Convention v. Nature

Malak Hifni Nassef posed the question: “Is he well intentioned in all he asks of us and on our behalf, or des he wish us ill?” (Ahmed, 181). Nassef questioned the motives of men who encouraged women to unveil and to seek women’s rights because many men were unaccustomed to the changes or out right opposed women’s rights and independence. When women started unveiling, they were criticized and tormented by those who did not see the changes as societal norms. Although I think Nassef’s thoughts were questioned rightly so, the only way for new ways of life, or in this case unveiling, to transform into societal norms is for someone or a group to take the first step. However, that first step can be potentially dangerous and require immense amounts of courage, but if one views it as improving her quality of life or following her personal beliefs, the ultimate outcome could be worth the sacrifice.

In Plato’s The Republic, Socrates discusses the difference between nature and convention. Too often people confuse the two, assuming that societal norms are part of their human nature, not a development that occurred over time. Through Veiled Voices we learned that women played an important role in the religious education of their peers and essentially help spread Islam. Muhammad’s first wife Khadija gave him the encouragement he needed to share his revelations, making her the first convert to Islam and making him the prophet (47). The role women played at the start of Islam shows that the division between men and women is not part of nature. The divisions occurred over time as a product of convention.

Norms and mores change overtime. In some Middle Eastern countries the changes allowed women to be educated and to become professionals. Paul Heck discussed the steps Syria and Morocco have taken for women’s rights. Although not perfect and far from universal, it’s a start.

Viola Shafik also touches on the evolution of mores in Middle Eastern countries, through her discussion of cinema. In My Wife the Director General (movie poster in upper left corner), the conflict between being a professional and being a housewife arises for Shadia, and ultimately, she forces her husband to choose between a companion and a housewife (125). The ending is a happy one; her husband realizes that he would rather have a companion than a housewife, but how does the message of equality and unity spread from cinema to reality? Similarly when talking about The Lady’s Game, Shafik points out that “it is not as much the wife’s labor or her profession that unbalances her marriage, but her social position, her income, and last but not least her independence” (123).

We must learn the difference between nature and convention for changes to happen and for norms evolve, but I suppose it’s easier said than done. Socrates only began the discussion around 400 B.C. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?