They are oppressed and subjected to the will of their husbands. They are abused and treated like sex objects. Men are free to do whatever they want, but women are not.

Al-Hashem, and for that matter other Arab men, don't want to marry so many women for their brains and performance. He wants to marry them to solve a population-growth problem, and eventually for lust. The woman must be pretty in the first and only place.

too much generalisation here. Not all men are the same, a wise women will refuse to marry such a man! and men seeking lust only, excists everywhere. But if it happens that a woman does marry an abusive controling pervert, there must be a way out. And this is the societies biggest problem: there is not an easy way out, its regarded as destroying a marriage. they forget to see that abuse/domestic violence can destroy a human being. Some women do die in such situations

Nawal, a married Kuwaiti woman, wishes she were still single. She has so far given birth to nine little daughters. Her husband does not love her and does not respect her because she has not delivered a son yet. She is also ill treated by the family of her husband. Nawal feels that she is really solely a breeding machine.

Nine healthy girls? wonderful! a Gods gift! if only men could understand that the gender of the child depends ON THE FATHER!!! very basic biology: a women carries the X chromosome only. Her husband ads the X or Y chromosome to it- unknowingly- unwillingly his best cells were those carrying X chromosomes thus XX->> he got babyGIRLS. (XY -> babyboys). A man should never blame a women for 'getting only babygirls'. if he reall is disturbed by this, he should check his own cells by going to a clinique and let the doctor select the XY ones for him. he could not do it himself

Fatma Mernissi, a Moroccan sociologist, writes in Le Monde Diplomatique (March 2005), the problem is not the big number of unmarried women in Arab societies, the problem is rather the status of women in Arab traditions and men's repressive attitude towards women. Arab men in general are misogynist and hate equality for women. The number of unmarried women is on the rise because they are becoming better educated and more qualified than men, or at least as educated and qualified as men. Arab men, also highly educated men, prefer to marry a woman who is less educated than they are. "A less educated woman is less emancipated than an educated one," says Saad, a typical Arab man. "She is easier, much easier, to control and submit

Really? that man- Saad- is funny! and a danger for his own society A good plus educated women will submit kindly and generously if ONLY the man is worth it.
1.The better educated, the better for their country, and better for their children. The women can learn a lot to the kids and even help them getting better educated and thus getting a better job-> more income no suffering.
2. i agree educated women are not easy to control, but that is because she is able to see if the husband is wrong/right. Thus she can help her husband by not making the wrong decision. Again, not all men are the same; some are happy and proud to have an educated woman and they can use their knowledge for the good. and educated woman will not say yes to everything.
3. if I would be a man I would be happy to see my daughters and sisters getting good education so they can have a good job and not depend on a man- if they unfortunately choose a possible abusive, controling,and lust seeking man, then there is a way to escape from him-> good education-> independence.
4. a small nr 4, a good educated women can fill her own complicated tax papers etc. etc. and make all the calculations herself. why depend on someone? now a good husband will be happy to have all his and her paperworks to be done by her also. more quality time for romance or the kids ooh yes household too

Kuwaiti women have lately acquired political rights, but yet we have not heard from any emancipated woman any word about emancipation of Kuwaiti women. No movement in this direction is forming. Kuwaiti society and Kuwaiti women are modern, merely on the surface. Under this thin surface, women, both married and single, are suffering from men's hegemony. It is high time that Kuwaiti women stood up and demanded better laws and better day-to-day treatment. Schools and media are urged to work on liberating both men and women from archaic norms and beliefs about women. Women deserve a humane place in society. Women are as effective players in society as men.

Dr Sami Alrabaa: Women - sex objects and baby machines only?

Women rights are human rights, think of your sisters, daughters etc.You do not want to see them suffer in a bad situation- or in the worst case- die.
Good toppic, ya Khiyal.
And to other women: What do you think of all this?
kind greetings Cheba M.

[Cheba_Mami]

true, and by the next 1/2 decade or so, the headlines will be saying "Men -- sex objects and credit cards only?"

and yes, i never said there are no bad women

[Sweeter_Pea]

Well, everyone needs to serve a purpose in life