Free Muslim Women

If the media and its ensuing stereotypes are to be believed then Islam
does not have very much to offer women, except for a life of misery,
oppression and slavery. However, if one bothers to look closely at
Islam then it has an abundanceto offer men and women alike.
There is little doubt that many Muslim women are subject to abuse and
subjugation - without making sweeping generalizations, many women in
some so called Muslim lands are denied the rights given to them by
Islam - rights to which they are entitled as human beings and as
women. However we must separate Muslims from Islam; we must separate
theory from practice. In Islam this separation is possible - Islamic
legislation has given women unprecedented status, even if Muslims did
not always live up to these amazing standards.
Let us take a quick look at some of the rights of women in Islam,
comparing them with some of the legislation relating to women in
Britain:
Education
Considered by many these days as a basic human right, in Islam both
men and women are duty bound to seek education for the Prophet
Muhammad said:"The search for knowledge is a duty on every Muslim."
(Bukhari) So, while there were no places at British Universities until
the late 1870s (Ox. Ill. His. Brit. p493), there have been records of
Islamic Universities with women students throughout the history of
Islam: Nafisah was an early 8th century hadith scholar and the great
jurist Shafi participated in her circle at Al-Fustat. Shaika Shuhuda
another 8th century scholar was a lecturer at Baghdad University - the
Oxford and Cambridge of its time. Nazhun was a 12th century scholar
and of course we cannot forget Ayesha, the wife of the Prophet who in
the 7th century was one of the greatest relaters of hadith.
So, whilst Muslim women were attending universities and were lecturers
and scholars in the 8th century, 80% of London Women and 100% of East
Anglican women were illiterate in 1640 - figures taken fromA. Fraser
page 129 and D. Cressy page 178.
Political Participation
Women in the UK managed to gain the right to vote in 1918, but that
was only for women over thirty. They did not manage to gain full
voting rights equal with men until 1928. These gains were not achieved
easily though - to gain the vote the Suffragettes marched, rallied,
chainedthemselves to railings, went on hunger strike and eventually
one of them jumped in front of the Royal Horse on Derby Day. Muslims
women however each had the right to give or not to give their
allegiance from the beginning - andthis right was given themwithout
them having to march, rally, not eat or jump in front of a horse.
Property
Up until 1801 British women did not have the right to own anything -
not even themselves. For up until this time a husband had the right to
sell his wife. In Sweden in 1984 a man was entitled to half his wife's
earnings. Islam though has allowed women to own their own property
from the outset. Everything a woman earns belongs to her. Sheis not a
chattel to be bought and sold, but rather an individual human being,
responsible to no one forher income except for God. A married woman
may remind her husband:"What's his is theirs, what's hers is her own!"
It would be easy to go onwith a list of the rights ofwomen in Islam -
but how does Islam really benefit women?
Islam has given women the right to be themselves! They are equal
before God - on theDay of Judgment they will be answerable as
individuals and cannot say "my husband told me to do it", "my, father,
brother, uncle - led me astray". Nor will they be treated unfairly
because they are women - women have souls in Islam - and there has
never been any debate about that in Islamic history unlike in
Christianity!
Islam offers to women, asit does to men, a belief inGod, and this
upholds everything. Belief in the Creator gives life a wholeness, and
a balance, for it means thatwe do not look at everything in the short
term - the intrinsic wholeis this world and the Hereafter. This belief
in God, this taqwa - God consciousness - thus shapes everything in
Islam.
Men and women in Islam are protecting friends of one another; they are
garments of each other hiding each other's faults. The Qur'an says:
"Verily, for all men and women who have surrendered themselves unto
God, and all believing men and believing women, and allmen and women
who are true to their word, and all men and women who are patient in
adversity, and all men and women who humble themselves before God, and
all men and women who give in charity, and all self-denying men and
self-denying women, andall men and women who are mindful of their
chastity, and all men and women who remember God unceasingly: for all
of them has God readied forgiveness of sins and a mighty reward"
(Surah 33: verse 35).
This verse offers women so much; it offers them paradise on the basis
of their own actions. It demands of them good character, tells both
men AND women to be active; and instills in them the sense of
individual responsibility.
So, Islam offers to women, as it offers to men - paradise as a reward,
it offers a complete picture which considers both this worldand the
hereafter - built solidly upon the foundation of a believe in The
Creator. A relationship with one's Creator brings untold peace - for
men and for women.
Islam allows women to know themselves as they are. Thus in Islam
womenare equal to men, but they are not the same. Men and women are
equal before God - they are the protecting friends of one another,
they are garments of oneanother, hiding one another's faults; but they
are not the same. In Islam- imitation is not liberation.
Women are not men - an obvious statement, but one which is often
overlooked. Islam offers a balance - which can be seen if one looks to
nature - black and white, up and down, day and night etc. etc. Two
halves to form a whole. Balance is absolutely vital. But, after the
industrial revolution women and men are becoming more and more alike.
Men havebecome cogs in the system. Women have alsobeen pulled into the
consumerism of an industrialized society andhave been forced into the
work place, but still receive no help at home -a recent study showed
that 9 out of 10 men were not 'New Men' and did not help out at home
(The Times, Nov. 1995).
Western society has ignored the balance and told women that for them
to have status they must achieve what men achieve. Western society has
created a new image for women based on the male - and this is very
objectionable. Rather than highlighting her individual strengths, she
is told to compete according to male criteria in order to have value.
But she is not given any help to cope with her additional
responsibilities. "Work, have a career to achieve status - but we will
not provide crhche facilities, or time off during school holidays." We
are now facing a situation where, as the President of Bosnia, Alija
Ali Izebegovic, said:
"Modern civilization has disgraced motherhood... It has preferred the
calling of a salesgirl, model, teacher of other people's children,
secretary, cleaning woman and so on to that of mother. It has
proclaimed motherhood to be slavery and promised to free women from
it." (Islam Between East and West p.144-145)
So, we have put down the feminine and are saying: 'masculine criteria
is the best, indeed only thing to judge by, feminine criteria is
second class - useless'.
But in Islam both are equal, but they are different. So in Islam we do
not have the situationwhere: -the logical is perceived as better than
the lateral; the firm is perceived as better than the tender; the
analytical is perceived as better than the intuitive. In Islam women
do not say:"I'm only a housewife" - Where did this ONLY come from? -
It came from taking the masculine criteria as best.Why is being in the
rat-race superior to being a mother? Because we see the masculine as
superior to the feminine. Where is the spirit of the Malcolm X (Malik
El Shabazz) quote:
"If you educate a man you educate one person; if you educate a woman
you educate and liberate a nation".
Women in Islam of coursehave a role beyond that of motherhood - one
does not spend 25 years preparing for and another 25 years recovering
from motherhood - but the point is do not demean motherhood; and do
not demean and belittle the feminine. Islam offers to women pride in
the feminine. The equal but different roles of men and women in Islam
haveto be understood, and in understanding - individuals can be
themselves, and thus finda balance and true happiness.
And this peace and security allows and gives room for the development
of a woman's potential based on her own strengths.