Post by Igu on Jul 11, 2004 11:36:12 GMT -5
I will speak about two cultures that I know: Arab and Berber culture.
According to the Hadiths, Mohamed was living in a strict patriarchal society (Mecca):
-the man has the money, the power and chooses his wives, contrary to the woman who has none of these prerogatives. Mohamed changed some of these rules (the heritage of the woman changed from 0% to half of what her brother gets, possibility of divorce if the man is “too” brutal with her…etc.)
But the life in the Arabian Cities wasn’t like in Mecca; the woman was very emancipated, much more emancipated than in Europe during the renaissance. And the laws imposed by Mohamed were retrograde for her.
Anyway, these are exceptions; the real life in Arabia was like in mekka, except for the cities and the western coast. Life in Arabia is still the same as in pre-Islamic era because of Islam.
In Kabylia, The things are nearly the same, except that:
-the woman doesn’t wear the scarf.
-the man cannot choose his wife, it’s his mother who decides when he marries and when he divorces and with whom.
-polygamy is not allowed.
-the woman (before the 60’s doesn’t go to “school”).
-the man keeps the children after a divorce.
Some examples in my family:
The father is the center of the family, during his childhood; my father (and his sisters) could eat meat only once per year, but my grand father ate it often because he was the one who brings the money.
My ants and my grand mother cannot write, speak and understand Arabic and French.
When my cousin had her first baby, she was very happy, we had a kind of party but in the corner, there was my grand mother and her sister crying because my cousin didn’t have “any baby”.
The mother of my grand father married him 4 times and divorced him 3 times, my grand mother married all my uncles and ants, except my father and his little brother because they were born in a “new generation” and didn’t accept that. As you can see, it’s the mothers who choose the couples, sometimes when they are born…Also they don’t accept Arabs women/men for their sons/daughters.
Among Saharian Berbers, It’s totally different. The man has to wear a scarf that lets only the eyes being seen; when he sees a woman he must lower his glance.
The woman can choose the man she wants and she doesn’t feel as a “real woman” when she stays with only one man in her life, she needs to exchange men, by divorcing them. So the man there, is like a dog, he has to be very kind otherwise he’s fired! And it’s her who keeps the children.
I lived in the Sahara with my family during 2 years, and there was a woman telling to my mother: “you, in the north you are not women! How can you stay with one man all your life?!”<br>
According to the Hadiths, Mohamed was living in a strict patriarchal society (Mecca):
-the man has the money, the power and chooses his wives, contrary to the woman who has none of these prerogatives. Mohamed changed some of these rules (the heritage of the woman changed from 0% to half of what her brother gets, possibility of divorce if the man is “too” brutal with her…etc.)
But the life in the Arabian Cities wasn’t like in Mecca; the woman was very emancipated, much more emancipated than in Europe during the renaissance. And the laws imposed by Mohamed were retrograde for her.
Anyway, these are exceptions; the real life in Arabia was like in mekka, except for the cities and the western coast. Life in Arabia is still the same as in pre-Islamic era because of Islam.
In Kabylia, The things are nearly the same, except that:
-the woman doesn’t wear the scarf.
-the man cannot choose his wife, it’s his mother who decides when he marries and when he divorces and with whom.
-polygamy is not allowed.
-the woman (before the 60’s doesn’t go to “school”).
-the man keeps the children after a divorce.
Some examples in my family:
The father is the center of the family, during his childhood; my father (and his sisters) could eat meat only once per year, but my grand father ate it often because he was the one who brings the money.
My ants and my grand mother cannot write, speak and understand Arabic and French.
When my cousin had her first baby, she was very happy, we had a kind of party but in the corner, there was my grand mother and her sister crying because my cousin didn’t have “any baby”.
The mother of my grand father married him 4 times and divorced him 3 times, my grand mother married all my uncles and ants, except my father and his little brother because they were born in a “new generation” and didn’t accept that. As you can see, it’s the mothers who choose the couples, sometimes when they are born…Also they don’t accept Arabs women/men for their sons/daughters.
Among Saharian Berbers, It’s totally different. The man has to wear a scarf that lets only the eyes being seen; when he sees a woman he must lower his glance.
The woman can choose the man she wants and she doesn’t feel as a “real woman” when she stays with only one man in her life, she needs to exchange men, by divorcing them. So the man there, is like a dog, he has to be very kind otherwise he’s fired! And it’s her who keeps the children.
I lived in the Sahara with my family during 2 years, and there was a woman telling to my mother: “you, in the north you are not women! How can you stay with one man all your life?!”<br>