Tight Pants Merits a Beating?
I remember talking with one of the Sisters of Charity a few years ago in a tiny town in the northern region of South Sudan. As we watched children playing nearby, she said most people in the region were completely naked when the Sisters came not too many years before.
Today, the BBC has a disturbing report about women in Juba, South Sudan being beaten because their skirts were too short or their pants deemed too tight. The local police say they were just carrying out justice under a new "behavior law" against bad behavior. (Click here to read the whole story.)
In my personal opinion, this is so wrong on so many levels I don't even know where to start. But at least let me try.
First of all, it seems the new "behavior law" was written too loosely. There are no specifics to define what good behavior is and what is bad. That is highly subjective...one woman's modesty is another's scandalous dress and one man's right to graze his cattle is another man's irritating and illegal squatter.
If the South Sudanese want to have some kind of law against doing "bad things" than the law needs to be more specific or it will be abused. Often.
It seems cowardly for policemen to pick on people weaker than themselves for what they THINK is an infraction of a new law. And what gives the policemen the right to be judge and jury? The BBC report says in the town of Yei, women were allegedly "forced to strip in public by police officers and pay an unofficial fine for wearing tight trousers."
Secondly, for this mainly Christian region to use religion as a reason to beat helpless women is absurd beyond belief and absolutely against Biblical precedent.
Christian women around the world often struggle with the issue of modesty. How much skin is appropriate? Should I wear that shirt with that neckline? It is sometimes a tough call. But according to Scripture, your clothes don't keep you from going to heaven. God doesn't keep anyone at arm's length because of what they wear. Romans says NOTHING separates us from the love of God.
Where clothing comes in to play is if it causes other people to "stumble" by looking at you. IF these women were actually Christians...IF they were wearing immodest clothing...and IF they were "out of line" then beating them is the last thing that should be done.
Biblically, another woman should lovingly tell them to "cover up" a bit. If she does, than fine. If not, well, that's between her and God. To make it a public issue and beat women senseless is ridiculous and criminal.
Thirdly, this law is disturbingly reminiscent of some Islamic countries that observe the strict form of Muslim law called "Sharia." One need only be reminded of the chilling videos of women being beaten on the streets or in soccer stadiums in Afghanistan. One of the biggest reasons the Sudan People's Liberation Army fought was to keep Sharia out of the South. They fought so they may be free to worship and live in accordance to their conscience and faith.
It would be a travesty of the highest degree for such a beautiful, God-fearing people to lose sight of what is truly important in life. They have survived one of the most brutal, longest running wars in the world. They are living semi-autonomously for the first time in decades. It would be horrible for them to use the blessing of this freedom to destroy the lives of their people simply for something they wear.
I'd love to know what you think about this development in South Sudan. What do you think of women's modesty issues? How about this new "behavior law?" Do you think other African countries will pass similar laws?
Drop me an e-mail and let me know what you think. Please include your first name and country so I can share your thoughts with others on the blog.