The role of Muslim women in the unfolding events
of the Middle East, should inspire all Muslim women around the world to fulfill
their Islamic duty to excel in every field and to contribute to the progress
and advancement of the Ummah and humanity. Women protesters have emerged as a
force in the Arab Spring.
Muslim women should increase their contributions
in science, business and political activism. There are prime examples of Muslim
women who are doing outstanding work, like these Muslim women who are fighting
extremism and this Muslim doctor who opened a free clinic for the poor of South
Carolina.
As a Muslim woman, I feel that the image of a
Muslim woman in the west depicts a prototype of Islam that perpetuates an image
of a veiled victim, who is resigned, apathetic, passive and in need of rescue
from Muslim men.
However, this issue of mistreated Muslim women is
multi-faceted and pertains to firstly, how the West has portrayed a Muslim
woman in relation to Islam and secondly how the patriarchal cultures of some
parts of the Muslim world have projected the image of a Muslim woman. It seems
ironic that the West seems to apply a rational and a logical reasoning when
someone commits a wrong and blames the individual and not the faith of the
wrong doer, but in dealing with Islam, it’s the faith that takes the brunt of
individual actions of Muslims.
Islamophobes seem to promulgate selective
information, that equips them with a justification to cast Islam as a
fundamentalist religion, especially in its treatment of women. It seems to be a
deliberate omission on the part of Islamophobes and the West in general, to
disregard the historical fact that the advent of Islam enabled women to achieve
unparalleled status, individuality and respect in an Arab society, at the time
when Christian and Jewish women were considered the property of their husbands.
This hostility against Islam may be as ancient as
Islam itself, but it peaked during the time when Islamic civilization was
spreading its wings across Europe and was seen as a threat to Christianity.
However, the so-called plight of Muslim women was only taken up when the
Europeans started to establish themselves as colonizers in Islamic states in
the 19th century and began not only their political subjugation, but also
promoting the Victorian ideals of feminism to ascertain their perceived
cultural superiority, coupled with their bigotry towards Islam since the
crusades.
Non-conformity to the western ideals of womanhood,
was ensued by propaganda to project an image of helpless Muslim women to defame
Islam. The West has always adopted a paternalistic attitude to justify the
imposition of their own moral paradigm considered to be universal and
applicable to all, without any due regard for cultural or religious diversity.
.jpg)
Moreover, the frame of reference used by the West
to refer to the rights of Muslim women only focuses upon the veil, equating it
with ignorance and subservience. She is judged by what she wears, not what she
has to say or what she is capable of achieving. It seems ironic that the West
seems to assume the role of a spokesperson for a Muslim woman, yet becomes deaf
to what she has to say.
The West gives no credence to the rights that were
given to the Muslim women more than 1400 years ago, e.g. the right to seek
divorce, right to earn an income, pursue education, right of inheritance, right
to have a political voice etc, which the western woman struggled with, until
hundreds of years later. Islamic history testifies that women were equal
partners in shaping the history and spread of Islam. The role of Khadija RA, as
a business woman and a confidant to the Prophet PBUH, or A'isha RA with her
political astuteness and scholarly narrations, are few of the many examples
that contradict the notion of a Muslim woman being a voiceless and a faceless
entity.
Now, what the Muslim world has done to contribute
to such an image has much more serious implications, since they deal with the
derogatory treatment of women in some Muslim societies, ranging from wide
spread illiteracy, oppression, dependency and killings in the name of honour or
religion.
These are the images that the West uses against
Islam to project an image of Islam that cannot adapt to the modern world. The
treatment of Muslim women in traditional, patriarchal societies seems to be a
reflection of how Islam is perceived and misunderstood by the West and why they
fail to isolate what is cultural from what are religious sanctions.
Part of the problem is that most of the societies
formed in some Muslim countries feel that they have the religious endorsement
to follow the scriptural sources, interpreted by men, to formulate their
societal norms and social practices, never questioning the incompatibility of
their practices to the egalitarian core of Islam.
This pattern of circulating misconstrued
fundamental scriptural interpretation never breaks, because there is no
accountability of the proponents of such interpretations. If we are to believe
that Allah is just and Islam believes in the fundamental equality of humans,
then these pseudo-Islamic traditions regarding how Muslim women are treated by
their patriarchal societies need to be addressed. We need to challenge the
patriarchal and cultural interpretations of Islam that infringe upon the basic
human rights of women and legitimize their oppression.
In order to eradicate and eliminate these
injustices towards women, we need to seek knowledge in religion and fiqh and
engage in a scholarly discourse to understand and assess the Qur'anic verses
that are taken out of context and misinterpreted, with utter disregard for the
fundamental values of the Islam. The Quran is replete with verses that are
addressed to both men and women, not only in terms of their religious
responsibilities, but also to address the temporal aspects of this life. Islam
undoubtedly emphasizes modesty for both men and women, but not to restrict one
from fulfilling his/her responsibilities or from achieving to one’s full
potential. As is clear from the following verse, the Quran does not
discriminate between the two genders or designate the role of the khalifa
(trustee) to a man to the exclusion of a woman.
“Both
men and women are appointed by Allah as His khalifa (trustees) on earth.”
In this debate of mistreated Muslim woman,
however, the role of many conservative Islamic scholars cannot be discounted,
who dismissed any attempt to highlight the rights of Muslim women and saw it as
a conspiracy to implant western ideas to corrupt women and argued for a more
gender-specific representation of the rights and responsibilities of women.
However, the Qur'an provides clear proof that a woman is an equal partner with
man in terms of her rights, roles, responsibilities and rewards. The following verses
illustrate that a reward has been promised, regardless of the gender, based on
their individual attributes and actions.
"And
their Lord hath accepted of them, and answered them: "Never will I suffer
to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female: Ye are members, one of
another… A reward from the presence of Allah, and from His presence is the best
of rewards." (Translation by Yusuf Ali: Surat Al-Imran 3: 195).
“Whoever
works righteousness, man or woman, and has faith, verily to him will We give a
new life that is good and pure, and We will bestow on such their reward
according to the their actions.”
(http://www.multimediaquran.com/quran/016/016-097.htm)
“If any
do deeds of righteousness- be they male or female - and have faith, they will enter
Heaven, and not the least injustice will be done to them.” (Translation by
Yusuf Ali : Sūrat l-nisāa 4:124).
As Muslim women, we need to redefine our identity
according to the roles and responsibilities assigned to us by Allah, not
assigned by our societies, to actualize our abilities to be productive members
of our societies. Contrary to the general belief, the identity of the Muslim
woman may be in perfect harmony with her religious identity, since Islam
provides a model of egalitarian society, under which a woman can flourish in
her various roles and responsibilities. What sets a modern woman apart from her
traditional counterpart is not a veil, but her education, the role she plays in
society, her social, emotional and intellectual growth and in return, her
contributions to her ummah. We have been entrusted with this responsibility
from Allah and being Allah’s trustees, we will all be, regardless of our
gender, accountable for how we contribute towards the betterment of our
societies and spend our time, wealth, knowledge to empower our Ummah.
As Muslim women, we have to realize that we have a
crucial role to play in the development of societies through participating in
educational, social, economic and political arenas to become agents of change
in our societies. Traditions tell us that during the time of the Prophet PBUH,
women would consult with him on matters concerning religion, economics and
social issues. In the Qur'an, Allah clearly states the roles and
responsibilities of both men and women without any particular distinction.
“And
the believers, men and women, are protecting friends one of another; they
enjoin the right and forbid the wrong…As for these, Allah will have mercy on
them. Lo! Allah is Mighty, Wise.” (Surah At-Tawba (9:71) Translation by
Pickthal).
It is very clear from the verse that both men and
women have been referred to as friends/helpers/allies and hence expected to be
equally contributing members of society. However, despite the equality, Islam
fully acknowledges and appreciates the physical differences and psychological
make-up of men and women, not to undermine their roles or devalue their work,
but to not impose upon either, what is beyond their capacities. Women in Islam
have been granted control over their finances and the right to earn money, to
own property and the freedom to control all of her assets and conduct her
business.
In Surat I- Nisaa (4:32), the Qur'an states:
"And covet not the thing in which Allah hath
made some of you excel others. Unto men a fortune from that which they have
earned, and unto women a fortune from that which they have earned. (Envy not
one another) but ask Allah of His bounty. Lo! Allah is ever Knower of all
things." (Quran 4:32)
Islam gave women a right to express her political
allegiance and opinions and take part in politics, yet our representation in
politics is next to nothing. Therefore, we have no influence over the issues
that may have a direct impact on us or disadvantage us. The Quran states:
“O
Prophet! If believing women come unto thee, taking oath of allegiance unto thee
…then accept their allegiance and ask Allah to forgive them. Lo! Allah is
Forgiving, Merciful.” (sūrat l-mum'taḥanah: 60:12)
The above verse shows the right of women to choose
their leaders, without any discrimination in terms of limiting women to be
active in the political arena. It is our religious responsibility as women to
contribute to the communities that we live in and avail educational and
employment opportunities, to become a strong voice and play a greater role in
civic life to enable us to have a say in issues that affect our lives as Muslim
women. Our representation should be at all levels to serve as positive role
models for our youth.
Romana Khan
No comments:
Post a Comment