USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re- Olajumoke Yacob-Haliso´s forthcoming public lecture “Gender-based violence: A call to arms ...

Ruminating on Olajumoke Yacob-Haliso´s forthcoming public lecture "Gender-based violence: A call to arms to combat our own tsunami"

The serial recurrence of Gender-based violence in Nigeria

Please realise that this rumination is not supposed to be an academic treatise or some such kind of seriously profound and pompous pontification. After all, I usually intend to raise more questions than answers that none but The Omniscient could ever answer, even if some of the prafessers with puny brains, speak or think in over one hundred languages from the tower of babble, have written two thousand buks and therefore believe that they are The Omniscient or are infinitely closer to Him or (astaghfirullah) close to being HIM.

Supposedly, you're not supposed to smile or laugh when you are writing that kind of treatise or even composing that kind of musiki. I know that I'm going to take my own sweet time coming around to the heart of the subject of Sexual violence against women. In my humble opinion, it has to be contained by the rule of law, crime and punishment, severe punishment versus impunity, the kind of laws that we have in Saudi Arabia. You – God forbid – rape a princess you go straight to hell, but first, no argument and no " self- defence" first off with your head. And then straight to hell. Yes, I am against the death penalty, I'm even against hell , but that doesn't mean that you can just go around raping princesses and continue to roam the land free, because you are entitled to "impunity"

In mind, our ( Sweden's) Foreign Minister Margot Wallström vs Sexual violence against women and the UN's fight against sexual violence against women . Perhaps even as Olajumoke Yacob-Haliso currently in the world of academia, forays into the real world of gender-based violence, it should be helpful to be sure to be in contact with the various international agencies that are on the same side, fighting against these epidemics. In Sweden too it is problem , perhaps more so now than it was in the early 70s of the last century when sex was certainly free in this country.

With regard to Nigeria, in mind, in note form at this very moment is (1) the Christian Chibok Girls kidnapping – in violation of the commandment " Thous shalt not steal" (2) our non-violent President Buhari saying in a joking fashion – in jest - to the Lady Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany of all people, that his own wife Lady Aisha Buhari in fact belongs to his kitchen and (3) the historic event known as "The Battle of the Camel " in which another Aisha , this time the Prophet of Islam's wife Lady Aisha ( r-a) one of the "mothers of the believers" taking up arms against Ali Ibn Abi Talib ( r.a.). Heaven help us all.

With the 82nd Division of the Nigerian military already stationed in the East, doing their Operation Python Dance II, ostensibly to curb the spate of kidnappings, rape and other forms of sexual violence said to be wrecking the five Igbo states, I am therefore apprehensive and hope that the Aishas of Nigeria do not take Olajumoke's call to arms too literally, so that we do not have a couple of civil war on our hands…

In Yorubaland at least where there is tremendous respect for womanhood and reverence for motherhood, there are certainly ethical and religious roots that are antithetical to the burgeoning primitive culture of sexual violence against women that seems to have been taking hold, not only in the rest of Nigeria.

Are there any religious roots to this culture of impunity ?

Earlier in the day, having thanked God for the creation of both the solar and the lunar calendars by which history is recorded and some significant events are commemorated and birthdays even celebrated, I asked for forgiveness in advance (smile) even as I hoped that I'm not going out on a limb here thinking comparatively about the ten days of penitence heralding the Jewish and the Islamic New Year: (10th of Tishrei 5778 = Yom Kippur , coinciding with 10th of Muharram 1439 AH = Ashura)

Interesting : It is narrated (some authentic ahadith) that when the Prophet of Islam came to Medina and saw the Jews fasting on the day of Ashura, he said to them, "We have more claim over Moses than you." By some contentious rabbinic estimations that could have been a tall claim, but the end of history is not yet, and only a time will tell...

Still thinking comparatively, and here one has in mind the usually chronically unrepentant Islamophobes whose favourite topic is the "plight" of women "shuffering under the yoke of Islam" - at least the holy land of Saudi Arabia, perhaps due to some impetus from the modernist and futuristic Prince Mohammad bin Salman has finally deemed it fit that Saudi women be given equal rights with regard to obtaining a driving licence so that side by side with men, Saudi women can now drive automobiles, maybe also buses, lorries and in due course of time join the Saudi Air force as pilots.

When it comes to the comparative liberation of women Muslim scholars have been fond of quoting the judaiac blessing recited by men and boys, which goes

"Blessed are You, Hashem, Our God, King of the universe, for not having made me a woman" ,

whilst women and girls pray,

"Blessed are You, Hashem, Our God, King of the universe, for having made me according to His will"

As the copious notes in the links attest, fact is that this is not discriminatory, since women have their own responsibilities - according to the notes in the prayer book "Male, free Jews have responsibilities and duties not shared by others. For this they express gratitude that , unlike women , they were not freed from the obligation to perform the time-related commandments . This follows the Talmudic dictum that and obligatory performance is superior to a voluntary one, because it is human nature to resist obligations" etc. etc. etc.….

And then there's the classic Women are exempted from studying the Torah . Comparatively speaking Cornelius Ignoramus does not know if women are exempted from studying the Quran. Are they?

And dear St. Paul's most quoted passage by husbands : Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord.

Judaism is always a convenient place to start since Judaism is the mother (so to speak) of both Christianity and al-islam, the dominant religions in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. (I know for a fact that the "Biafrans" would not like their country to be a member of the OIC - and that in that part of Nigeria, Christianity is the dominant faith. Both Christinaity and Islam are against sexual based violence   abd this means that the Christina clergy and all the Muslim believers are against gender-based violence...

From there, at this preliminary stage, still investigating the main question( Gender-based violence) the nafs of the mind jump to the question of how many women does President Buhari have in his cabinet?

Alhamdulillah ! Happily, President Buhari is not found wanting in that area and it is of relevance when one thinks of Nigeria as at least a significant member of the OIC fold , after all, Nigeria has the fifth largest Muslim population in the world and it is estimated that by 2050 the Muslim population of Nigeria will be something like 230, 700, 000 souls. Do I hear Messers Chidi and Adepoju pining, sighing and say-ing "hmmm"?

At this point 1, 270 words will stop but may continue later?

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