Through a broader prism

On the occasion of United Nations Human Rights Day, as we reflect upon "dignity, freedom, and justice for all", let us focus on the status of women and why religion or dharma, perhaps the first institutionalized expression of human rights, has not fully succeeded. Despite concerted efforts by global institutions, gender equality listed as goal number 5 in the Agenda 2030—Sustainable Development Goals, there is an urgent need for new mechanism to address escalating violence against women and girls.

The Jewish scripture, the Talmud, states succinctly: "Ten measures of speech descended to the world; women took nine." In Hinduism, there is the concept of Ardhanareeshwari in which the male and female identities contrast and complement each other on an equal basis. Purusha (male identity) is a dormant energy which, when conjoined with Prakriti (female identity), results in the kinetic energy that can transform itself into creative energy. Christian egalitarian scholars believe that male and female were created equally without any hierarchy of roles. God created both woman and man in His own image and likeness, as understood in the 'Book of Genesis' — the first book of the Bible. God made the first couple equal partners in leadership over the earth. Both were jointly commissioned to "be fruitful and multiply...to fill the earth...subdue the earth...and rule over it." The Qur'an, wherein specifically and repeatedly, it is stressed that God makes no distinction between men and women in His judgment – thus rendering invalid the notion that equality is only a Western concept. In the Bahá'í Faith, it is categorically stated: "The world of humanity has two wings — one is women and the other men. Not until both wings are equally developed can the bird fly." The evolution of humankind was, and is, underpinned by the power of knowledge. Humans swiftly realized that religious knowledge was an even more powerful tool because it factorized the mysticism and mysterious quality of the unknown and unseen with the awesome strength of faith in that unseen Force. Religion and religiosity evolved as a tool in the play of socio-cultural power dynamics. It became a powerful arm almost always in hands of men to interpret, lead, control and suppress.

Sadly, when gender discrimination still affects every aspect of human civilization retrogressively, it becomes imperative to delineate the difference and definition of 'religion', 'ritual' and 'culture'. Religion or dharma was created to understand the cosmic force. Rituals are only a framework that can be used to outline the practice of religion. There is a ritual in every religion as a sign of reverence. On its own, the ritual is meaningless, and requires the religion as its context. Culture, in turn, is a social expression of religion interwoven with the various narratives of social evolution, livelihood, climatic and geographical conditions. Often ritual and cultural traditions are interpreted as religion to practice and justify discrimination, particularly the subaltern status of women. Religion never talks about inequality. Rather, it is how it gets interpreted, i.e., almost always through men and therefore usually through a patriarchal lens which tends to propagate gender inequalities. In fact, the vital element in religion that is the touchstone of human life is faith in the right to life of dignity

Despite the human rights approach of equality, over the ages, religion actually has become complicit in maintaining the structures of patriarchy that confine men and women, girls and boys, to particular roles and modes of behaviour. This has been perpetuated by the issue of fear, particularly the sense of collective fear imposed by the ultraconservative perspectives of the scriptures. There is a huge element of fear of change, fear to question, fear to do own thinking, because one is being prescribed and told by religious leaders, who are mostly male, that what he says is the truth.

Certainly, religion has often had a problematic relationship with issues of gender, but relationships are never static and unchanging; they are dynamic, complex and nuanced, and religion's relationship with gender is no different. Indeed, there may even be ways in which religious actors, frameworks and worldviews can assist in promoting greater sensitivity to, and engagement with, gender in development contexts and beyond. What is perhaps even more significant is that religion has powerful social influence in many contexts. Religion can be very empowering, and this can be a powerful tool to bridge the gap between rights and lived realities for women and girls.

The time is just right when we can place religious institutions and interpretations squarely in the discourse on gender equality. There is a vast multitude of young adults who are raising relevant questions on the validity of religion in human lives. If and only if we can look at religion through the lens of human rights, then alone can we underscore the value of religion while giving a firmer and irrevocable foundation for gender balance. While we have been dismantling and reinventing many institutions to rewrite gender relations, religious institutions have only been tinkered with. These institutions need not be dismantled. It only requires the right perspective to interpret it in the way it was meant to: to understand the Cosmic Force and to impact human lives positively. Gender inequality was never part of this understanding. Patriarchal interpretations that underscore the subaltern status of women can at best be termed as misunderstanding of religion. We need to de-mystify or deconstruct this kind of distorted thinking.

International and national efforts around gender equality and women's empowerment have often involved multiple stakeholders and diverse proposals and initiatives. However, a missing key ingredient – and partnership modality – has been around faith and religious considerations. Integrating religious knowledge and actors now needs to be mainstreamed.

As we start the year-long United Nations commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Human Rights Declaration that will culminate on December 10, 2023, equality of men and women needs to be understood as an essential aspect of "One Earth, One Family, One Future." Properly understood as a facet of the oneness of humanity, gender equality must be embraced not only as a requirement for justice but also as a prerequisite for peace and prosperity. Nothing short of a compelling vision of peace, and commitment to the values on which it must be based, will have the power to motivate the revolutionary changes in individual behaviour, organizational structures and interpersonal dynamics, called for by the various instruments on the advancement of women, and encouraging them to assume leadership positions.

The writer is a social worker and an independent researcher. He can be contacted at the following ID: akmerchant@hotmail.com. Views expressed are personal