Gender Issue in Islamic Society - What Feminists Believe - Essay Example

Feminism and Islam Introduction Islamic Feminism is generally presented as an umbrella for different tendencies including new feminist traditionalists, pragmatists, secular feminists and neo-Islamists which share a common concern, which is, the empowerment of their gender with a rethought Islam. Awde (2005) believes that Islamic feminists may or may not share the main tenets of Western feminism. What Feminists believe Feminists generally criticize a number of discriminatory Islamic rules. A large number of these feminists formulate their criticisms from within the Islamic framework. They profess a double allegiance, to Islam and to women rights. Doorn-Harder(2006) states that feminists generally express the belief that the divine message of Islam is inherently egalitarian. Yet, its egalitarian content has been partly or wholly destroyed by human interpretation. Souaiaia(2007) states that feminists, however do not all think the same way or even about the same kind of problems and the immensely diversified topics under feminism are a self-speaking proof of this. The issue of marriage and divorce, the veil and its necessity as an adornment for Muslim women in order to protect them from causing seduction or discomfort to the society in general, the struggles that women have faced over centuries and the pain that they have borne to make their place in the mainstream market are just a few of the issues that feminists deal with. In the pre-Islamic era and where the woes of polytheism and polyandry prospered, women were gravely burdened by highly discriminated societal views. Rituals like the killing of young girls at birth, restricting of women to household chores, giving women no right over property or land and depriving them of the most essential human rights were some of the major problems. Souaiaia(2009) claims that feminists over the years have raised questions on traditions such as the Crimes of Honor and inform the law upholders how, for honors sake; the protectors of women take away their lives and are unjustly supported by our religious scholars. According to Wilson (2011), the helplessness of a woman in a male dominated society is a major bone of contention for feminists; a woman is merely a puppet whose strings can be tightened, loosened or even cut by her guardians. Though women deserve equal rights and privileges, there are certain boundaries that are not to be crossed by a Muslim woman as stated by Schimmel(2003). She should maintain her dignity and self-respect at all times and in front of all people. Feminism, Islam and Marriage When one talks about women rights and the role feminists have played, there comes the most fundamental topic of marriage. Marriage is a whole new life for the couple. Adeney(2002) says: La notion gnrale de contrat na jamais fait Iobjet dans les ouvrages de doctrine,dune thorie gnrale Here, she uses evidence in a foreign language to prove her claim that marriage whether regarded as an institution, a ceremony or simply a male-female relationship; it is in fact a contract in law. Although Fiqh does not particularly use the term contract for a marriage, it is accepted as a verbal agreement. In Islam, according to the Hanafi School of thought, exists the principle of Kafaa which means equality and compatibility between husband and wife. With a root meaning of equality or capability in Islamic legal terminology, it has assumed a specific meaning whereby it is required that a Muslim husband must be equal to or superior to his wife; in other words, although a woman may choose her partner in marriage, every effort is made to ensure that she does not marry beneath herself and more importantly beneath her family as explained by Wadud(2006). There are six main criterions that any woman needs to consider: descent, Islam, profession, freedom, good character and wealth. Given these criterions, any adult woman is free to choose the one she wants to spend her life with. Many Muslim scholars will oppose this belief, however, as they claim that Quran uses the word “Qawwam” for a husband. When translated from Arabic it means nothing more than the provider of the family. It is thus argued that the relation between a husband and a wife is not one of superior and subordinate position, but one of camaraderie (rafaqat).What God requires from both of them, is their submission to Him and no one else. Hence, contrary to normal belief, a woman is free to disagree with her husband and is not supposed to obey him as per Islamic laws. If she wants to, that is completely her own independent decision. With certitude, all Muslims believe that Islam can never go obsolete but some of the themes that it engulfs may be relevant to some particular period in time and targeted towards some particular group of people. However, kafaa is no such concept. Nonetheless, the changes in societies today have shifted our values to some extent so that economic and social factors are compromised for the sake of mental compatibility and even love. The most significant social change in many Muslim societies is that women have left their homes for work. They socialize with people from all walks of life for reasons such as education and employment. The inevitable result of this mingling has been the fragmentation of a social pattern based on segregation leading to greater social discourse and even intimacy between the two sexes. This has not only broadened women’s perception of the outside world but also has granted them their own gender experience. Now they are capable of making more informed decisions regarding their marriage. Today, most women upon reaching adulthood prefer to choose their soul mate themselves; this is no longer a game of random selectivity. Thereby, although the guardian’s right of intervention as implied in the principle of Kafaa remains a legal right, its significance has faded to some extent. As women have become more aware of rights accorded to them by Islamic Law, the distinction between use and abuse of law has become more manifest. Women do not oppose social order as suggested by Kafaa but the problem is that in a male dominated society, males tend to safeguard women honor and their authority by impinging on a woman’s emotional needs and her legal rights. Feminism, Islam and Gender Bias The Muslim Ummah is based on the sexual segregation and social subordination of one sex to the other. Women, members of the domestic universe, are subject to the authority of men, members of the Ummah universe. Separations and subordination are embodied in institutions which enforce non communication and non interaction between the members of each universe. Employment statistics for the Arab world in the late 1980s show a marked discrepancy between men and women, with the women being consistently and significantly less active. The fraction of women in the workplace, expressed as a percentage of the total work force was 4.4% in Algeria, 6.2% in Egypt, 5.3% in Jordon and 8.3% in Syria as stated by Caner(2004). The Quran however, does not distinguish between the two sexes. Punishment by God is meted out equally for both sexes, modesty is enjoined for both sexes, reward in the Hereafter is promised for both sexes and religious obligations are enforced upon both sexes equally. The Quran says that women are to be protected and economically provided for by men, but admonished and punished if they are disobedient. Their testimony is only half as reliable as that of men. Their welfare is in the hands of their guardians-father, brother and husband. Yet, there exists a paradox that they are equal to men in terms of their religious duties and punishment for transgression. Before the advent of Islam, women could marry more than one man at a time and had the right to decide the paternity of her off springs, she lived in her house even after marriage, and even female goddesses like al-Uzza, Manat and al-Lat were worshipped however, Islam forbids women from marrying more than one men at the same time. Islam guarantees a woman protection and respect however, demands that she stays loyal to her family. A woman is not forbidden from working or going out however she must be properly veiled at all times. Also, a woman is not enforced to cook food for the family, clean the house or do any other household chores. If she wills, she may do it, otherwise Islam does not enforce a woman to do it. Feminism, Islam and Crime of Honor Crimes of honor refer to the regulations of a legal practice known as honor killings. As Barlas(2002) explains, in some Muslim cultural contexts, an honor killing takes place when a woman is killed by a male member of her family for engaging in, or being suspected of engaging in, a prohibited sexual practice before or outside marriage. The spilling of blood of the victim is seen necessary to erase the shame that she has inflicted upon her family by her sexual mis-product. Most schools of Islamic jurisprudence treat as legitimate, the killing by private individuals of a married person caught committing adultery red handed. They argue that since death is the ultimate punishment assigned under Islamic law for adultery committed by a married person, an adulterer has made his blood halal or pure. As Ankerberg(2009) reiterates, the legal punishment for fornication is a hundred lashes but killing of a minor caught involved in fornication has also been allowed by most Muslim countries today. Crimes of honor are particularly prominent in backward areas where women are usually not given a right to speak for themselves. Their fathers, brothers and husbands make all important decisions for them and the women are not even allowed to give testimony for their actions. They may even be killed merely on suspicion as Wadud(1999) shows via real life examples. This is a self speaking evidence of the rank and stature of a Muslim woman in the Islamic Ummah today. The feminists thus are endeavoring to uplift the position of women in the society today. Their first and foremost agenda is to invoke awareness amongst women of their rights and duties. Recently, the debate of sex slaves has arisen. That will further deteriorate the standing of a Muslim woman in this world. Hence Muslim women need to be reminded of their standing as told by the Quran and the Holy Prophet. The Holy Prophet stood in respect and love for his daughter Hazrat Fatima. That shows the extent of love and respect that any woman today deserves. Conclusion Islam has given a vast range of rights and leverages to women and at the same time it demand its women to safeguard their beauty and honor. The respect of a family is often associated to the respect and good character of its women, hence a Muslim woman needs to ensure that she maintains a pure character and veils herself as accorded by Islam as Ali(2006) beautifully states it. Also, she is forbidden to interact with non-mehram men. Some scholars may take it more seriously than others but the Quran remains the ultimate source of guidance. In hard times, a Muslim woman is allowed to act on her decisions independently. She is not bound to obey her husband if he crosses the limits of self respect and dignity. No woman is a sex slave to any man in Islam, be it her husband or her master. A woman’s respect comes foremost. However, a Muslim woman should also ensure that she fulfils the duties assigned to her. She is not equivalent to a man otherwise God was wise enough not to make different genders hence women should not attempt to do everything that men of their age do. It’s the delicacy of a woman that makes her pretty hence that should be kept intact. Esposito(2001) rightly concluded by saying that at times we observe that the feminists go overboard with their attempt to protect women rights and try enforcing absolute independence and authority for women. References Awde, N. (2005). Women in Islam. Hippocrene Books. Doorn-Harder, P. (2006). Women Shaping Islam. University of Illinois Press. Souaiaia, A, (2007). She’s Upright: Sexuality and Obscenity in Islam. Create Space. Souaiaia, A, (2009). Contesting Justice: Women, Islam, Law and Society. State University of New York Press. Wilson, W. (2011) The Butterfly Mosque. Grove Press. Schimmel, A. (2003). My Soul is a Woman: The Feminine in Islam. Continuum. Adeney, M. (2002). Daughters of Islam. IVP Books. Wadud, A. (2006). Inside the Gender Jihad. Oneworld. Caner, E. (2004). Voices behind the Veil. Kregel Publications. Barlas, A. (2002). Believing Women in Islam. University of Texas Press. Ankerberg, J. & Caner, E. (2009). The Truth about Islam and Women. Harvest House Publishers. Wadud, A. (1999). Quran and Woman. Oxford University Press. Ali, K. (2006). Sexual Ethics and Islam. Oneworld. Esposito, J. & DeLong-Bass, N. (2001). Women in Muslim Family Law. Syracuse University Press. Read More