"Men, it is serious"

It is a sad realisation that since the year 1945, women like the one who wrote the following article, have been saying the same things over and over again. Just when are the men in our lives going to take the essence of this 1945 article seriously so that progress becomes an integral part of an evolving society, and articles on the importance of educating the youth of today, such as the one in Today's Jordan Times, become a thing of the past. We all know what the problems are, but as Bint al Urdon noted back in 1945 ... do we have the courage to fix them ourselves? Perhaps it's time for a good dose of reflection .....

Al-Ra'ed Magazine, Issue 1, Year 20/6/45

Article by Bint Al-Urdon

"Men, It is Serious" (unofficial translation)

"I am delighted that Al-Ra'ed Magazine has started issuing and I am happy to express my pleasure that it tackles women's issues, especially as what concern women, concern men too. I believe that when men start to consider women's issues and women begin to speak for themselves, the result would be more understanding and collaboration that leads to progress for all."

"There is a reason or a purpose behind any action, and if a man is asked about the drive that stimulates him and the reason that helps him to achieve his goals, he would whisper "the woman." I wish I could make women as courageous as men to enable them to express in Al-Ra'ed Magazine what they think and feel. However, I am aware that I will not succeed in doing so as I know that women are cowards and are afraid of being questioned, due to the fact that women prefer to remain silent since they are brought up to be chained."

"We should be role models for the upcoming generations by following the footsteps of refined nations that treat men and women equally, giving women the right to be educated, to work, to be cultured, as well as to express themselves freely."

"Isn't the man the girl's father and doesn't he bring her up as he likes. Likewise, isn't the woman the boy's mother and doesn't she raise him up as she prefers? Hence, if we wish for our nation to be strong and to have solid grounds, we should arm both men and women with knowledge, even if they are different in their tendencies and interests. So, if there were eighty educated men in every one hundred Jordanian man, it would not be useless or excessive to have eighty educated women in every one hundred Jordanian woman. It is better to have mothers who convince their children to "sleep as to have some rest" than to "sleep or else they will be attacked by a ghoul." This example could be silly, but it, in fact, is a realistic one that many of those who were negatively affected by their uneducated mothers have referred to. And there are many other examples that show the difference between an ignorant woman who raises her children to be cowards and an educated one who makes wise men of them."

"For that reason, if you aim to prepare the youth to be good citizens that can defend the land and the nation, you should start by preparing girls and paving the way for them to be educated in schools." I also want, if the readers allow me, to stress the effect women's knowledge has on men's actions, as I can anticipate that some readers would refuse what I have just mentioned, saying that many great and famous men were raised up by ignorant mothers."

"To this I say that if these great and famous men were raised up by educated women, they would have become greater and more famous than they are now. And if we probe into the hidden sides of these men, we would find some weakness that resulted from the improper upbringing they received from their ignorant mothers."

"I here pose the following question: who is happier; a man who comes home to share his worries with an educated wife who would listen to him and help solve his problems or a man who comes back home to be received by a wife whose only role is to reproduce and cook? I am afraid that what I said might frustrate some of my sisters who did not get educated and had to spend their time juggling household chores. But I have to admit that some of these women are smarter, wiser, and more flexible than some educated women. This article is not aimed to humiliate or underestimate uneducated mothers, as I was raised up by one of them. On the contrary, it is aimed to make the mother, father, and the brother to empathize with the young girl who deserves to be well-raised in order to contribute to the national development we all wish for."

"I now address fathers who are able to educate their daughters but refuse that, thinking that knowledge and education poison women's minds and believing that their wealth arms them, a belief that endangers the nation and its future. Fathers should remember that knowledge is enlightenment for all, be they men or women, and rich or poor, and that knowledge is not limited to one social level in civilized nations."

"Who of you would prefer ignorance to knowledge?

Who of you would prefer wrongfulness to rightness?

Who of you would like one of his eyes to see while the other is left blind?

Who of you would like to use one of his hands while the other is paralyzed?

Who of you would accept his daughter's mind to rust while his son's shine?

Who of you would like his daughter to be neglected while his son is being taken care of?

Who of you would bear his son to be given the right to live while his daughter is a victim of infanticide?"

"I do not suppose that any father would prefer the worst of what I have just mentioned to the better, for fatherly kindness is just but is more directed to those of the children who are weak. And since your daughters are considered weaker by nature than your sons, you should arm them with education and knowledge to strengthen themselves, to take their own rights, and to find their place among men."

"Teach us fathers

Encourage us brothers

And inspire us colleagues, as to make wise men of you."

J