‘The meaning of text is as moral as its reader’

Domestic violence: a taboo issue in our society, where the discussion is shut down by fear of instability or vulnerability. A crime, hidden from plain view, behind closed doors, that harms up to half a million innocent individuals every year. Someone is experiencing some form of domestic violence as we speak as for every 15 seconds there is a woman beaten around the world, and for every hour as many as 115 children are abused. Domestic violence, or intimate partner violence, is a violation of human rights. It involves violent, abusive or intimidating behaviour carried out by an adult against a partner or former partner to control and dominate that person.  Violence of any form should not be accepted in our modern society it nurtures fear and hatred, and it should not be locked away as an allowable social norm. We should be better than that.

Another example of the unfairness to women is that fact, that men are also abusive to them. Being a man, means they have all the power. They make all the decisions and what they want to happen happens. Early in the book, Jalil, Mariam’s father, chooses a random suitor for her to marry. He forces it on her just to get her as far away from his family as possible. Her suitor ended up to be an abusive husband. Just in a matter of seconds, Rasheed, their husband would flip and turn abusive. As depicted early in their marriage, Khaled Hosseini wrote, “He was like this, sneering, tightening the belt around his fist, the creaking of the leather, the glint in his bloodshot eyes. It was the fear of the goat, released in the tiger’s cage, when the tiger first looks up from its paws, begins to growl” (216). Another time when Laila and Mariam try to escape Rasheed’s grasps, they both get caught and get sent back to him. Mariam took most of the punishment for leaving. “There was a sound now like a wooden club repeatedly slapping a side of beef.” His abusiveness led them to leave but only brought them back to it. As women they have no power in the relationship. Eventually Rasheed’s abuse came back to bite him, and it led to his death. Mariam had enough of his abuse. “Mariam brought down the shovel. This time, she gave it everything she had” (310 Hosseini). Rasheed tried everything in his power

Because the violence that battered woman face is continual and the woman are not on equal physical grounds, they usually “strike” back, and this is usually reflected in the circumstances surrounding the killing like using a weapon (Schuller & Vidmar, 1992). Furthermore, because of the unequal fighting grounds, woman usually do not attack during a direct confrontation (i.e. during a beating), but rather at some point outside of a confrontation, usually due to perceiving that there is no escape from her situation other than attacking back (Schuller & Vidmar, 1992).

There are many reasons why people believe that women are treated without respect in the Islamic nations. First and foremost, it says in The Koran that women may be beaten:

Marriages are viewed as a mechanism to set up and strengthen relationships between family groups, though men are actually allowed to beat their wives (Salamone 1997, 40).

This is evident in violent relationships in rural areas. In Southern Appalachia, where men are still believed to be the primary breadwinners and dominant ones in the household, domestic violence continues in private. In a great deal of homes, one will find that a woman is still expected to stay at home while taking care of the house, the children, and the man. As stated before, old biblical scriptures are used to justify such roles. Until fairly recently, women have remained solely dependent on men due to the inability to vote or own property. Men often times used this as a way to control women. Women had nowhere to go and she was expected to stay with her husband no matter what. Without having a means to provide for herself or her children, she had to endure the beatings. This type of behavior, aside from causing harm to the woman, also caused harm to the children that witnessed it. Often times, young men that grow up in a violent home think that it is okay to treat others in a violent way and young women believe that it is okay to be treated as so, never breaking the cycle of male

Domestic Violence is abuse or violence, which takes place in the household. One side of Domestic Violence is physical, impulsive, and vicious. When that level of violence kicks in, the only response is to take whatever means necessary to stop it. Both men and women are equally at fault for abuse. It is not either man or women’s fault, “Both male and the female are bound in their incapacity for intimacy and appreciation of differences”(Sherven 27). This means that male and female need each other to perpetuate personal and collective dramas of victimization and lovelessness, regrettably so, neither can leave. Women and men are equally at fault for Domestic Abuse.

In comparison, the Holy Quran, written after the Old Testament, remains in its original form. Written in Arabic, Quran means “recitation” and contains Islamic teachings believed to bring guidance, direction, and “IS the word of God,” whom they call Allah. It is against Islamic law to change the text in any way because Muslims believe Mohammad, founder of Islam, wrote the verses as revealed to him by the angel Gabriel. Muslims view Mohammad not as the creator of the religion, but as the restorer of the original the Hebrew Bible. Islam teaches Mohammad was not only a religious prophet but also a political and military leader. He was human, but not without sin, so he is not God. Although there have been several language translations, a good follower must read and memorize its teaching in its native Arabic language. For a follower to live by Islam he must completely submit (to God). In looking at its history,

Domestic Violence is a human tragedy, and has been a part of life for many individuals. It is not subjective to a particular group, race, or culture. Historically, the feminist movement preserved the theory that domestic violence is a growing matter because of the continuous power differential between the male gender and the female gender. Remarkably, this approach on domestic disputes unveiled the inner workings of barriers men, women, and children would face when in a domestic violence situation. The feminist theory emphasizes on studying “the gendered nature of all relationships…which aims at understanding how gender is related to social inequalities and oppression” (Marsigila & Kulis, 2015, p. 148). Disastrously, an ignorant notion that once dominated our culture was the belief that emotional agony was less painful than physical brutality. However,

In some societies, women in the judicial process have very few rights that are the same as men, and their punishment seems to be much greater. Treatment by the Taliban in Afghanistan, and by other groups such as the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood all contribute to how women are treated legally. Zohreh Arshadi asserts that in countries such as Iran, "The Islamic punishments have encouraged a culture of violence against women...The fact that men receive a lighter punishment if they commit a violence against women undoubtedly encourages such violence. We saw how women could be killed with impunity during alleged adultery. Stoning to death for adultery, although technically admissible for both sexes, has also been carried out mainly against women” (Arshadi 2012). It is in countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and some non-Middle Eastern countries where the Qur’an is taken as a literal word and law, and there is constituted into actual state law. This means that certain texts from the Qur’an are used to treat women violently. For example a passage in the Qur’an states: Hadith Muslim (4:1982)  The Prophet said, “I saw Hell also. No such (abominable) sight have I ever seen as that which I saw today; and I observed that most of its inhabitants were women. They said: Messenger of Allah, on what account is it so? He said: For their ingratitude or disbelief

The Holy Quran provides complete guidance in regard to all the aspects of human life. It explains the reality of life, the good and evil, the lawful and unlawful, the righteousness and unrighteous, moral teachings and all other aspects of life. The holy Quran also provides detailed information about the life in the hereafter and discusses its importance very effectively. Holy Quran is a message of peace. Allah Almighty is the maker of the world. Living beings are part of this world. Allah Almighty makes human beings as very important creature of the world. Allah Almighty makes not just material assets to fulfill human’s natural and physical requirements, however; also made

The holy Quran is a collection of the divinely inspired utterances and discourses (Ahmed, 16). It is composed of some 300 pages which are divided into 114 Surahs (chapters). The general tone of the holy Quran is sombre and meditative. It is a dialogue between God and humanity. At the core is a moral earnestness (Ahmed, 16). The Quran also teaches that humanity is created by God and therefore God understands its weaknesses and in Allah humans find the source of peace. Islam’s appeal lay – and – lies in the simplicity: one God, one Book, one Prophet (Ahmed, 17). Islam is a religion of balance, equilibrium, and compassion. The Islamic virtues are courage, generosity, cleanliness, and piety: and in his life the Prophet exemplifies them (Ahmed, 17).

Our religion and where we are raised is a major ingredient to formulating our identity. It is also why one person may perceive, as ‘kissing in public’ to being extremely wrong, where as one may not even notice it. Within the Iranian and Middle-Eastern culture, numerous perceive situations through the rights and wrongs of the Holy Quran. Research also claims that many of the passages within the Holy Quran “…are meant for human perception and comprehension…” (Berrada 45). This statement illustrates that our

Although Islam is the second largest religion in the world with a following of 1.8 billion followers, no other religion has faced more scrutiny and hardship in the past decades. This has been caused by media and governments labeling Islam as a whole with their extremist groups like Al Queda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. I even thought that the principals held by these extremist group were more common in Islam than they are. After studying Islam and gaining more information I came to respect this religion more than any other we studied this semester because of its seriousness and unity. The Quran and Hadith provide concrete details and instructions to follow in the faith of Islam. No texts from any other religion are as upfront with their beliefs than these. Muhammad was and continues to be a powerful and understanding leader that has led it to becoming the world’s fastest growing religion. I enjoyed studying the powerfulness of Muhammad and the direct voice of God in the Quran that is sets Islam apart from Judaism and Christianity.

The Quran asserts to be highly inimitable and usually challenges its rivals to offer works that are similar to it. According to Sell (24), the individuality was later created in literary terms which made the theologians believe in the matchlessness of the book popularly used by the Muslim community. During its historical exhibition, the inimitability doctrine made the Koran literal study a handmaiden to the scriptural, theological aspect. Nonetheless, the set of guidelines neglects an essential fact because the Quranic challenge was primarily addressed to the unbelievers. It was not considered a denunciation of the infidels but entailed an invitation for them to scrutinize the book and ascertain if it was a publication of possessed human