THE HAREM OF THE EAST

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 119, 5 June 1937, Page 11

THE HAREM OF THE EAST

Wives And Their Rights w II i i I I lii 1 1 ■ i I i 5

jgO MUCH has .been written recently of the extent of the Feminist movement in the Mid-East that most people imagine the xigid seclusion of the harem and plurality of wives, whieh the Mohammedan religion permits, is now a thing of the past, writes Major C. S. Jarvis. This, however, is very far from being the case, as, though in cer'tain circles the Muslim woman is obtaining her freedom, the great mass of the population in Egypt, Arabia, and Palestine are still held fast . by the laws of the Prophet. Mohammed ordained, re\tetfully we are .given to understand, that a maW might marry four wives provided he treated them all impartially and fairly. This, in itself, suggests that he either had his tongue in his cheek or that ha had a most sublime and inexplicable faith in the masculine .character, for .it is fairly saf e to assume that in most quadrilateral jfnatrimonial jcircles the youngest and pxettiest wife would naturally reeeive more attention than her middle-aged and ' caustic-tongued colleaguOs. j* So far as tha upper ipnd middle classes of Egypl;, Palestine, and Syria are concerned, polygamy has, to a large extent, died out, but what is more Temarkable, taking into account the conservatism of the East, is the very great change that has taken place during the last fif teen years in„ the position of girls and young wives. The wearing of the yashmak (voil) is now entirely out of date, and so far as dress is concerned, there is nothing to distinguish the young Muslim girl from her Christian or Jewish sistera She has also achieved her freedom to a ,very Jarge # extent), and, instead; of going out for carriage exercise or a walk .with a huge black eunuch in charge, she now attends cinemas ,and theatres with her boy friends, plays tennis in mixed parties, and has become a football fan. Considering the very rigid anA jealous laws that have guarded the Muslim female for the last sixteen hundred years, the freedom secured .by the young woman of to-day, in little more than a decade, is remarkable, and so far as one can see she has received no encouragement whatsoever from her parents and relatives. It is entirely a youth movement, and a more or less spontaneous one, for the various feminist organisation3 have as their aim a more moderate form of independence, and are more concerned with marriage laws than the life of the young spinster. This mixing' of tiie sexes occurs also in married life, and it is now quite a common occurrence to be entertained by a young Egyptian, with his wife presiding at the table with complete confidence and sayoir' faire. This, only fif teen years ago, would have been unbelievable, and the

wife would have been struck off every visiting list as a woman 'of loose character, and the husband, - as- a man, lost to all sense of decency. The ultimate' result will be\ entirely benefieia! to the race. The Mohamme^ dan will in future have a home life in--stead of a caf e one, with an intelligent wife with whom he can discuss the affairs of the day instead of an emptyheaded doll concerned entirley with feminine affairs. "With tennis, dancing, and other aetivities, the wives of the East will not become the shftpgtess masses of fat that was the fate • of the avera'ge .marfied woman in the harem, and last, but not least, the emancipation of the .women will have a very far-reaching effect on the children, It is the entire absence of hqtne life that has caused the average 'Oriontai to be, so narrow-minded and snpremeiy ignora,nt of world affairs, The movement, however^ is so ±'a* confined to the upper cl&Bses and certain of the middle class in official circles m the large towns and citics. The woman of the fellah (eultivator) is quite unaffected by the chang^ auts any attempt to gain her freedom will be most strenuously resisted by her-men-folk. She is, -as she has always been, a ehattel to be married and djscarded at will, and if polygamy among the lower classes is not so genenhl as it was formerly, it is duo to the. fapt that greater nse is being made/of the easy Mohammedan divorcc. It is expensive and inhormonious *to keep. four wives, and it is-far more oconomicai in every way to arrajnge for a divorce. A Mohammedan hua no need to prove infidelity or evxen in-1 compatability of temper; if he desires to divorce his wife he merely says so in iront of witnesses and the marriage is dissolved as a matter of course. , The husband is compelled to support the wife after divorce for one year only, and she is turned from her -.house and from her family for no reason whatsoever -beyond the fact that her husband is tired of her and desires someone younger. , The young children may remain with her till the boys are ten years of age, and the girls twelve, when they return to their father, but the average middleaged divorced woman has to leave her family when the children are in their early teens, and over theui she has no further rights or control. In other words, a divorce means the end of life for her. The various feminist movements in the Mid-East are striving to obtain somo changes in these very one-slded laws governing the lot of married women, but progress is difficult, as they find themselves faced with the unalterable.edicts of the Horan, backed by all the/ fanaticism of the Mohammedan religion. The complete subjugation of. the female to man-made laws is the keynote of ihe Faith, and, despite the presentday enlightenment of the " very small upper and official class, the great mass of . the.. people are as intolerant of change as they wero five hundred years ago. i