“Sexual Harassment”: Suggestions of the Muslim Identity of a Muslim American
to its American Identity:
Consider Islamic (as distinct from Muslim) Shari’ah Moral Values
This article "What Changes Do You See in Tackling Sexual Harassment" by Jodi Kantor on February 1, 2018 is a request by the Reader Center of the New York Times to it readers to suggest ways and means to tackle the present wave (or should I say Tsunami) of Sexual Harassment in our Country. The question posed is “What’s changing about how we deal with sexual harassment?”
The article says “In early October, Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood producer, was fired from his namesake company after multiple women came forward to accuse him of rape and sexual assault. In what appears to be a seismic shift in what behavior is tolerated in the workplace, a cascade of high-profile men, many in the entertainment and news media industries, have since been fired or forced to resign after accusations of sexual misconduct that ranged from inappropriate comments to rape.” It then adds a list of 51 Men Accused of Sexual Misconduct with their photographs and short relevant details.
Some of the possible queries suggested by the author: “What steps have workplaces, schools, government institutions and other organizations taken to address harassment — for example, new policies, legislation, heightened enforcement or other measures? Do you know of women organizing or using their power on one another’s behalf, men taking on the issue, or anyone crafting new or inventive approaches?”
I dare say these propositions in the form of questions are wide off the mark. These may produce some difference on the surface but will not even scratch the basic problem. And what is the basic problem? Is it a mater of privacy violations, female oppression, individual rights or male chauvinism? Is it disgraceful for the society as a whole? Can this be labelled as an outrageous and reprehensible pattern in our culture. Unless we are clear in our minds what exactly is wrong with this practice specially of this magnitude the answer will be illusive. To rid something, learn first what that thing is. Put it another way: the response and reaction depends on your analysis and assessment of the problem. Identifying the factor(s) responsible for this behavior is the primary and paramount step.
As a senior American Muslim citizen I feel my Muslim identity has some valuable suggestion and proposals for serious perusal for my American counter part.
This tragedy should not be attributed to dehumanization of women, male domination etc. etc. Instead it should be regarded as a stark reminder of a major defect in our Value System. We have decided to have an amoral society without even basic safeguards against it slipping into an immoral one. No surprise, we suddenly find ourselves at this level and color.
Sex is one of the two most potent appetites of humans. It is very “Natural and Physiological” that man and woman are attracted towards each other whenever and wherever they confront each other. In the absence of any constrains, this attraction in turn will invariably go through all the “Natural and Physiological” stages of love, sensuality and sex. We see this all the time in animals. But the homosapiens are intelligent and moral beings. They have decided to control, regulate and harness this mutual attraction to build the basic unit of human society — A FAMILY. Different formulas have evolved for this purpose in different areas among different cultures and different periods.
At one extreme is the one practiced predominantly in Muslim (as distinct from Islamic) Societies. Complete and total segregation of the two genders in the home and outdoors. If, out of necessity a woman has to be in the sight of men she has to cover herself from head to foot. Strictly speaking, her voice also should not be heard by men. I often wondered how such a system evolved and why? I could see, however some basis for it when I observed the other end of the extreme in American and Western system: a totally permissive society. It is but “natural and physiological” that this totally permissive society will eventually sink into promiscuity. Not only total abrogation of any social taboo or stigma for sexual indiscretions but its willing acceptance and even encouragement by the society has ensured the general prevalence of this attitude. What we have learnt now in the form of sexual harassment, is simply an extension and distortion of this socially acceptable opinion and approach — permissive and promiscuous — by a significant chunk of our society. The latter (sexual harassment) depends on and is determined by the former — permissive and promiscuous. Regulate and restrain the former, the latter will die a natural death. Let the former flourish, forget about limiting the latter. So the root cause of this tragedy is a major fault line in our value system for sex morality. This has to be rectified for any significant improvement in the state of affairs.
If this assessment is agreed upon, then as I have stated earlier Muslim piece of my Muslim American Identity has good recommendations for my American counter part. Islamic Jurisprudence (quite distinct from the actions of present day Muslims) has some good suggestions to solve our present predicament.
1) It totally rejects extra-marital relationship at all levels and in any form or shape. This is the core requirement of a healthy and robust family as the unit of our society. Adultery is not only a sin, it is branded as a crime calling for severe retribution. The intensity of punishment is mainly to reflect the severity of the crime in the eyes of Islamic law. Actual implementation of these harsh punishment is practically almost ruled out by very strict almost impossible criteria to prove this crime. The law then has other restrictions to achieve this objective
2) Inter gender relationship has to be public, purposeful and for the duration of the purpose.
3) Physical contact is looked down upon apart from a formality like shaking hands but not embracing.
4) “Boy friend and girlfriend” are unacceptable terminologies.
5) Finding a life partner involves much more that “love”; hence the dating system should be drastically altered and chaperoned. Sensuality and sex are toxic at this stage.
The American in me feels aghast and overwhelmed at these suggestions. The Muslim counterpart will remind him that the whole structure is based on universally accepted “Natural and Physiological” phenomena for all humans: bring a man and woman together without any constrains, more than ninety percent will be attracted towards each other emotionally followed by its sensual and physical consequences. Given this background and only in this background a significant number men will (and have) indulge in sexual harassment and assault which is the problem under discussion. If you do not want this, correct the background. It is foolhardy to fight this menace with that background in place. It is fighting against basic human “nature and physiology.”
