When will it be time to start looking at women as equals?

For some women, their wedding day is considered the best day of their lives; it’s the moment they’ve been dreaming about since they were four years old. But many women fear this day. It’s a test for them, whether they’re gonna pass and live or fail and die. Till now, thousands of women are killed every year because they fail to prove their virginity to their husband. Put aside the fact that a drop of blood is not always proof of that — what religion says that death is the punishment?!

Even if she isn’t a virgin, the retribution is not death! But somehow, an ignorant murderer thinks that a drop of blood is enough to end a life! This extremist act is just an example of how abysmally women are treated around the world. Somewhere along the way, men got the idea that violence is a sign of dominance, and that physical strength is the true determinant of who is better. I believe that God intended to create us differently — to complete each other and not to control each other.

When will it be time to start looking at women as equals? How many more women have to die for us to understand that violence and dominance are not the answers? When will we understand that the male’s strength is supposed to be her shield, not her fear?

-Majd, 23, Lebanon

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