Breast dry belly Fatuma
In the hands of Mama Fatuma a whole life is read; precious henna motifs, scars, burns and years. We were walking a year ago through the Somali neighborhood of Nairobi –Eastleigh- on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, in which Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his own son is commemorated, passage collected in both the Bible and the Koran.
Mama Fatuma was covered with a niqab; only her makeup eyes could be seen. From time to time the veil that covered her face would lift a little, very carefully, to take a sip of the coke I just bought.
In the hands of Mama Fatuma a whole life is read; precious henna motifs, scars, burns and years
The lambs were slaughtered in the street and the children stained their hands with blood to leave their footprints on the walls of the houses.
-They do it to drive away the evil eye- Fatuma explained to me.
The men wore their best robes (jellabiyad) and the women covered themselves with fabrics full of embroidery and colors. All the mosques in the area had been filled with life: children scampered among the lambs that were still alive and families who could afford it donated a part of the meat to the poorest families. All the Muslims in the neighborhood had their food ration.
For Fatuma it was not a happy day: her husband had to divorce her
But, for Fatuma it was not a happy day: her husband had to divorce her. He married he does 25 years and always boasted of being the first of the four women who were part of the family. Era, also, the one who had given him the most children.
But Fatuma had stopped menstruating a few months ago and her husband decided to marry a fertile woman. Islam does not allow a man to be married to more than four women at a time, so before marrying a new woman the man has to divorce one of his wives.
Fatuma had stopped menstruating a few months ago and her husband decided to marry a fertile woman
I accompanied Fatuma to speak with one of the elders of her family, who wore his beard dyed red, as a symbol of being a respected person among their own. The husband was also present and Fatuma began to point out in the Qur'an the verses that spoke against divorce:
-Of all the things that are allowed, the one that God hates the most is divorce "- the woman recited.
-Of the things allowed- the husband repeated- that's.
The old man pointed at me and asked if I was the new woman.
-Not, in- I.
-What are you doing here?- I ask.
-Fatuma is my friend.
The old man nodded thoughtfully. He compulsively drank tea and chewed chunks of meat with his mouth open. We watched him eat. When he finished he washed his hands in a basin and addressed the man.
-Will you pay his support?- I ask.
-Yes- replied the husband.
We all went to Fatuma's house, where a banquet was prepared for the whole family (let's take into account that the family was made up of four women and their respective relatives). It was the last party that the woman would spend in the home that had been hers for the last 25 years. The rest of the wives knew it and barely spoke to him. She was no longer part of the household chores and sat, watching that world of yours that was fading.
It was the last party that the woman would spend in her home. The rest of the wives knew it and barely spoke to him
-Life for men ends when the heart stops, he said in a low voice., that of women when the belly dries up.
Then, Fatuma got up and went to the place where her husband ate with the men of the family. He was unfazed.
-What do you want?- he asked without even looking up from his plate.
-I divorce you, said Fatuma.. I divorce you. I divorce you.
Women left their chores. The men stopped eating. The husband got up trembling, red with humiliation and slapped his ex-wife.
Fatuma lost the right to maintenance and the protection that corresponded to him in the divorce. Return to Somalia and he was forbidden to see his children again. Today he lives on ten dollars a month that he makes cleaning fish. She suffers the punishment for wanting to be the owner of her life.
You lost your right to child support after the divorce. He returned to Somalia and was forbidden to see his children again
The situation of vulnerability to which Muslim women are exposed in many African countries is an injustice silenced in the name of religion and culture. We are living a time when we begin to see women occupying positions of importance in Somalia and we celebrate these counted cases as if we had won a war. But, the reality is that the country's decentralized government is unable to guarantee the rights of Somali women. The situation has only improved for a minority. The 98% of girls are still victims of genital mutilation. The 92% of women depends on the will of their parents first and that of their husbands, when they get married.
The few women who rebel are automatically labeled as sinners and are cut off from social life in the name of Allah., becoming a bad example for being free, independent, powerful, brave. We see once again how in a strictly religious environment it is very difficult to defend human rights. The discriminatory and unfair treatment faced by Muslim women today derives from the Sharia (Islamic law) created between the 9th and 10th centuries and which remains to this day as an absolute and just truth.
The few women who rebel are automatically labeled as sinners and are cut off from social life in the name of Allah.
Education is the weapon. Educate girls and boys to own their future equally. Create generations that read the Quran analytically and understand that Islam upholds that all human beings are worthy regardless of their sex.
Let women like Fatuma be the role model, and not an embarrassment to society.
Comments (2)
Ann
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It's a great song
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MDV
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How hard what you tell, But you tell it so well that we have almost all become Mama Fatuma and we feel her pain but also the pride of being women. Thanks again for giving them a voice.
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