How Are Women Influenced by Contemporary Islamic Movements Today - Research Paper Example

How are women influenced by contemporary Islamic movements today? How are they influencing these movements? Introduction The Islamic influence on the women class gave birth to a controversial and debating issue, which came into limelight from the 1990 period. However, in the context of the modern century the issue still holds a prominent place in the society and hence needs to be properly explored. It is found that the effect of Islamic religion on women class has transcended national borders and several societies belonging to various Diasporas. The significance of the problem has led to the emergence of the concept of ‘Islamic Feminism’. The emergence of the concept of ‘Islamic Feminism’ can be associated with the growing involvement of Islamic religion in determining the fate of women. A historical insight reveals that the inception of the concept of ‘Islamic Feminism’ had its roots in the Egyptian society. In the modern context the revolt of women in the Muslim society in gaining an equal social and religious image gave further spurt to the concept of ‘Islamic Feminism’1. The religion of Islam has a considerable impact on the women class of the society from time immemorial. Women of the modern period are found to use the same religion to gain a better place in the society. Influence of Islamic Movement on Women The growth of Islamic activism in the Muslim countries is found to render significant impact on woman class of such societies. An observation of religious fundamentalist activities practiced in the countries like Pakistan, Egypt, Iran and Lebanon reflects on the identification of women as a single and different class in the social order. Moreover, it is found that the Islamic religion is moving forward to earn a close relationship with the issue of anti-women movements throughout the world. To this end, it is observed that the global Muslim society uses women to symbolize their religious solidarity and religious ethnicity. This large amount of stress rendered to identify women as a separate social class and use of them to highlight a religious body dampens the spirit of humanity in women. It is found that women in the Muslim religious society are often tied to issues of social values and code of conducts produced by the conservative practices. Further, the growth of a Muslim state is closely believed to be associated with increasing the control over the women class. It is observed that even in the contemporary Muslim world the women are not allowed to have a choice on their dress codes. The women in the Muslim countries have to cover up their faces in veil, which reflects them to be belonging to a definite religious class. Equally, the women are governed to bear certain definite social conducts as would reflect them in being Muslims. In regards to setting up a distinct dress code for women, the Muslim religion cites certain specific advantages in regards to the Muslim households. Firstly, it shows that making the women wear one particular dress helps in reduction of the expenses of the Muslim households from buying fashionable clothes for them. Secondly, the Islamic religion holds that women by covering their body in black help them to be safe in the masculine world. The above facts reflect that the Muslim society has a tendency in treating the women class as a subordinate social factor who should not bear any likes and dislikes to social ideologies. Further, women are also observed to be elements, which have a strong implication in bringing or destroying honor in the Muslim society. Thus, it is also observed that women are even assassinated by the Muslim society and termed as ‘honor killing’. Women are also observed to be the victims of social exclusion in the political and religious sphere of the Muslim countries2. In addition to creating a dress code for the women class the Muslim society also reinforces certain rules and regulations depending on the Islamic law governing the martial life of the women. It is found that the Islamic Law reinforces on the point that the Muslim woman can only be married to a single person. However, in regards to the male population the Islamic religion allows the practice of polygamy. Further, in events of marriage the Islamic law renders the bride to an access of a financial reward. However, in practice it is found that the woman’s brother or father usurps the money obtained from the woman’s husband’s family. Similarly, in case of matters related to divorce the male population in the Muslim society earns a dominant status. It is found that men can divorce women for any petty reason or on his personal whims. On the contrary, the women desiring a divorce from their husbands have to prove the reason for such in the courts of law in order to get ascension to the event. Moreover, the women are also rendered half right to the property inherited from their fathers. The Islamic law in this regard supports the men’s view in bearing them financially. Thus, the men have double right to the inherited property3. Women’s role in influencing the Islamic Movement It is found that the women population in the Muslim countries has close involvement to Islamic fundamental activism. The women in the Islamic countries through Islamic activist operations engage in a plethora of activities showing protests in regards to social and religious issues. These women activists in the Muslim countries are found to integrate a separate social identity in regards to their needs and social aspirations. Moreover, the women are also found taking active involvement in the spreading of fundamentalist activities in the context of Muslim countries. They are found to take active roles in the spread of ‘Jihad’ or in religious revolutions. It is found that in Muslim countries like Palestine the women even took resort to militancy operations like suicide bombing4. The women in the Muslim countries like the Middle East are found to take active roles in the electoral process of the country. Moreover, the women population in the Muslim countries also is found to organize separate non-governmental bodies describing themselves as “Islamic feminists”5. The Islamic women are also found to take resort to their dress codes as a sign for rebellion against the colonial dominance of the western world. The women of the Islamic countries also are found to use the dress code to rightly differentiate their social class and religious authenticity6. It is increasingly found that women in the Muslim countries in the modern era are participating in religious orders and are turning into Sufi saints. The group of religious feminists is helping to address the needs of the women class arising from social deprivation. Islamic women who have transformed themselves into Sufis are found to expand their religious network to help Muslim women in non-Muslim countries. Further, the Islamic women in order to gain economic prosperity through gaining the right to inherited property are observed to take the help of the judiciary system. The Islamic women both operating in the urban and rural society are steadily revolting against the oppressive regime of the male population. They are vehemently rebelling to gain access to both property and finance that was kept away from their reach. Women are also found to influence the Islamist movements like in Iran where Muslim women dressed in black veils launched protests against the Palhavi regime. The veiled protests contained women from both the middle and lower classes who demonstrated against the regime in Iran. The middle class women were mainly observed in not following the daily veiled practices. However, for the reason of showing political and religious solidarity that they resorted to the veil practice. This shows that Muslim women are taking resort to Islamic practices in cultivating a political identity for themselves7. Conclusion The women population in the Muslim countries has often been resorted to oppressive practices under the realm of fundamentalist Islamic movements. It is found that the women are taken to be as inferior citizens as the fundamentalist Islamic factions continuously curb their social rights. The women in the Muslim countries failed to have any say in the religious, political, social and legal issues of the country. The women class in the Muslim society is taken as symbols of Islamic religion as they are bound to cover up their bodies with black veil. However, the conditions are rapidly changing as the women have started participating in religious and political sectors. In the religious sector the women are found to become Sufi saints in order to cater to the needs of other deprived Muslim women. In the political sphere the women by taking resort to religious actions like wearing black veil are endeavoring to create a distinctive political identity for themselves. Thus, the women who were oppressed through the use of religious dogmas and ideologies are using the same tools in developing their political and religious status in the Muslim society. References 1. Baden, Sally. “The position of women in Islamic countries: possibilities, constraints and strategies for change”. 1992. Accessed on November 30, 2010 2. Badran, Margot. “Islam, Patriarchy, and Feminism in the Middle East”. Trends in History, 4(1), 1988. Accessed on November 30, 2010 3. Hessini, Leila. “Women Contesting Islamist Movement in the Arab World”. Accessed on November 30, 2010 4. Osella, Filippo & Benjamin Soares. Islam, Politics, Anthropology. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2010. 5. “Middle East Program”, wilsoncenter.org. 2010. Accessed on November 30, 2010 6. Shehadeh, R. Lamia. Women and war in Lebanon. Florida: University Press of Florida, 1999. Read More