Brother William Muhammad of Mosque #3
Special to the Milwaukee Times
We’ve all read about it, seen it on the news: the tragic, heartbreaking end to domestic abuse or any other type of violence against women.
No one demographic, race, educational level, financial status or otherwise is exempt from this type of violence.
After these events occur, some may think to themselves ‘what could I have done?’ Or perhaps, some feel like they have done all they can, or don’t need to be bothered with it, because it’s “not their problem, or happening in their neighborhood.”
On April 13, 2013, Brother William Muhammad of Mosque #3, made an impassioned speech at the Parklawn YMCA about black men protecting their women instead of the opposite or being a bystander.
“If a man has to beat the woman, he doesn’t need a woman. That means we need to learn how to control our women, – not with fists – but with wisdom. But why do you have to control our women? Because how can you protect what you don’t control? If you have children outside, you say, ‘I want you right in the front yard, stay where I can see you,’ why do you tell them that? Because you’re concerned about their protection, if you turn your back – they’re gone, ” Brother Muhammad explained.
“Control is not ‘you do what I say, woman!’ That’s abuse,” he added.
Brother Muhammad also discussed how collectively as men, when things happen to women, it affects all men; he later called for solutions and brainstormed ideas to inject some reality into the consciousness of the community and how women are valued.
His speech also is aligned with the upcoming “Denim Day” on April 24, 2013.
Since 1999, Denim Day was established to raise awareness around the misconceptions of sexual assault in this country and around the world.
In the 1990’s a young Italian girl was raped by her driving instructor. He was arrested, charged and convicted in the case. He appealed the conviction and the case was taken to the Italian Supreme Court and his conviction was overturned with the Chief Judge arguing, ‘because the victim wore very, very, tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it was no longer rape but consensual sex.’
Brother Muhammad said: “When you see a woman as a thing, you see her as a possession, not as a woman, that’s where abuse comes in, you look at what she’s wearing.”
Brother Muhammad also spoke on the intrinsic value of women having the womb because “if men can’t make it to the Kingdom of God or the hereafter,” he said, “then we can make it through our seed.”
He also discussed how rulers of the world are no longer living but their children are and their great, great, great grandchildren are living and operating on the wisdom of those men who came before them.
“The world doesn’t stop when we die; if you spend your life in accordance with things not of this world, but of the next world – when you die, you live through your children – that’s the importance of the woman!”
He passionately discussed how Mary, Jesus’ mother had a desire in her womb to give birth to a God. He talked about how Minister Louis Farrakhan wrote about how to give birth to a God.
Brother Muhammad also inched closer to other arguments of abuse of women by fathers not taking responsibility for them or their children.
He said; “Sex is not for recreation, God gave it us it, it’s a commitment between a man and a woman, an expression and confirmation of love, respect and responsibility, from that it is producing an extension of love, anything else is perverse and corrupt and the consequence of what we see out there.”
Brother Muhammad told the audience of men on importance and the value of women in our lives and society and in our right. “Men need to understand the value of women and be willing to give his life for her protection! Otherwise, we just sit here and play around, don’t talk about the injustice of the white man. If you will not protect your woman, the white man will never respect you until you respect your woman.”
Brother Muhammad created a call to action for the listeners to “think about the young girls and young boys in your life; we have to raise the level of consciousness that women are important and valuable.”
