Misogyny is still a profound issue in the Arab world and is yet to be ameliorated. Some people still have ultraconservative beliefs in which the woman is deemed as the property of a man, meaning that she is not perceived as an autonomous being but the commodity of a man. Also, sexual harassment and assault have been two ignored conundrums that are drastically affecting women every single day. The perpetrators, predominantly being men, are not being held accountable or liable for their actions. Thus, there would be no hindrance from halting such horrendous actions, so they keep committing them. The percentage of sexual harassment in Arab countries such as Egypt, Lebanon, and Morocco is vastly high. The high percentage implies that men already have the “power” to commit such complicit actions, hence the idea of committing any action without any consequence would be embedded in their mind. As a result, a man not getting what he wants is not the standard, which renders the idea of getting rejected by a woman very aggravating. The stigmatization of women rejecting men would then lead to the man believing he has the full right to marry any women he desires. This is, of course, not to signify that all men must be generalized in this sense. This issue is being addressed because it has caused an unbelievable amount of damage to the extent where it needs to be addressed.
The Incident of Naiyera Ashraf
In June, a woman named Naiyera Ashraf was killed by a man who she rejected his marriage proposal. Video footage shows Naiyera being stabbed to death before her throat was slit in front of her university in Egypt. According to her family, Naiyera has previously reported the killer to the authorities since she feared that he would attack her. Furthermore, her mom claimed that the same man was harassing Naiyera for two whole years whilst holding a grudge on her. This repulsive act was all premediated. The killer picked a time which he knew was appropriate and followed her to the same bus, killing her after they both arrived. This means that he has been planning to commit that deed for a very long time as he knew the exact time that she rode the bus. Moreover, there were bruises all over her body, substantiating the fact that she had been abused by him in the past, rendering the situation even worse. Naiyera said no to a man, and she got murdered for he thought that he was entitled to her.
The Incident of Iman Irshaid
A few days after the death of Naiyera, in Jordan, another woman named Iman Irshaid was shot five times at Amman University. A very triggering fact is that she received a text message from him that said, “tomorrow I am coming to speak to you, and if you do not accept it, I am going to kill you just like the Egyptian killed that girl today.” The killer committed suicide after a few days after he was surrounded by authorities. The domino effect is crystal clear in this case since the killing of Naiyera influenced the actions of that man and led to the killing of another woman. Whether it is for good or bad purposes, men can definitely influence the actions of one another and play a role in altering their actions.
Hence, instead of encouraging each other to violently murder other women for rejecting them, why do we not encourage each other to completely stop committing such revolting actions? Why do we not encourage each other to hold one another accountable for our actions? Apparently, it is shameful for a woman to reject a man because he thinks he should be completely possessive over her, but a woman is not his property. She is an autonomous being.