Islamic Women and Politics - Coursework Example

Module Islamic Women and Politics The world today has become accultured to the doctrines of democracy, with a majority of the Muslim states utilizing democratic elections and democratic form of ruling. However, the governance practiced in Islamic states is particularly unique due to the integral role of Islam in the nation. A careful look at the role of women in the society reveals that women, play a detrimental role in the society. In both historic and modern times, women have participated in leadership, community advocacy and politics. Currently, women in Islamic states face a plethora of challenges in exercising their political freedom. These challenges are majorly accrued to the interpretations of Islamic texts. For example, in most societies, the Islamic texts are interpreted as advocating patriarchal ruling thus women are excluded from politics. This belief is contrary to the doctrines of democracy that states both genders have equal rights, duties and privileges. The purpose of this research is to answer the question whether contemporary Islamic politics is an obstacle to feminist discourse. Until recently, women’s participation in politics was profoundly neglected. A majority of Western-inspired studies of Islamic states mentioned the women but in stereotyped and sensualistic ways. On the other hand, the local literature on women in Islam focussed on the right place of women in the society while largely informing the women on how to live pious but modern life (Offenhaueur 5). The growing interest in the role of women in the society came from two major discussions. The first debate arose as a result of the emergence of Women Right’s movements beginning in the 1970s, which advocated for women’s rights and gender equality. The second impetus involved the economic development interests of National governments and international organizations (Offenhaueur 5). Inevitably, a plethora of researchers sought to remedy women’s invisibility in the society by exposing women’s status and role in the society. Women in Saudi Arabia have rights, and their dignity has been preserved since the early days of Islam. Moreover, there are certain duties that women are expected to carry out. For example, women are guardians of their husband’s household (Abdullah 96). In the country, women are allowed to work on two cases, that is, only if there is a need to do so or when the community is in need of her efforts. There are certain jobs that women are not expected to carry out, for example, military services, tough menial work, and other jobs with high responsibilities such as the presidency, ministerial posts and the judiciary(Abdullah 97). In politics, women are not allowed to vote, but they can take part in consultation services, express their opinions and take up leadership or non-leadership roles in the female community (Abdullah 98). The 9/11 terrorist attack facilitated the local and global pressure to redefine the role of women in Islamic states. Women activists took to the streets demanding their right to become political actors in the country. A majority of activists cited the role of women in the spread of Islam so as to re-define their role, in the political and economic development of the country. According to Cotellessa, women played a detrimental role in the inception of Islam. For example, Prophet Mohammed’s first wife Khadija used her wealth to save the prophet from a life of work. It was when the prophet was meditating that God spoke to him. Also, it was Khadija who encouraged the Prophet to begin teaching and preaching Islam to the masses (Contelellesa 22). This history is one of the major reasons that have led to the women’s social and political fight for reforms in the country of Saudi Arabia. Gender segregation is particularly high in Islamic states. In Saudi Arabia, the society is highly conservative with women lagging behind in economic empowerment and political participation (Contellessa 1). However, despite the strict adherence to Wahhabism, the society identified that reforms were vital for the development of the country. These reforms were pursued in the form of petitions to the royal family regarding what needs to be done so as to save the country from self-destruction (Contellessa 24). One of the reforms dubbed ‘In Defense of the Nation’ stated the need to adopt radical reforms and encouraging popular participation in politics (Contellessa 24). The women of Saudi Arabia also carried out their petition that catered to the issues that they faced in the society, for example, mandatory education of both sexes. The author observes that the women had to fight some cultural traditions that restricted women, such as, the practice of sex segregation in the society (Contellessa 25). It was only until recently, under King Abdullah that women’s role in politics began to change. The king named 30 women to participate in the Shura Council which acts as the parliament in the kingdom. Moreover, the king amended the Shura Council so as to allow no less than 20% out of the 150 members of the Council to be female(Coleman 3013). Women in Iran are also under-represented in political decision-making despite their participation in a series of societal events. One particular example is the Constitutional reformation that occurred earlier in the 20th century. According to researchers, women were actively involved in this important political and social movement (Sojaei 258). For example, some women camouflaged themselves as men and participated in the revolutionary war against the totalitarianism of Qajar kings and the impact of foreign governments (Sojaei 258). Inevitably, after the Constitutional Revolution, women were allowed to express their point of views through Constitutional newspapers. Moreover, women could form political groups such as the Revolutionary Women Forum, which criticized the dominant patriarchal nature of the society (Sojaei 259). However women in the early 20th century were still denied the right to vote. In 1925, the status of women changed in Iran, under the governance of Reza Khan. Women were given more freedom in public places, with a majority of them holding employment positions in production industries (Sojaei 259). Gradually, the women’s sphere of operation shifted from domestic to public premises. However, Article 15 of the Constitution prohibited women and those who had not reached the approved age of voting from exercising their democratic right to vote. It was not until 1963, after a series of demonstration and disapprovals; that woman obtained their Constitutional right to vote. The Islamic Revolution resulted in a series of political reforms. The country shifted from a monarchy to an Islamic Republic. The women played an invaluable role in the revolution as they participated in the demonstrations alongside the men and carried out a series of societal activities (Sojaei 260). It is due to the active participation of women that the government saw it fit to involve women in the political affairs of the country. Inevitably, women’s quantitative and qualitative presence in political areas in the country began to expand. The author observes that Article 20 of the Constitutional Law supports both sexes equally. Moreover, the Article emphasizes that all members of society, in accordance to the principles of Islam, are of equal humanitarian, political, economic and cultural rights (Sojaei 262). Despite the freedom to participate in the country’s politics, women face a plethora of challenges in the society. According to a research carried out by the Inter-Parliamentarian Union (IPU) in 2010, Iran ranked at 131st place in terms of the sum of women in parliament, unlike Saudi Arabia which ranked at 137(Sojaei 263). This low status in political participation is due to the inadequate attention that women receive in the highly patriarchal society, regardless of the fact that the obstacles inhibiting their participation have been removed. Similar to Saudi Arabia, religious norms, women’s ideology, and their families are some of the cultural factors that inhibit women’s participation in politics (Sojaei 264). Religious traditions are predominant in a majority of Arab countries and inhibit political liberalization and ultimately democracy. In Saudi Arabia, for example, restrictions on women are more pervasive and exacting than what sharia law requires (Vogel 24). Moreover, the restrictions appear to have evolved through a cross-breeding of fiqh rules coupled with local customs and traditions. One particular example is the giwama or ‘guardianship’. This law states that a woman needs male permission from a male relative, for example, a father or husband to conduct ordinary activities (Vogel 24). Inevitably, the Labor Laws in 2006 omitted the sex segregation, allowing women more freedom in the society. Resultantly, the increasing enrolment and attainment of high levels of education in the society enlarged women’s professional and intellectual field. This stressed the need to incorporate women in the economic development of the society. Arguably, some researchers accrue the gender politics of being a result of the entanglement of gender with historical, political and religious forces. According to Al-Rasheed, the Wahabbiya facilitated Saudis religious nationalism, which unified women under the abaya and portrayed women as symbols of the nation’s piety (Al-Rasheed 90). As a result, women faced a series of restrictions so as to ensure they were docile, obedient and pious. However, after the 9/11, the image of women was manipulated to portray modernity and progress, with the educated women being allowed to participate in international forums amongst other societal activities. Political Islam in Iran has contributed to the gender politics in the society. Despite the women’s contributions to the revolution of the country, their political participation is vastly neglected due to the misinterpretations of Islamic texts. Most religious scholars believe in equality but not on the similarity between the two sexes. According to Sojaei, the society still consists of people who regard the woman’s presence in the society with prejudice. This religious notion coupled with the woman’s ideology and the role of a woman in the family is a major hindrance to the political participation of women in politics (Sojaei 264). In conclusion, there is a lack of political participation of women in Islamist states. In Saudi Arabia, it is in this year that women were finally allowed to vote, participate in local elections and allowed to take up seats in the Shura Council. In Iran, on the other hand, traditional interpretations of the Sharia law contributed to the negligence of the detrimental role women play in the politics of the Nation. Islam is central to the politics in the Middle East and thus forms the basis of every aspect of their way of life. However, it is important for women to be encouraged to participate in the politics of the society for the well-being of the society. Works Cited Abdullah, Al-Turaiqi. The Political System of Saudi Arabia. Ghainaa Publications 2008. Al-Rasheed, Madawi. A Most Masculine State: Gender, Politics and Religion in Saudi Arabia. Vol. 43. Cambridge University Press, 2013 Coleman, Isobel. “Women in Politics in Saudi Arabia” Middle East Voices: voanews.com 18th January 2013 web. 31st May 2015 Cotellessa, Samantha. "The Politics of Religion: Women, Islam and Politics in Saudi Arabia." Spectrum: An Online Journal Fourth Issue, Spring 2015: 20. Offenhauer, Priscilla, and Alice R. Buchalter. "Women in Islamic societies: A selected review of social scientific literature." Federal Research Division, Library of Congress, 2005. Web. 31 May 2015 Shojaei, S. N., Ku Hasnita Ku Samsu, and Hossein Asayesh Asayesh. "Women in politics: A case study of Iran." Journal of Politics and Law 3.2 (2010): Web. 31 May 2015 Vogel, Frank E. "Shari‘A In The Politics of Saudi Arabia." Review of Faith & International Affairs 10.4 (2012): 18-27. Academic Search Complete. Web. 31 May 2015. Read More