On September 16, 2022, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman named Mahsa Amini died in Tehran, Iran, under suspicious circumstances, due, allegedly, to police brutality.

She was arrested by Iran’s Guidance Patrol, otherwise called the morality police, for reportedly wearing a hijab improperly (her hair was out of place, we were told). Her death unleashed a nationwide flood of protests. The police said she suffered a heart attack, but her family denied that she had a heart problem.

Muslim dignity under Islamic law was apparently offended by the exposure of her hair.

It seems God does take an unkindly interest in women’s clothing. While this might seem harmless enough, it has caused considerable suffering. In March 11, 2002 the morality police in Mecca were accused of preventing paramedics and firefighters from rescuing scores of girls trapped in a burning building because the girls were not wearing the traditional head covering that the Koranic law requires must be worn in public. Fifteen girls perished in the fire.

The compulsory wearing of a veil or full-body covering ( hijab or burqa) is not only unpleasant and impractical but is a violation of the individual’s liberty. Like other methods of Islamic subjugation of women, it perpetuates the view of women being the property of men. Consider honour killings — the murder of a woman or girl by male family members. The killers justify their actions by claiming that the victim has brought dishonour on the family. For example, in these societies victims of rape are accused of having engaged in sexually immoral actions or even killed. Certain beliefs are incompatible with love, and this notion of “honour” is among them. Most of us will agree that a father slitting his daughter’s throat and being regarded as a hero for upholding his family’s honour doesn’t capture this sentiment very well.

Another violation of a woman’s fundamental human rights is female genital mutilation (FGM), performed to suppress a woman’s sexuality, ensure a girl’s future marriage prospects, or uphold family honour. FGM is practised predominately within Muslim societies but also exists within some Christian groups.

Gods do seem to care what women wear, and Yahweh, the Christian God, is no exception. According to Deuteronomy 22:5, a woman must not wear men’s clothing. Thank God Christians do not burn witches anymore. Whew! But He has a problem with hairstyles, make-up, jewellery, and short skirts. Jamaica, take heed.

In Christianity it is impossible for women to be free and equal in a culture that constantly refers to a demeaning handbook which subjugates women — the Good Book.

The first woman in the Bible, Eve, is fashioned out of Adam’s rib, as if a mere afterthought, thereby crediting man with giving birth to woman. She is scapegoated as a sin-inciting, disobedient, impulsive, morally inferior seductress because she offered the forbidden fruit to Adam. For her disobedience she is cursed by the patriarchal deity, “I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception, in sorrow thou shall bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” (Genesis 3:16) Thus Eve was forced to play the Pandora’s role of loosing sin upon the world. Mother Eve, you gave birth to Christianity. In sin did you conceive it.

The Bible is pretty clear that murder, rape, theft, etc are all bad. But sex is a rather contentious issue. Why? Because women are involved and among the most common epithets to describe them are harlot, whore, and unclean. Delilah and Jezebel are typecast as sinful women. Sexual relations with women are depicted as unclean and dangerous for men, but, horror of horrors, pleasurable nonetheless. According to Proverbs 21:17, “Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man.”

The Christian faith has regrettably remained silent in the face of the pandemic of violence against women. It enforces patriarchy in which men are seen as spiritual leaders and women are to submit to their authority. In the US ( no statistics available for Jamaica) only nine per cent of protestant pastors are women. The Roman Catholic Church has yet to officially ordain a woman.

A deep-rooted misogyny in which women are emotionally, spiritually, and physically oppressed lies at the centre of much of the faith today. This underscores how former US President Donald Trump could receive 81 per cent of the white evangelical votes, even after voters learnt of his ongoing offensive comments about women.

There are still men who appeal to Genesis 2-3 to justify their right to physically discipline a wife. And there are some battered women who continue to accept such abuse because they think it is a husband’s divinely sanctioned right and duty. Thankfully such patriarchal and misogynistic views are becoming less acceptable.

The behaviour of women in the Bible must be viewed in light of the patriarchal society existing then. Some women were understandably passive, while others were sassy. Some were not people to be admired, even though we may appreciate their temerity. Jezebel, the wicked, tried to turn the Israelites to the worship of Baal, and Delilah’s treacherous seduction of her hirsute lover Samson resulted in the death of thousands.

But Eve was the first feminist. Didn’t she defy the Lord himself in order to acquire knowledge from a fruit and educated Adam, along with every member of the human race to come? A case of a husband learning from his wife. So why hasn’t Eve been canonised? Lets hear it for St Eve!

ethonlowe@gmail.com