The Africa Review in Five highlights African current affairs from a Christian perspective. Listen and subscribe through Youtube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.
Today is Friday, August 4th, A.D. 2023. This is The Africa Review in Five, written by Paul Schlehlein and presented by Yamikani Katunga.
African Women in Combat
Last month at the International Association of Women Police, Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa urged the women of his country to take a greater role in fighting his nation’s problems with crime. Under the guise of “women’s empowerment”, the conference gathered thousands of senior women police officers from around Africa, from countries like Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Malawi.
Not surprisingly, as the number of women in the police force has soared in Africa, so have crime rates. According to the 2023 Crime Index, no African country is represented in the top 20 safest countries. But in the 20 countries worldwide with the highest crime index, seven African countries are represented: South Africa (5th), Somalia (12th), Nigeria (14th), Angola (15th), Namibia (16th), Cameroon (17th), and Mozambique (19th). Crime is certainly a problem in Africa.
This raises an important question. Should women serve as active police officers? Should women fight in the military? Should nations draft their women into combat? The answer must certainly be no. Biblically, there are many reasons for this. Here are just two.
First, women should not fight in combat because God has designed men to protect women. According to the Genesis creation account, Adam was created first, then Eve. The reason—according to Genesis 2:18—is that the woman was made to be the man’s helper, not his protector. According to Ephesians 5:25, one of the ways a husband is to love his wife is by being willing to give his life for her, just as Jesus gave up his life for his bride.
We have no examples in Scripture of women professionally tasked with fighting as a soldier. Instead, Scripture is filled with illustrations of men fighting for and protecting women, like when Jacob protected his wife and children by placing them in the back of the army before a looming battle (Gn. 33:2).
When Israel took a census for war, only men were allowed to fight (Num. 1:2-3; Deut. 24:5). Moses urged the fighting men of Israel to cross the Jordan into battle, but leave their wives and children back for protection (Dt. 3:18-19; Josh 1:14). Nehemiah pleads with the male soldiers, saying: “Fight for…your daughters, your wives, your homes” (Neh. 4:14).
Conversely, Israel was in such a wicked state in the book of Judges that it highlights a cowardly general who was afraid to go to battle without a woman (Judges 4). Throughout history, even pagans have recognized that only men are made for war. When the wicked Philistines prepared for battle against Israel, they said: “Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight” (1Sm. 4:9).
Deuteronomy 22:5 says that a woman is an abomination that wears men’s clothing, the word for “clothing” most likely referring to battle armor. This means God is displeased, nay—angry, when a country has its women wear army fatigues, police holsters, and military uniforms for war.
Second, women should not fight in combat because they are physically and emotionally weaker than men. 1 Peter 3:7 urges men to know well the different nature of women, “showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel.” This doesn’t mean men are more valuable than women, it just means they’re different.
This is why there are men’s golf tees and women’s golf tees, men’s divisions in the Olympics and women’s divisions, men’s pushups and women’s pushups. This is also why there should never be a military draft for women. Women are more fragile and gentle. Women have periods and women get pregnant. Simply put, women are not made to fight.
Scripture even ridicules the cowardice of soldiers by comparing their fighting skills to women. Jeremiah 51:30 says: “The warriors of Babylon have ceased fighting; they remain in their strongholds; their strength has failed; they have become women…” (c.f. Jer. 50:37). The prophet Nahum does the same thing, saying: “Your troops will be as weak and helpless as women” (3:13; NLT).
Tanzania’s Inspector General of Police Camilius Wambura is incorrect when saying women police have played a major role in fighting crime. Wambura should have said women have played a major role in fighting crime. They do this by caring for their children, loving them, and teaching them in the ways of the Lord as the Scripture commands.
And that’s it for The Africa Review in Five on this Friday, August 4th in the year of our Lord 2023. Subscribe to the Missionary Minds podcast on Spotify or Apple podcasts. I’m Yamikani Katunga. Be not weary in well-doing.