The Far-Reaching Effects of Women's Human Rights Violations under Islam

When the Islamic clerics took over the government of Iran in 1979, they moved quickly to establish gender-apartheid by declaring women incompetent to fulfill  key positions, such as members of the judiciary.   The new constitution adopted by the Mullahs specifically prevents women from the position of Presidency. 

The Mullahs replaced the existing legal system, which placed women on equal footing with their male counterparts, with "Shari'a law."  Under this system, women are denied inheritance rights, as well as the custody of their own children, and they are required to secure the express approval of their husbands or male guardians to obtain passports and to travel. Under Shari'a law, a woman's testimony in court is, at best, worth half the testimony of her male counterpart. 

Even more astonishing, Shari'a law creates a system of legal prostitution, referred to as "temporary marriages," by which a Mullah arranges a "legal union" between a man and a girl (some as young as 9 years old) for a fee!  The "marriage" can last anywhere from one hour to six months, and the man is free to enjoy his temporary marriages in addition to his permanent ones. 

Not surprisingly, this legalized system of prostitution and oppression has led to a growing sex-trafficking industry that is partially operated by government officials and Mullahs themselves.  The girls, who are forced into a system of sexual and economic slavery, are typically transported to various countries in the Persian Gulf, such as the United Arab Emirates, and are sold to both individuals and established brothels.  The growing industry of sexual trafficking of Iranian girls has led to growing concerns about the spread of AIDS/HIV and other sexually-transmitted diseases. 

In this context, the de-humanization of women and girls by Islamic governments is not a problem that is or can be confined within the borders of the particular societies in which it occurs.  The ramifications of the abuses of human rights of women and children in Islamic countries are far greater than we have been willing to admit:  When faced with the possibility of sexual and/or  economic slavery, domestic violence, systematic oppression, and other horrors of every day life in such societies, it is not difficult to see why these women would chose to become suicide bombers and terrorists.  The oppressed and abused women of Iran have the potential to transform into the newest and one of the most serious security threats around the world, as the terrorist organizations present the oppressed, the abused, and the forgotten the opportunity to escape the horrors of their daily lives. 

The silent screams of women and girls existing under barbaric Islamic regimes must be acknowledged by each and every one of us.  We MUST express our outrage, voice our anger, and show our support to those who can not speak for themselves.  Anything less would be less than human, and, most certainly, less than American.