"The nature of men is that men are more rational. Women are not rational. With one or two or three words, a man can get what he wants from a woman."20-year-old Enad succinctly expresses his cultural belief that men are the strong, rational gender who can control their sexual urges, whereas women are weak and quick to give it up, requiring them to be kept under lock and key. Or at least that's my impression based on my (admittedly limited) knowledge of Saudi culture. Western parents keep tabs on their daughters too, but more out of a fear of predatory men than because they distrust their daughters.
Yesterday I attended a lecture by a Somali teacher and human rights defender, Hawa Aden Mohamed during which she addressed her uphill battle against female genital mutilation (FGM) in her country. I was absolutely astonished by the male justification she reported for this barbaric cultural practice: if women's sexuality wasn't kept in check by FGM, they would go around raping men and the society would descend into chaos. Basically like a reverse Congo.
I should say that I use the word "barbaric" en toute connaissance de cause, having weighed the pros and cons of using such a negatively charged term in a blog about intercultural communication. I am ready to accept cultural relativism about a host of things, but not everything - especially not what I consider universal human rights.
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