Women rights in Islam

I have had the great opportunity to learn a lot about Islam since I got here. At least, some Saharwis view om their own religion. This week I asked our Arabic teacher to write about her perspective. She works in the the women's union. I wanted her to write with her own words how she sees the women's rights in Islam. Women in the camps are in charge of many important institutions and many Saharawi women are involved in both politics and in family life. However most women in Sahara just make food and stay home with their children. But that is because the want to. It is not better or worse. Just different. And in the end women who choose a different path are not looked down on, as long as a warm lunch and dinner is prepared for the family.

Do women long for more rights? I asked my students why a man could marry a non Muslim while a women could not. And both the girls and the boys in my class explained to me that men are more reasonable and more responsible then women. Women are controlled by their feelings. One of the girls in my class admitted that she didn't like this. She added that even though she didn't like it, she respected the it since it is the words from the Quran. It is the words from Allah.

Lehedie's perspective:

Islam is based on the fact that the men and the women complete each other and their relationship should be based on cooperation and not on fighting and conflict. In Islam women are not treated differently in general believing, reward and punishment. However the two genders are different physical and psychological so it is normal to have different responsibilities and roles in the society.

The family in Islam is the foundation to build the society on and the strength of this family create a good and strong society. The women have a huge role in this family. The women have a right to marriage, motherhood and to have a house. In Islam the woman has the right to choose her husband and also she has the right to divorce if life is not good enough to stay together.

The man in Islam is financially responsible for the woman. It is his obligation to do this. This right for women doesn't mean that she can't own her money and spend it as she likes. She has the same financial independence as the man. The woman has the right to work, if she needs or wants to. But what she earn is her own property and she can spend it as she likes. The man doesn't have any right to ask questions, and he still have the responsibility to support the family without her money.

Hijab in Islam is one of the main things that achieve integrity, shelter from lustful looks, and modesty in the society and it stops public indecency. This hijab clothing is something Muslims are proud of, and it discourages premarital sexual relationships.

What do I want to change?

Many people have asked me if I now appreciate what I have in Norway more, after I have experienced the refugee camp in Sahara. But the truth is that there are few things I really miss from my good life in Norway. Some nights when I wake up with back pain I miss my mattress at home, but I have never felt that my life in Norway is any better then life here. Saharawis have so much that I rarely experienced at home. For instance, in Norway I have a fantastic family but we live far away from each other and I don't see them very often. In stark contrast to this, life in Sahara is concentrated around the family and the extended family is a part of every moment of every day. They live together, they help their family and their neighbors to their very best and they always share what they have. I even got one of my family's two baby goats. As my project manager said; the family is the most important institution in the Saharawi society, and the loyalty a Saharawi has toward his/her family is absolute.

Now, this is not to say that I don't miss my family at home and that I don't struggle with parts of the culture here. For example when we got henna and we couldn't wash our hands for 4 days in order to preserve the marks. This would not be a problem had we eaten with cutlery and not with our hands. After going two days without my daily hand wash I felt I had two options. One, embrace the Saharawi culture and face whatever consequences the lack of hygiene would lead to. Or two, stick to my own habits and reason and wash my hands anyway. I must admit that I tried my very best to avoid water. However after having participated in the slaughtering of the camel I washed my hands.

How much should you care? How much should you try to change the society around you and how much should you adapt to their culture? Personally I want to adapt as much as possible. That is why I happily sleep on the floor, eat with my hands and wear the melheffa. The Saharawis inspire me in many ways, and one day I saw my father, Bishiri, brushing his teeth. Apparently I have some influence as well. But we all take one step at the time.

21 Days

Not counting today, that’s how much time we have left here in the camps. Because of previous problems with Algerian officials and the kidnapping last October, the local government in the camps does not allow any applications for visa extention. So we leave for Norway the 14th of April. This leaves us with about 500 hours left in Western Sahara, and they’re not exactly trickling away slower for our sake. In fact, right now it’s more like we’re moving towards a horrible, yet inevitable end, and it feels kind of like watching that ignorant guy in horror movies walk slowly into the darkest room of the evil lair. Pretty annoying really. And here I sit, behind this laptop, writing for a blog on the internet. I think I’ll just head outside for a while! See you next week enshallah!

Marriage

Marriage is a prominent part of the Saharawi culture, and it takes up a large chunk of people's time, whether it is participating in one or helping out with the preparations. It is celebrated for 2 to 3 days in a row and it often feeds over a hundred people. The picture is taken of Sunniva's uncle's wedding, which we all participated in, and you can 'see' the beautiful bride and and her proud husband.

We have spent a considerable time at different weddings, eaten lot of camel meat (some of us would even insist on' too much') and attempted to dance Saharawi dances.  As a result of our wedding- craziness I also started talking about marriage at home with my family. It turns out that my oldest sister who is a very conservative Muslim, only wants to see her husband after she is engaged. To me, it sounds like a silly idea, however she insists on the fact that beauty only comes from the inside. Before the engagement, they instead talk on the phone but only to discuss each others demands such as where they want to live and the type of house. I carefully asked how she could be so sure about her future husband's income, as her list over items includes a trip to Mecca and a house with a big bathroom, but it turned out to be a unnecessary question. To my sister, a man that is ready for marriage is also able to take care of his wife and all her needs. Whatever that must be.

I must say, I started questioning why people marry. Are we crazy in Europe to believe in 'love', whatever that is? How important is money? I constantly question why Saharawis marry when  contact between the couple before a wedding is so limited. Many couples don't even know each other before they move in together in their new home. On the other hand, Allah has told people to marry, and I know that is the reason my sister is looking for a husband.

All I am sure of is that marriage has a different meaning for the people here in the refugee camp in contrast to what we believe in Norway. And perhaps are Norwegians native when we believe in love. Or are we?