I'm a muslim, ask me
Out of context: Reply #72
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- MakeBelieve0
Big topic, women in Islam. Will try my best to explain:
(Note: I am a guy)
In Islam, the status of Women is considered to be equal in God's eyes, which is clearly outlined in the Quran in several verses. The prophet Muhammad described them as 'twin-halves of men' - note this is at a time where men fully dominate all spheres of life and women were just 'owned' (across the world).
Women do not carry the burden of original sin, women are equal to men and were created by God as such.
Islam introduced for women, for the first time, the right to own property, vote, inheritance, right to their own money, right to divorce and have a prominent role in civic society - quite radical for the time you could say. Remember we didn't have voting for women until quite recently (last 100 years).
The Prophet also outlawed the killing and live-burial of infant girls, as was the custom of the backward Arabs at the time (as they only wanted boys). This was also a radical move, as it signified the equality of men and women.
Women are seen as the cornerstone or the centre of society. There is a famous saying of the Prophet 'Heaven lies at the mother's feet' and this implies that society is nothing without women's role in all aspects of life. The first university was founded by a woman called Fatima Al Fihri (Fez, Morocco) for example. Women even ruled at times, e.g. Razia Al Din (Delhi Sultanate) and many were and are scholars of the religion (no restriction in this regard). The first and best of female scholars was Aisha, the wife of the Prophet.
But this doesn't gloss over the key issues women face, which are mainly enacted by men, using religion and not instigated by Islam itself.
1) Women cannot be restricted, banned or denied education - as the Taliban did, this is against Islamic law. Unless of course there is a danger to their lives if they go out to school (war/lawlessness).
2) Women cannot be denied entry to mosques, ownership, equal pay, rights and positions in society. There is an exception when it comes to being the President. There have been female Prime Ministers of Muslim countries, look up Bangladesh, Pakistan and Turkey for example. While women are not allowed to lead prayer, they can lead their own congregations in some scenarios.
3) Hijab (modest headscarf and clothing) cannot be imposed or forced upon women (or any other aspect of religion). As the verse in the Quran is clear 'there is no compulsion in Islam'. But modesty according to most Sunni scholars is considered obligatory for believing women, but hijab as a concept is also obligatory for men - so men are also expected to be modest, but head covering isn't required. Some women naturally do not wear hijab.
4) Women have many exceptions when it comes to prayer, e.g. they don't have to go to pray in congregation (in Mosques), whereas men are obliged to. As a Muslim its not easy to pray in congregation, so this ease for women is welcomed by them.
5) Niqab (face-veil) is not mandatory according to majority of schools of jurisprudence in Sunni Islam. A minority of women choose to wear it.
6) Women in marriage have a lot of unique rights. They own their own wealth and do not need to share or spend on their husbands if they don't wish to (but most do, naturally). Islamically, they are not required to clean, cook or even take care of children, the duty is actually on the husband. Naturally women do play their role in the family, however too many men abuse their role.
7) FGM is not allowed in Islam and is limited to a few African countries and isn't practiced by Muslims worldwide.
8) A Muslim man is not allowed to abuse a woman, physicaly or mentaly. References to hitting women in the Quran is debunked by many scholars.
9) Women can initiate divorce and have the right to remarry. Women also keep their own surnames and do not adopt the names of their husbands (your lineage is yours and should not be changed - i.e. you are your own person not 'owned').
The Prophet's first wife, Khadija, was a woman 10 years his senior, she was a business woman, very independant and at the time, his boss. Her example is considered one of the ideal examples of how confident, independant, educated women should be in Islam.
Islam venerates women, and the Quran even has a whole chapter dedicated to women as well as one to Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.
Due to male-dominated societies and cultural practices, women are oppressed. Many countries are not representative of Islam, I would say NO country or society reflects true Islam, so we should not judge them as such. Women are struggling to regain their rights through Islam, from the grips of men.
I would advise talking to women directly, as they will give a better account than I ever could.
Apologies in advance for any mistakes or if I have left anything out - this is a huge topic!
- Thank you for your answer.isleptwithsirenstonight
- Whoo ! it sounds like women's paradise !
I can't wait until the global Califat !gonzalle - But still nothing about forced wedding, stonning for adultery, about the story of the Young Aicha... etc... I know it is not "Islam" it is "traditions" ...gonzalle
- Unfortunatly... we also heard about Taqiyyah...gonzalle
- You can't force anyone to marry, this totally unislamic. This is purely a cultural practice. Not Islamic.MakeBelieve
- Taqiyah - is when Muslims fear for their lives that they can claim to renounce their faith to save their own lives. Only in grave danger.MakeBelieve
- Stoning for adultery is a form of punishment, not just for women. While it is archaic, it isn't carried out anywhere (except KSA) and pardoning is prefered.MakeBelieve
- Punishment for adultery is near-impossible to do, as you need 4 witnesses to the act. So it is extremely rare. Some things are part of Islam, I won't sugar coatMakeBelieve
- Thanks for your unintentional confirmations about Taqiyyah !gonzalle
- (I really liked the "archaic" term about stoning - it is true that nowaday one could use metal props instead of rocks)gonzalle
- I don't think you know or want to take for fact what Taqiyah really is, but up to you. Happy to engage academically, but not childishly.MakeBelieve
- Anybody in danger of their lives can and should do what it takes to save their lives. Jews did it in WWII, or was that wrong of them Gonzalle?MakeBelieve
- It is only in specific life-threatening circumstances (mainly done by Shia), but otherwise lying or deception is a sin in Islam. Thats the fact.MakeBelieve
- Great notes MB. I had a Women in World Religions professor who said all religions have the capacity to oppress or liberate womensarahfailin
- it's the culture's choice which parts of their sacred texts to emphasize or ignore.sarahfailin
- Thats right Sarah, when culture, egos, sexim and other isms mix up with religion, you get oppression. E.g. ISIS is political grievance disguised as faith.MakeBelieve
- nicely put SF / MB. That's pretty much what half the internet has been trying and failing to explain to the other half for the past weekFax_Benson
- women shouldn't experience orgasims either? is that why they are mutilated?hotroddy
- hotroddy - FGM is not Islamic but cultural. Orgasm and sex is actually encouraged in Islam.MakeBelieve
- The supporting evidence for Stoning is so weak that it'll make you laugh. According to the supporters, this was written in the Quran but a goat came andBeeswax
- ate those pages. Note that in the beginning Quran spread by hundreds of "memorizers" named "Hafz". Even if all pages were perished it'd still be there.Beeswax