BREAK A WOMAN TO SAVE A WOMAN: On Feminism, Faith & Tomfoolery

If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off!

Right.

Except that now, Nigerian religious zealots have taken it a step further. They are cutting off other people’s arms for their own sins, and plucking out their neighbours’ eyes to keep themselves from lusting.

The Christians’ holy book records Jesus’ purely platonic but close alliance with some female figures like Mary Madgalene, and Mary and Martha, sisters of Lazarus. It also records His firm stance in support of the fundamental human right of the adulterous woman, even when it was against the Jewish culture that doomed her to public stoning; but despite this, most of its adherents, utterly depraved in their bigotry, have only chosen to see women as expendables in the society.

Slowly and finally, we have graduated from the point of regarding victims of sexual violence as culpable in the crime because of their physical appearance. But what else is to be expected? A society can only endorse the message that a man is entitled to a woman’s body because of her mode of dressing and absolve him of the blame for so long, before other neanderthals who should be hiding their misogyny in a sane alternate society would get the boldness to demand that a woman’s means of livelihood be taken away from her as a preventive and palliative measure against marital infidelity.

In essence, it is no longer enough for the Nigerian woman to wear tightly-fitted clothes, or wear too much makeup, or be attractive. 

She only need be a woman—a woman serving under an irresponsible man with unchecked libido—to be denied the right to earn legally like her male counterpart.

Beyond being worried about looking too attractive to escape sexual predators, she now has to be worried about her religious boss. She doesn’t need to dress seductively, as he may be attracted to her meekness and modest dressing, and that would be more than enough to make her a ”threat” to his home.

Consider the attached image. What do you see?

A wise man who will go to any lengths to preserve his home?

A man eager to show his unflinching commitment to his wife even in her absence?

Here’s what I see: The domino effect—

A young lady who arrived early for lectures being ordered from the front row to the back seat because her religious bigot of a lecturer sees her, not as a student, but as sex object that could potentially unravel his philandering tendencies.

I see women in religious ministry secretariats on the brink of losing their jobs, because of the sexism that parades itself as godly wisdom.

I see the society once again making women answer for the indiscretion of men; making them take the blame, not only for the improper advances currently thrown at them at work, but also for the ones they will receive in the future, no thanks to childish men who are unable to keep their emotions in check.

I see intellectual rogues trying to deceive themselves and everyone else into believing that the outrage against this update is another mindless roasting of a cleric.

Feminism aside, how can I, even as a Christian, be expected to be comfortable with an opinion that threatens my place as well as that of my unborn female children in the society? 

Is self-preservation not a basic animal instinct? Does it mean that majority of the religious folks in Nigeria are now somewhere beneath the animal strata? 

Has religious god-fatherism now completely obliterated the thinking abilities of religious folks? 

I don’t know.

I only know the fate of the woman who would endorse this message because of her mindless eagerness to preserve the thing she calls marriage: she, as well as her female progeny, should get ready to be kicked out of her workplace very soon. After all, what goes around…

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You really thought I'd sign out without saying Happy New Year with warm, snug hugs? It's so good to be back here finally, beloved followers. 

I had intended to return with a ceremonious post but the screenshot got me typing furiously into my laptop. 

Won't wait till some people make the world totally uninhabitable for me and the generation yet unborn. Hehe.

Happy New Year!