Ye Proceedeth From One Another (Koran)
Matt Erickson
Professor Blackburn
English 2010
December 8, 2010
To the Men and Women of our country.
For the increasing awareness to
and support of equality among the sexes.
Ye Proceedeth From One Another (Koran)
Shh..., don't ask, don't tell, but I like girls a lot. I was 14 when God turned the lights on and
was in a room way too big. I have come to see girls in a deeper way, and want to assure that I
my room has all that it needs to one day share an equal space with a woman.
Ruth May Fox, pioneer Utahn and women’s suffragist had as her primary purpose to educate
women, and said she hoped one day that her efforts in education and equality for women would
be, “an entrance into that golden time upon which the best thoughts of the ages have been
centered,”(Mormon.org) a hope for equality shared by millions around the world.
(Mormon times.com)
There is a story of Brigham Young, when he was asked, if given the choice would he choose to
educate his sons or his daughters. He replied his daughters because they would become mothers to his
grandchildren (Moderate Voice). In keeping with his quote, equality among the sexes is the only way to
achieving a successful society.
The sanctity of women is an indespensable reality in every major religion in the world
today. The Koran, the Islamic Holy Book recounts much of biblical history, mentions women in
important roles, Hindus have Gods that are women. In the epic story of creation that is life, the
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impact women have on each man, woman and child, for better or for worse is felt for a lifetime.
Success is happiness and independence, but not wealth or being alone. The success of women
influences all of us. I grew up in West Jordan Utah from the age of 11, and attended West Jordan
High School. I lived for the first 10 years of my life before that with my Mom, and after saw her
midweek, and on the weekends. She taught me to care for others and that I was an important
person to her.
When I was 17 I knew an impressive girl who was someone everyone looked to, to her I
wrote this poem titled “For Someone Like This”.
“And on this day we take back a step from a world of grief and strife,
we recognize one’s value and contemplate one’s life.
And in a place where talk is cheap and expectations fall,
I’m not the first, I’m not the last to say 'wow, she’s got it all.'
And in her fruits is heaven found, but no this angel walks on the ground,
good qualities in her are repletely found.
And in a corrupt world her face is still merry, yes, her very presence is a sanctuary;
with heart of gold and nature divine, good men will say 'I would do anything to make her mine.'
And it's in her actions where her story's told,
heaven's faces will smile as its’ glory she unfold.
And her caring a salve, and so needed the art,
she gives the world a present, she gives it her heart.
For someone like this, it’s no lie to say,
'Today we celebrate you, Jessica, so happy Birthday'.”
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I put the poem on display paper and cut it out in the shape of a hand held mirror. Later that
year Jessica wrote her own poem, I saw it on the wall; it began; “Who is this girl I see behind
those green eyes, loved and admired by so many”, and ended “Why can’t I see this girls as me?”.
It’s no surprise that my admiration wasn’t grounds for a relationship. Mary Wollstonecraft
expressed the problems that come from a society that adores women in that it tends to limit them.
I think it does when they compare themselves, isolating themselves. My high school didn't quite
have that problem, other than people like me who would write and say the dancers were picking
inappropriate music. Most girls had a fluid social interaction, though some were blacklisted for
refusing to hang out with a certain group. Jessica, however, was the type of young woman you'd
find in 1800's Austria (Societies 838): their abode far removed from someone like me, she
played Mozart; everything she did was art. I honestly felt the whole time there was a barrier
against my going there.
Religion within a society has an important affect in gender equality. The effects of these
views on society, however is apparent only in theocratic states. The countries that have the least
equality are also countries that whose religions idolize women. Mexico has a mother, and she's
called the Virgin Guadalupe, whether one is catholic or not the idea is pervasive. The Middle
East has as sinless beings four women, including the Virgin Mary, which contributes to hyper
morality there. It is a verifiable fact that the countries which espouse the virtues of greater
equality among the sexes are the most globally competitive. The Gender Equality Index,
Published by the World Economic Forum indicates the following:
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The chart clearly shows, the countries with the most equality are also the countries with the
greatest “Global Competitiveness”. While the United States scores high on Global
Competitiveness, it scores an embarrassing twentieth in Gender Equality (Forum 9 Nov.),
trailing Nordic states- a sign that a new paradigm of equality in our workplaces and homes
allows for a more even word-load distribution among husbands and wives is needed. Success in
equality in Europe, which is very Catholic, drives home the point that religious views within a
country do not directly affect gender equality.
The National Women’s organization was established in 1966 a mission statement that
reads in part:
“WE REJECT the current assumptions that a man must carry the sole burden of
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himself, his wife, and family, and that a woman is automatically entitled to lifelong
support by a man upon her marriage, or that marriage, home and family are primarily
woman's world and responsibility -- hers, to dominate -- his to support. We believe that a
true partnership between the sexes demands a different concept of marriage, an equitable
sharing of the responsibilities of home and children and of the economic burdens of their
support. (now statement).
It is interesting, but true, that the founding statement of our nation’s women’s organization had
to do with protecting and defining marriage.
Many people think of world war two that impacted life for the American Family, with
men dying or finding foreign brides. The truth is, however, that if you grew up in the era after
World War II you had an 80 percent chance of being in a family where both your parents lived
with you. The current rate has put 50 percent of children in single parent households (catholic
Education). Scholars from law to medicine have questioned why the trend is current difficulties
are so hard on the family. The former dean of the J. Reuben Clark law school Bruce C. Hafen, in
his book The Belonging Heart, calls a fear motivated phenomenon, “The waning of belonging”
as a potential reason for the dissolution of the family. He cites reasons men and women are afraid
to be called “one another's” ranging from fears of nuclear war to financial strains, that keep them
from opening their hear and sharing love with others. People are afraid of belonging, when the
true way to achieve true happiness is to give our hearts to those we love.(Ensign)
I hear all the time, “I’m a girl”, or “he’s a guy so...” But when you’ve got as many
problems as our society does, all you can really say is, why did he/she act the way they did? The
idea of gender specific actions is sexism. Feminism is known by many names: the women’s
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movement, suffrage, and women's rights. It also includes the National Organization for Women.
All of these organizations have their quality and merit. Seeing our Nation, which within the last
decade has entered into the top twenty in nations with the best gender equality index, it’s time
that we recognized what a dictionary defines as the real definition of feminism- “equality among
the sexes.” From this perspective women’s rights can be measured only with a measuring stick
of yards or meters, the country in which you live, and the opportunity available to you to
influence your goals.
In Utah where the number of women using anti-depressants isn’t the highest in the
nation, special care has been taken to ensure gender equality. At times these measures have met
with opposition. In middle school I always hated how girls’ sports got as much funding as boys
sports. As I’ve grown up, I’ve seen the mentoring the coaches have provided my younger sister, I
am glad these measures are in place in Utah schools.
As previously mentioned, every major belief system in the world has the sanctity of
womanhood as a base. “Mothers are by nature suited to raise children” Mary Wollstonecraft
writes; however, in many countries of the world the nation's laws do not protect mothers as the
providers of this important care. From a conversation I had with a friend from Mexico, I know
that in Mexico there is no law requiring child support. If a mother happens to get a divorce or
abandoned there are no laws that will guarantee her and her children's sustenance.
It has been 15 years since the last UN world conference on Women; the last was held in
1995 in Beijing. It declared by, so far efforts for a second conference are scarce, maybe because
of an important motion on July 10th, the UN General Assembly established the “UN Entity for
Gender Equality and Empowerment, to be known as 'UN Women.'”
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In all cases, culture bars the advancement of both men and women in their respective
spheres. Potentially why women are seen as such a pivotal potentially active force in the world
and especially the Middle East, is they share. Women unite themselves. Whereas men can't reach
a deal, a foundation for women's empowerment could be instrumental in Uniting the Middle
East, so says Isobel Coleman in her book “paradise Beneath Her Feet”. The Deseret News
Article, “two sisters make history at BYU” gives an example of two very intelligent women who
have found a balance between professional and family life. The Sisters, Immigrants to this
country, like their parents, sacrificed all for the American Dream. Both are now law professors
at the J. Reuben Clark law school in Provo. Both have families (one takes her five month old to
work with her every day she’s not teaching.). They have found a balance that works for them.
An article in Newsweek titled “Men’s Lib” for new “Men’s Lib”, or an easing of
expectations in the male workplace so that men can be at home more, cites a trend in Sweden
towards just that, in which vacation time and benefits favor a man if he takes time off. The
article, written by Andrew Romano and Tony Dokoupil suggests that to remain competitive in
today's world, a new “capacious notion” (Romano) of manhood must be implemented in the U.S,
if we are to remain competitive in the 21st Century. The Family: A Proclamation to the World,
published in 1995 by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, read to the largest women's
organization in the world; Relief Society, also calls for a concept of equality between husband
and wife, and declares if traditional parental roles are not possible, “individual adaptation may be
necessary.”(LDS Church). Equality at home is as a man I know said in our men's meeting at
church; when you are taking care of your children, you are parenting, not "babysitting".
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To lead the way, to become better, the men and the women of our countries need to
improve. There is not a “man's world, or a woman's world, but one world. My parents married
for love and I love them for it, what ultimately broke them apart wasn't a “fatal flaw” in the one
or the other, but a lack of respect, communication problems, failure in small issue reconciliation.
They are equal I my eyes.
I, along with feminists, both male and female of all the ages, hold dear a hope for the
time when each man and woman, Afghan or Mexican, Black or White, Muslim or Christian will
be viewed first for their humanity and second for their contribution. The Koran says of men and
women that was, “made superior to the other”, but it doesn’t say which one! (Koran 34) Paul in
his preaching to the Corinthians said, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to
face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” However you choose
to say it, the message is the same: Man and Woman- Ye proceed from one another. (Koran 25).
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Works Cited
Askar, Jamshid Ghazi. “Sisters Teach Law Side By Side at BYU” desnews.com. 18 Oct. 2010.
Deseret News. 20 Oct. 2010 http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700069159
Estés, Dr. Clarissa Pinkola. “Mitt Romney: The Mormon Factor, Good or Bad?”
ModerateVoice.com. 3 Dec. 2007 Mode Equity. 20 Oct. 2010
http://themoderatevoice.com/16341/
Everyman's library, The Koran New York 1901 Borzoi Trans. By Alfred A Knopf. 1992.
Hafen, Bruce C. “The Waning of Belonging.” Ensign. Nov. 1996: 26.
Mckay et al. A History of World Societies. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2000.
Mckay, David O. Secrets of a Happy Life . Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1967.
Romano, Andrew, and Tony Dokoupil. "Men's Lib." Newsweek Vol. 156, No. 13. 27 Sept. 2010:
n.p. SIRS Researcher. SLCC Lib., Taylorsville UT. Web. 30 Oct 2010.
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/09/20/
The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles. “The Family: A Proclamation to the
World. Ensign. Nov. 1995 102.
“The National Organization for Women's 1966 Statement of Purpose.” NOW Website. 26 Oct.
2010 http://www.now.org/history/purpos66.html.
UN Women . United Nations. 2 Nov. 2010
http://www.unwomen.org/
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Whitehead Barbara Dofoe. “Dan Quayle Was Right.” catholiceducation.org 1993. Catholic
Education Resource Center. 2 Nov. 2010
http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/civilization/cc0039.html
Wollenstonecraft, Mary. A Vindication of the Rights of Women. 1792. London: Penguin, 2004.
World Economic Forum. Global Gender Gap Report 2010 Washington: World Economic
Forum, 2010 http://www.weforum.org/en/Communities/Women