In The Jewish Tradition: Violence against women is an age-old practice, deep-rooted in many of the religious scriptures and traditions. A woman is worth less than a man- worthless - is a theme extolled in Judaism, Hinduism, Islam and many tribal traditions. Thousands of women have been stoned to death, burned alive, gang raped, had acid thrown on their faces, genital mutilated, beaten by husbands and killed by fathers under the guise of 'honor killings'.

In the Genesis story, woman was created not as an equal, but a helper, “… man will rule over her,” it is said. In fact, he did rule over her. Abraham just went into Hagar. There was no consent, contracts or marriage. And, at a later stage when Hager was with a child, she was evicted into the wilderness! One of the earliest examples of the heinous acts of a man.

Woman is always at fault was the tradition. For example in the Biblical times, after a wedding, the morning after the first night, if the elders of the village cannot find a token of virginity on the bed sheet of the couple (which is a drop of blood), or even, the husband has a jealousy that his wife is not a virgin; that can result in stoning of the bride, according to the scriptures.

Women were considered cheap and dispensable. In the Genesis story, one evening, Lot (Brother of Abraham) had two men visitors in his house. The men in the village of Sodom smelled the news and descended to his house and demanded the two men to be let out so that they all could 'know them'. But Lot offered different; “I have two maiden daughters who have not known men,” he said. “I will give them to you. You may do whatever you please with them.”

In Islam, most of the Jewish traditions were continued or adopted with very little changes. A woman is considered the property of a man. She has little or no rights to the inheritance of her father's property. Her testimony in a court of law is only 50% worth that of a man and at marriage, the ownership of 'the property' is transferred from one man to the other- from the father to the husband in this case. In some Muslim tribes, a man's allegation of an apparent infidelity of his wife or even his sister is at times punished by ordering a gang rape on her and the villagers are to witness the event for maximum humiliation of the woman. However, in many of the Muslim countries' particularity in Africa and in the Middle East the new Islamic proselytes continued to practice their tribal traditions of genital mutilation of girls that eventually became an Islamic tradition in those countries.

Now Islam is much more radicalized and the violence against women has heightened in recent times; stoning, burning, genital mutilations and shooting are frequent events. Fundamentalists have already declared war against women: Girls going to school are targeted to shoot to death. Women's education is a death knell to such atrocities, the Taliban knows it: for them, a girl going to a school with a textbook in her hand is a much more frightening sight than a drone circling above their heads with bombs ready to be dropped.

In the ancient Hindu traditions of India, 'woman does not deserve freedom,” Maha Rishi Manu had decreed. She has to be under the supervision of a man from birth to death. What good is a shadow when the object is gone- when the husband is dead - better jump to the funeral pyre of her husband-the Sathi. “Is there a shadow when the object is gone.”

“Freedom of women is plague to the society,” Manu admonished. Manu was extremely critical of women's sexuality; “their sexual desires are intense,” he said. “And by their innate nature, they will indiscriminately breed with young, old and of different classes with no discretions. Excessive sexual urge, easy vulnerability, and phony love are all innate abhorrent qualities of a woman” he contented. “Woman must be under the disciplinary umbrella of a man at all times; in childhood under the watchful eyes of her father; in marriage, under the strict guidance of her husband; and when widowed . . . Is there a shadow when the object is gone?” he asked. For a long while the women of India committed Sathi or forced to commit the heinous act when they lost their husbands. It was Lord William Bentinck, the Governor General of India who made the practice of Sathi illegal in India in December 1829. Still, there are some cases of Sathi even today. It is in such a calloused and tempered land, that recently, a group of men gang raped a female medical student on a running bus and later threw her out of the bus to death. Don't religious edicts, traditions and above all perceptions play a role in such abhorrent events?

However, sexual assault and rape of women and children has always been part of the dark side of some men's sexuality irrespective of the religious traditions. Here in US, the incidence, severity and vulgarity of violence against women is on the rise and even the perception about rape is changing? Professor Steven Lands burg of the University of Rochester had a question about a widely publicized rape case in Steubenville, Ohio, where a 16 yr old girl was drugged dragged and gang raped by a group of football players and the images of the scene were digitally disseminated with ridiculing comments. About this incident the Professor wrote: “As long as the woman is safely unconscious and therefore shielded from the costs of an assault, why shouldn't the rest of the world be allowed to reap the benefits?” This Professor is still teaching and reaping the benefits from the University, albeit with some protests from the students.

Here in the US, we remember the vicious tortures that the Puritans in New England unleashed against the women resulted in many deaths. In 1647 a young lady was executed because she had a fit from some unknown illnesses. In charges of witchcraft 19 women were hanged to death and some others pressed (chocked) to death in 1692-93 periods.

In my readings in many civilizations pretty much except in ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece, and Babylon, violence against women was common.

In ancient, China, infanticide of female children, systematic torture of leg binding, sexual violence and even strangulation to death, and in extreme conditions of famine, female children were killed and eaten.

I ancient Egypt, there were violence against women in the form of rape, and heavy punishments like drowning for charges of infidelity. However, in general women had a respectable position in the society in ancient Egypt.

In ancient Rome women were subordinate, rape and wife beating were common. Wife beating was an accepted norm and legitimate form of disciplining.

In the ancient Athenian society, violence against women were prevalent. In the patriarchal structure limited rights and a rape culture existed and accepted norm.

In ancient Babylonia women were respected and it is said that a damsel can walk safely at night in any of the Babylonian streets.

It is a very interesting observation that until the time of Jesus all the great philosophers like Akhenaten (Egypt, 1353-1336 BCE), Buddha (653-483 BCE), Socrates (470-399 BCE), Confucius (403-? Period), Plato (428-348 BCE), Aristotle (384-322 BCE), Cicero (103-43 BCE) and Vyasa (200 BCE - 200 AD) have come and gone. Not one, not even Buddha made a strong stand on violence against women.

This Jewish man of ours-Jesus was the first one who took an affirmative stand about violence against women. He had the audacity to get into the ring of angry men with stones in their hand and to challenge them, “who amongst you without sin may cast the first stone”. That challenge resonates even today when the Jihadists are running amok shouting “My God is mightier than yours”. At a time in our history when religious fundamentalists are on the march shouting, “my god is mightier than yours,” and blowing up themselves, this question is ever more pertinent now.

Not only that, Jesus, throughout his three years of public life he freely mingled with women of all classes, the sinners, the prostitutes the sick and the meek. He took a drink from the “untouchable” Samaritan woman. He talked about equal wages for the workers. Look at his most famous parable of the good Samaritan. In that story, all the upper-class people didn't even look at the wounded man. Finally, it was an untouchable Samaritan who was willing the help that man.

The teachings of Jesus are unparalleled in human history. Many famous people have emulated his life like Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Junior and Mahatma Gandhi to name the most known amongst them.