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A French court denied a man’s request to annul his marriage because his wife wasn’t a virgin?

What? Yeah. Virginity issue! Oh man, are you thinking backwards?

Unintentionally, I blurted out in laughter. Well, that was my first or initial reaction. I thought it was a joke, sort of–like I was reading it on the joke section. But, no! It was on the front section. So, heck? For goodness sake—2008 is nearly over and 2009 is approaching, what the heck people are thinking? Backwards? The case raised a furor over religion and women rights.

A man’s request to annul his marriage, in which his lawyer described him as a victim of a deception, who was led to believe his wife was “chaste”, wanted an annulment instead rather than divorce. The reason: to “erase” his marriage. The husband discovered on their wedding night that his bride was not a virgin. Take note, the lower court had agreed to the annulment, which for me- it’s entirely ridiculous. However the appeals court ruled that neither the wife’s virginity nor her past love life represented an essential part of her character. Even if she was untruthful with her husband, the court added, the lie did not justify an annulment.

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I’m not an activist or a female version of MCP (Male Chauvinistic Pig) I’m speaking of: Rights- Women’s rights. Clear?

The fact that religion is the number one reason that a woman’s virginity is a precondition for marriage, it means that it is religions that violate the rights of the women. Can you imagine that the husband publicly rejected the woman and denounced his bride to their families while the wedding party was still going on? What a shame? It’s like saying in front of the family–”Shame on your daughter”. Is it right? What about her feelings? What about her rights? The right to have a private life and her past life. Women has a right of her body, she controls it. She has her own mind, own life and choices. Her body is hers. She owns it. She masters it. She will flourish it. She has a right if she will give her body to someone she loved, cherished and treasured. Are we going back again to the same issue, which should be erased and blotted out a long time ago? Freedom from anything: free from slavery, freedom to choose her husband, financial freedom or anything pertaining to life and choices of women are entirely women’s rights. (Well, yeah–rights to have abortion is a woman’s choices as well–but to admit–I’m really not so cool about it coz’–you know, its life that we’re talking about, the life of the baby inside the tummy. She or he has also the rights to live) but it is one of the list, officially listed right that the women should be aware of.

We are not thinking backwards, aren’t we? Mostly, women are afraid to speak up for their rights or still ignorant that they have the rights to speak for themselves (can’t blame them for it). It was their upbringing, society, culture and the way their parents treat, educate and shape them that women are inferior human beings. And that, should act as subordinate

member of the family or any institution, agency and especially in religious forms. But, that was before, before the era when men were too prideful to admit that women were more practical than men, when men were too hard to push that women can do what men can, and the era where women were remained in the house and waited for their husbands. When was that? It was during 18th and 19th centuries. The 21st century is different, it is for change. Change for progress. Women are not robots nor should a remote control, that whenever men want them to do this or do that- it be done in favour for them. I am not against men (in fact– i admire all the men in the world); I just want to justify about the rights of women. We should be respected and heard; that we are not for pleasure purposes or men’s harem or whatever.

To add up:

Women’s suffrage:

* Brunei and United Arab Emirates, women are not allowed to vote due to lack of an electoral system. Bhutan and Lebanon only get partial suffrage. Women are not allowed to vote by convention, rather than law. Traditional values are one main reason why women in Bhutan are permitted only one vote per household. Again, it’s the male who do the voting. In Lebanon, women cannot vote unless she has a proof of education, elementary education at least but men have no education requirements. In Saudi Arabia and Vatican City, women are not allowed to vote by law. Women in Saudi Arabia are severely restricted. No women are allowed to stand in the house.

It’s unfair, really- really unfair.