الرئيسية
At the time of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w), it was considered a disgrace when a girl was born and the baby was buried alive. Islam abolished that tradition. Islam is also the 1st religion to give women shares in the wealth of their ancestors. Islam is also the 1st religion to have given equal education to man and woman.
It is true that today in Muslim countries women are demanding their rights, this is because some Maulvi misinterpret Islam, and have denied women their rights.
Shutting a woman in the house and not giving proper education to girls is not Islam at all. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w)said that a man who has 3 three daughters, educates them and treats them as equals as his sons will enter paradise.
Islam has uplifted the status of women from mere show object to somebody who should be treated with respect in spite of her looks. First as a mother, she has received the highest status, even higher than that of a father, our prophet has stated that heaven lies in the feet of your mother, meaning that if you respect, love and comfort your mother you would be most likely to reach heaven. It is stated that those who find their parents in old age and doesn’t obey or comfort them are most ill-fated. Second, as a wife Islam has secured women in a strong bond. Where she is protected and secured to enjoy the pleasures that are allowed for humans (sex etc). Men are suppose to well feed their wives, provide them good clothes and earn them bread. While wives are suppose to stay at home and look after their children thus reinforcing the family structure. Third a s a daughter, a father and a brother is suppose to look after her and take care of her. Feed her and bring her up so that she is well protected and secure. And then she is allowed to get married to the man she likes, and even if it is an arrange marriage, parents are suppose to ask her permission.
Women now days are yelling for rights because they have forgotten about their true teachings and are inspired by west. It is a sharp contrast of cultures and religion which can never become one. But Muslim women have now abandoned cover and forgotten their real duties. They have chosen to work along with men, which has brought its own miseries to them. But most are blind. It has been inspired by west that women should be free. There is a difference between free and lost. It is the perversion of religion and twisted ideas that are known by world in general, that is why people think that Islam has oppressed women. If you have come in contact with true Muslims you would find an idealistic state of women where they are both free and secure, educated and covered, protected and successful.
Men who oppress women don’t understand religion and would force them to follow things on their will, like making them to cover when they don’t want to. While in Islam you can never force any one to start believing in what they don’t.
More and more human and women right activists have raised their voices against woman rights, but in Islam woman rights are human rights because in Islam they are considered to be as human as man not mere flesh. In Islam, mother, sister and wives are loved and protected till the end irrespective of their appearance.
Islam gave women the right in inherit
While I agree Islam made it mandatory that women inherit portions lesser than a man, in pre-Islamic Arabia women did inherit regardless and could pass on such inheritance to their children. Khadija was successful merchant and trader and had she kept her wealth, would have passed it along to her own offspring. Apologists like to say a woman’s inheritance and money is her own and that men cannot touch it, but clearly despite women getting less inheritance, if she dies, the inheritance goes to her male counterparts. However, to say Islam gave women the right to inherit is not a miracle of Islam’s divinity or Allah’s favour upon women. Women in various other societies held prominent positions and could inherit, hold voice in politics and could even vote. Especially within the Greek society. The most prominent and woman friendly society was Sparta. Women inherited equal to that of a man! For references on Greek society, especially the Spartans I recommend you read the works of Plutarch and Aristotle. In fact Aristotle loathed Sparta because they gave their women too much freedom, liberty and inheritance.
Islam respects a woman’s chastity and modesty
This is more on terms with the subject of morality. But even then I scoff at this. The whole concept of the Muslim woman’s chastity has become a fitna in itself. Hijab has become the perfect social tool for men to control women and disrespect women who do not adhere to this item of clothing. This obsession with female virginity and modesty has bred a lot of prejudices regarding women in the Islamic world, misogyny and slut shaming. Women are classed into ‘good’ and ‘bad’ based on virginity and clothing, completely ignoring the fact that clothes and sexual activity has no bearing on society. It is a person’s good conduct, honesty and generosity to others that count. In retrospect, ‘respect’ isn’t the right term I would use. Islam enforces chastity and modesty upon women and does not equally judge a man in the same way both religiously and culturally.
Islam gives women the right to divorce
Like all other misogynistic laws and religions at the time, yes divorce was granted to women, but not on equal terms to men. I recommend you read the opinions of the Islamic clergy on this matter. The limitations imposed upon women seeking a divorce are stressful indeed and there have to be certain conditions and reasons for it. Even then divorce is hard to achieve. However a man is at complete liberty to divorce his wife. This is hardly a progress or a right for women in any sense of the world. Other societies like the Greeks and religions like Christianity did, like Islam, grant women the ‘opportunity’ to seek divorce, but they were almost impossible to obtain and the ramifications for the woman whether it succeeded or failed ended up in torturous mutilations, beatings, death perhaps and them being ostracized from society. Rather Islam gives women a slim opportunity to seek divorce with a lot to lose and little to gain.
Islam gave women the right to choose their spouse
Like divorce this was very limited. You will find many ahadith where women can simply ‘deny’ a spouse candidate but they cannot literally go out and choose their future partner. The women are under the control of their guardians or parents and thus the choice goes to them. Muhammad even once said that a virgin’s silence is her consent to marriage (it definitely is not). Again their marriage must be accepted by the state or an Imam and thus women, who choose a spouse at the displeasure of their guardian or parents will more often than not, not have their marriages sanctified by the state or religious clergy. In Western countries, this attitude has changed for moderates, but the religion still goes against them. Denying a chosen spouse by the parents and guardian, like divorce, would also have some serious consequences. Islamic clerics always stress duty and obedience towards parents so a woman refusing the wishes of her family could literally be seen as guilty of a grievous sin. Cases of honour killings in many countries and acid attacks are proof of some of the ramifications of women who defy their family’s wishes. While apologists would say this is not taught in Islam, it could easily be justified due to the woman’s disobedience. So while Islam gave women the right to deny a candidate, it didn’t give her the right to choose and even then her option to deny the candidate would often be at the expense of her own happiness and even her life.
What about the wonderful things Muhammad said about women?
True, Muhammad did say good things about women imploring men to be kind to their wives, telling his followers their duty was to their mother before their father (sadly not many Muslims actually adhere to this) , that heaven lies at the feet of the mother and in his ‘example’ should help the wives at home. But at the same time he said a lot of things that spoke plainly of misogyny, chauvinism, violence and subjugation. Kindness to a wife was really only for those wives who were unquestionably obedient. Wife beating is sanctioned in the Quran Surah 4:34. There are a few ahadith of Muhammad ordering mass wife beatings because the women had become disobedient. Women who had been beaten by their husbands came to Muhammad and they were beaten green and still Muhammad did not help them. The Prophet of Islam said women are an evil omen, that the devil dwells within them and that they are an affliction towards men. Aisha remarked in several ahadith that Muhammad compared the women to donkeys, dogs and pigs. Let’s not forget how Muhammad even let his companions indulge in raping captives in war even in front of their own husbands. Just because a few nice things are said about women, does not mean Islam is women friendly in any sense of the word.
Western women are shameless whores
A tactic commonly used when the flaws in Islamic reasoning for women rights is pointed out. Most western women are not in the profession of prostitution and are in fact hard working women, independent, respected mothers and wives with careers. I think the problem is that Muslims do not like the idea of de facto relationships in the West or prom. But that doesn’t mean a person is immoral or bad or evil. You do not judge people by such sexual activity unless it hurts people (like rape and pedophilia). I also am repulsed by the fact that the blame on sex is placed only on the women and no one says anything about the men these women are supposedly having sex with. The fact of the matter is, if the West was a cesspool of wild orgies and women and men having sex at every chance they got, we’d be in a bit of a pickle. As it stands that is not the case.
So in the end, I would say Islamic Women’s Rights is an Oxymoron.
