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The Saga: Chapter 11 - The Debate with the Elders

The news of the market incident spread through the family compound like a brushfire. Asha, instead of being penitent, was furious. Deeqa, caught between her sister’s righteous anger and the scandalized whispers of her in-laws, was in a state of quiet panic.

The breaking point came two days later. Amina, their mother, arrived at Ahmed’s house with two of her most respected and formidable friends, female elders whose authority in the community was second only to the male religious leaders. They were not there for a social call. They were an intervention.

They sat on cushions in the main room, a tribunal of three, their faces set in grim, disappointed lines. They sent Deeqa to the kitchen to prepare tea, a clear dismissal that this was not her conversation to be a part of.

“Asha,” Amina began, her voice heavy with a mother’s sorrow. “You have brought shame on this house. We hear you were shouting like a madwoman in the market. That you spoke back to a man. Is this what they have taught you in that land of ice? To have no modesty? No honor?”

Asha, who had been bracing for this, met her mother’s eyes. She would not be deferential. Not about this. “Mama, that man disrespected me. He disrespected our family by treating me like an animal. Should I have thanked him for it?”

One of the elders, a woman named Khadija with sharp, intelligent eyes, leaned forward. “A wise woman ignores the barking of dogs, my child. She does not bark back. Your honor is in your silence, in your dignity.”

“My dignity is not a fragile thing that can be shattered by a man’s foul words,” Asha countered, her voice steady. “My dignity is in my own self-respect. And my self-respect demanded that I not allow him to debase me.”

The second elder, a gentler woman, sighed. “You do not understand our ways anymore. All of this comes from your appearance. Your uncovered hair, your trousers. It is a signal to men that you are… available. That you are not a respectable woman.”

“So a man’s self-control is my responsibility?” Asha challenged, her voice rising with passion. “If he sins, it is because my hair provoked him? Is his faith so weak? Is his character so pathetic that the sight of a woman’s ankle can turn him into an animal? What a low opinion you have of our men.”

This was a direct hit, a reframing of the argument that left the elders momentarily speechless. In the kitchen, Deeqa, who was standing frozen by the doorway, her hands clutching a tray of glasses, gasped softly. She had never heard anyone defend a woman’s right so fiercely, turning the logic of shame back on the men.

Amina, recovering first, tried a different, more emotional tactic. “This is not about men, Asha! It is about you. About your soul. About your purity. A girl must be protected, from others and from herself. That is why we are given rules. That is why a girl must be cut, to be clean, to be pure.”

The word hung in the air. Cut. The unspoken reason for Asha’s rebellion, the source of Deeqa’s silence.

Asha looked at her mother, and all the fire went out of her, replaced by a profound, aching sadness.

“Is God not a perfect creator, Mama?” she asked, her voice now a near-whisper. “Did He make a mistake when He created a woman’s body that you, and the Gudda, and the elders must correct with a blade?”

The elders shifted uncomfortably. This was verging on blasphemy.

“You speak of purity,” Asha continued, her gaze now fixed on the doorway where she knew Deeqa was listening. “Tell me. Do you think I am a sinner because I am whole? Do you believe Deeqa’s pain and her scars make her more holy than me in the eyes of God? You are not protecting girls from sin. You are protecting a system that is terrified of a woman’s power.”

Amina flinched as if struck. The elders began to mutter, their authority shaken by this line of questioning they had no prepared answers for. In the kitchen, Deeqa leaned her head against the cool wall, tears streaming silently down her face. A truth she had felt deep in her bones but had never had the words for had just been spoken aloud in her own home. The cage had been named.

The Discourse: Chapter 11 - Deconstructing the Justifications

Section 11.1: The Pillars of Patriarchal Logic

This confrontation is a systematic dismantling of the core arguments used to justify the oppression of women, not just in Somalia, but in patriarchal societies globally. Asha does not just reject the arguments; she exposes their internal contradictions and moral bankruptcy.

Let's dissect the three pillars of the elders' logic and how Asha demolishes them:

Pillar 1: The "Honor in Silence" Argument.

• The Elders' Claim: A woman’s dignity is maintained by passively absorbing disrespect. To speak back is to lower oneself, to become "shameless."

• Asha's Rebuttal: This is a redefinition of dignity. She reframes it not as a fragile, external social status, but as an internal sense of self-respect. She argues that true dignity is not in silent endurance of abuse, but in the active defense of one’s own humanity. This shifts the locus of honor from the community's perception to the individual's conscience.

Pillar 2: The "Female Provocation" Argument.

• The Elders' Claim: A woman's appearance (her clothing, her hair) is the primary cause of male harassment. She is responsible for managing male desire.

• Asha's Rebuttal: This is a masterful jujitsu move. She turns the argument back on itself, exposing its deep-seated contempt for men. She asks: "Is a man's character so pathetic?" She reveals that this logic, which purports to uphold male honor, is actually based on the premise that men are little more than beasts, incapable of self-control and moral reasoning. She exposes that "protecting" women is actually an excuse for not holding men accountable for their own actions.

Pillar 3: The "Religious Purity" Argument (The FGM Justification).

• The Elders' Claim: The cutting is a religious and cultural necessity to ensure a girl's purity and holiness.

• Asha's Rebuttal: This is her most powerful and dangerous argument. She challenges the very theological foundation of the practice.

  • The Argument from Creation: "Did God make a mistake?" This question is profound. It implies that FGM is not an act of religious piety, but an act of hubris—an attempt by mortals to "correct" God's perfect creation. It frames the practice as fundamentally un-Islamic (or un-Christian, as it is practiced by both).

  • The Redefinition of Holiness: "Does Deeqa's pain make her more holy?" This is a devastating emotional and ethical question. It forces her listeners to confront the lived reality of the practice. Is suffering a sign of holiness? Is a mutilated body more pleasing to God than a whole one? It exposes the deep cruelty at the heart of the "purity" argument.

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In this single conversation, Asha provides a masterclass in feminist debate. She doesn't just say "you're wrong." She demonstrates how they are wrong, using logic, theology, and the undeniable truth of her sister's suffering, which she knows is listening just out of sight. Deeqa’s tears are not just tears of sadness; they are tears of recognition. She is hearing her own silent, internal scream given a voice and an unanswerable logic.