Woman, women's rights and gender equality: these are the issues which the western media have kept making hype for several decades. The western countries have made use of "freedom of woman" as a means to pressure some countries especially Islamic ones. This, while documented evidences indicate that the western women face myriads of discriminations, harassments and inequalities in their countries on a daily basis.

Historical evidences show that women in the west didn’t enjoy their rights properly in Middle Ages (5^th-15^th centuries AD) and even Renaissance. They were denied the right of marriage, literacy, voting, social decisions and even ownership. This trend was rampant during the Age of Reason or Enlightenment to the extent that even in 1789 when the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was passed in France, no mention was made of the rights of women and their equality with men. Concurrent with the social and intellectual growth of women, they embarked on regaining their lost natural rights as human beings.

From then on, various movements were shaped to defend women's rights. They were known as feminist movements. These developments were based on the principles of western philosophy which were founded on Humanism, Secularism and Individualism. Meanwhile, feminist movements had differences of opinion and some of them even rejected others. Liberal feminism, as the oldest form of feminism, believed in equality of the rights of women and men through reformation of rules and socio-political structure. They maintained that male-dominant terminology and words should be eliminated from literature via different programs. They also propagated that women's individual independence should be safeguarded and the family fabric should be protected although they had criticisms against it. Marxist Feminism, however, strongly rejected the formation of family and replaced housework with engagement in restaurants and nursery schools so that women could take part in public arenas freely.

Radical Feminism moved beyond and believed that marriage is a very dangerous tool which men have devised to "enslave women."  

According to this thought, marriage is considered as the message of woman's incarceration. The adherents of this current believe that to preserve human generation we should change the traditional method of reproduction and liberate women from pregnancy and childbirth through artificial conception and raising of human in artificial environments and labs.

Socialist feminism opined that the inferiority of women is to some extent due to the gender system dominated by men and part of it springs from the capitalist economic system. These proponents of this current, too, do not consider a natural source for marriage and believe that it is a forged issue although they do not deem it necessary to oppose it. Socialist feminists deem it essential to struggle for class equality and mixed gender.

The post-modern feminists, too, believe that what makes women inferior stems from culture, religion, geography and other factors. With such movements, although western woman thinks that she has gained a lot, the question is: Has the western woman preserved her dignity and human status? Has she got rid of anxiety, fear and disquiet and reached calm?

The outcome of the freedom of women in the west can be listed as follows: the right to vote, the right of abortion, financial independence, sexual freedom, increase of marriage age, spread of living in celibacy, breakup of family, increase of divorce, the sense of quarrel between couples, identity crisis among women, spread of lesbianism, promotion of various female diseases and turning of women to a plaything in the hand of the capitalist system.

Now, let us listen to the remarks of Ms. Akhundan who is an expert of women and family issues:

"The movement known as feminism dates back to nearly one century ago. This movement was so rampant that after a few years all of its orders affected the international rules and documents. The movement to fulfill women's rights (feminism) was a reaction against the inhumane discriminations in the west. It emerged in Europe to materialize the trampled rights of women. But as they were delayed in this field, they acted rashly and sentiments didn't allow them to get help from knowledge as a guide. That's why this movement caused many miseries for women. Apparently it opened some doors for women but it created other calamities for women and human society. This, while the Prophet of Islam was the true reviver of women's rights and the first person who pursued the women's rights and reformation of their social status. Evidences show that violence and sexual harassment against women is very rampant in workplaces. For instance, a study on 1236 women in London revealed that out of six women at least one is raped at workplace while the other five escape through quarrel or other means. An American writer says that every man from any work class, even those who are just onlookers, are complicit in sexual harassment of women."

Critics of feminism state that although today women look free and independent, they have become emotionally more dependent, more insecure, shakier and lonelier that their mothers and grandmothers. This is the bitter reality in the west.

RM/SS