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Saturday, April 11, 2009

Some of the worst logic I have ever seen...

I don't know how many of my readers are aware of a new law that recently passed in Afghanistan that, essentially, writes into law the sexual submission of wives to husbands. I was reading an article about that this morning as I drank my tea, and the last line struck me with its sheer ludicrousness.

Mr. Mohseni argued that women and men are very far from equal in today's Afghanistan and should not be treated as such. He pointed out that many rural women are illiterate and would not be able to find work if they were asked to provide some of the family's financial support. Men are typically the breadwinners in Afghan households, expected to provide for their wives and children.

“It is not possible for all women to pay the same amount of money as men are paying. For all these expenses, can't we at least give the right to a husband to demand sex from his wife after four nights?” he said.

Really, the husband has the right to demand sex any night, but the wife should have equal right to refuse his demands (and vice versa). Justifying misogyny based on an inequality of education is one the worst lines of reasoning I have heard in a while. Also, this Mr. Mohseni clearly is one of those men who has never had to do any housework, because I am pretty damn sure that wives in Afghanistan, even if they are illiterate and not earning any money, don't lounge around all day in opulent luxury.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

From what I've read there seems to have been enough public outcry that this law won't be passed. But I agree, it's ridiculous, and that's some seriously twisted logic. "Women are presently oppressed second class citizens in our country, so shouldn't we be able to treat them accordingly?"

Mozglubov said...

Thank you Cornucrapia, that's the summary of the logic that was eluding me in my spluttering, astonished-at-the-illogic state this morning... your skills at political critique contine to exceed my own.

Anonymous said...

To my understanding the bill was tabled but hasn't yet passed.

Mozglubov said...

I don't know if the Globe and Mail article was inaccurate, but this is what it said in regards to the law passing:
"Mohammad Asif Mohseni, a top Afghan cleric who was one of the law's main drafters, said the legislation cannot be revoked or changed because it was enacted through a legislative process — passed by both houses of parliament and signed by Mr. Karzai."
That sounds to me a little like passing... of course, I don't really know how Afghani legislation works.

Unknown said...

This was similar to Thomas Jefferson's logic to why the slaves should not be freed. He said you needed economic security before you could have political freedom, and if you depended on getting your paycheck from anyone, then you could never be truly political free. Even if you freed the slaves, they would have no economic security or freedom because they have nothing to begin with, so they would not be politically free. So, therefore, why bother freeing them?

Was not a good argument then, and is not a good argument now.

Mozglubov said...

Oh no, Thomas Jefferson said that? I knew he didn't have a great track record with the issue of slavery, but I didn't know he had employed such obviously circular reasoning. I'm quite disappointed in him.