The New Woman by Qassim Amin - Essay Example

Book review "The new woman" By Qassim Amin Qassim Amin, an Egyptian jurist is best known for his advocacy on women rights. One of his best know works is “Al-Mar’a al-Jadaa”, or “The New Woman”, published in 1900, a book in which the 19th century reformist takes women as his object of reform. In the late 19th century Amin had published “The Liberation of Women”, a book which spoke out on the emancipation of women. As expected, the book aroused a lot of criticism from male chauvinists of the period, scholars and religious leaders alike. “The New Woman” is a classic example of a … In his introduction, Amin criticizes the role played by religious leaders and scholars in the backwardness experienced in Islamic states. He believes that Islamic law was initially superior to any other as far as women emancipation was concerned. By using clear cut examples, Amin emphasizes that the most significance development in the Islamic world would be the emancipation of women (Amin 15). He is optimistic that through his writing, the few educated individuals, especially the young will be enabled to raise the concern about women’s rights to the level it deserves. His target audience, according to his words, is not the general public but these few individuals who are the hope of the future. In the first chapter of the book, Amin gives an historical perspective of the condition of women, arguing that this is most practical approach to understanding the present status of women without it. He blames the loss of women’s independence on the creation of the institution of a family. The religious rituals associated with the family and private deities brooded a culture where women were seen as assets, as much as a slave. Polygamy and wife ownership are some of the most outstanding examples of such practices. The rise of the government plays a major role in reducing this male tyranny over the women (Amin 29). Nevertheless, no nation in the world has ever achieved a level of equality of men and women. The author notes that the political conditions of a country are directly linked to the status of women in that nation. When women are downgraded, the whole nation is downgraded and robs women of their rights. When women are allowed their personal freedom, the whole nation also enjoys political freedom. This is the cause of the indispensable statement that the type of government in place influences the family and the family then influences the society. Amin gives splendid examples to clarify this notion. He compares Eastern countries with the USA, where the influence of government over man and man’s influence over his wife are totally different. Amin follows this with quoting famous leaders and giving examples of states and nations where women have been allowed rights such as voting, participation in political activities and involvement in professions such a Science and Technology (Amin 49). He also compares major nations I the World as regards women rights. He states four phases of women’s emancipation, and notes that Egypt is in the third phase, where women enjoy only limited rights, as allowed to by their husbands. The ultimate phase will entail women enjoying complete freedom just as their husbands. Amin discusses three perspectives in the life of a woman; her personal freedom, her role towards this freedom, and her responsibility towards her family. In some regard, Amin is undoubtedly an opinionist. For instance, he states his opinions as facts rather than as statements which are subject to scrutiny before one takes them in. It is no wonder that his view that freedom is the ladder to happiness raises an eyebrow to state rulers and those in positions of power. In an attempt to contain himself, he limits freedom to the independence of thought, will and action only within the legal limits of morality and societal norms and standards (Amin 67). In the other chapters, Amin develops his argument by citing relevant examples and giving possible suggestions towards the direction. In the conclusion, Amin exempts himself from giving some punch line statements of advice and focuses on his main agenda. He states that the nation is in deed attempting to empower its women, and that it is on the route to total liberation of women. Nevertheless, Egypt should not boast of this since it is not the first nation to do this and neither will it be the last one. He also points out the desired change in the nation will not be achieved through the works of a leader or a magician but by the preparation of the young generation minds to take such positions with an already transformed mindset (Amin, 1900: 62). He believes that the shortest way to any destination is the road that finally leads there and the simplest problems are those that are finally solved (Amin 98). He also notes that the process of women emancipation will be slow, given that it will involve changing people’s mindsets and incorporating restrain and self-control. He is straight to the point and remains simple and clear. He uses language devices to keep the reader empowered, transformed and entertained in the process. His data is simple and very comprehensible to the simple mind. This work can be classified as a secondary research documentary in which the author documents works by other scholars and data got from preexisting works. He relies more on the research and opinions of political leaders and other women rights scholars than he did in his previous works, which were based on original research and the Quran (Amin 105). The book is an opposition of the conservative trends that hinder women’s development. It is possible to conclude that Amin’s reason for writing was to help women break loose from the bondage imposed on them by men. Amin can be dismissed as an author of backhanded compliments, who believes that women have the ability to think and reason as he does, but unless they re given proper education, their minds are full of backwardness and silly ideas. In other words, he greatly underestimates the uneducated woman to achieve a dramatic presentation of his statement. Statements such as “their miserable conditions are due to the injustices of men, who… forced absolute ignorance upon them by all sorts” have pained many of his readers (Amin 128) Amin’s use of Darwinism as an explanation to the current state of affairs in the nation is interestingly witty. In his previous book he had maintained the view that the Islamic community cannot stand the pressures facing it from all sides due to the rising social Darwinism. He furthers that view implicitly by noting that the best way to help Egypt stand is by first empowering its women, since most Western nations, who are considered successful, have done that as well (Amin 138). This concept as applied to sociology was new, and he successfully applied it to bring out his arguments. Amin is not slow to answer the possible critics who may dismiss him as imposing western mindsets on Eastern states. The beautifully constructed statements such as “you want to improve the status of the Egyptian woman by encouraging her to imitate the Western woman” are convincing just because they appeal to human’s nature of dominance (Amin 168). I concur with him that the true realization of freedom among humans will come by being sensitive to such statements and the elimination of any harmful tradition. The old should be seen as a mere resource, but not as the absolute truth, to be upheld without question. Nevertheless, there are some eminent issues that Amin ought to have addressed. In as much as his is a great work of literature, whereby the reader is captivated to read on and on without getting tired or getting lost among the texts For instance, from a closer examination of the book, it is implicit that Amin presumes Western nations to be superior to Egypt. Several critics have refuted him by stating that his vantage point was based on his admiration for western cultures. One of the more outstanding critics is Ahmed L. (1992), who stated that Amin wanted the Middle East to copy Europe’s gender system. Secondly, Amin is also too overemphatic on the splendor of the Islamic law. His argument that the law was the first to give women some unprecedented freedoms is an indication of some self contradiction (Amin 168). He first admits that the systems which existed before the rise of the family allowed women absolute freedom. Therefore, he ought not to give the credit of women freedom to the Islamic law but rather to these systems, irrelevant of how primitive they might have seemed. However, in most Islamic states, the life of an individual is tied between private and the state, such that there is no clear difference among the two. This is not the case in western societies, where people have independent private and public lives. Therefore, Amin’s attempt to apply Western women empowerment approach to Egypt may be deemed as an off the hook strategy. In as much as this is necessary, it is practically impossible to do this without reviewing the preexisting social framework. It is crucial to note that even though there are people who brought the issue of women’s emancipation before Amin, he was among the first Arabic scholars to focus mainly on women’s liberty. He was dismissed by many as a traitor to Egypt’s liberation from Western political and cultural influence (Amin 182). Nevertheless, his book landed in the hands of the people he hoped for. After its release in 1900, several noble Arabic women in Egypt and in other middle east states enjoined in a debate for their liberation. Similarly, Egypt became a centre for the rise of feminism in the early 20th century. Amin’s writings have been very influential in shaping the state of the Egyptian women. There have been laws established in the nation following the release of the book and his previous “The Liberation of Women”. This edition will be very valuable to students and scholars in the field of sociology and gender studies. It also provides an insight in to how religion has shaped the status of women. Similarly, political scientist will get a glimpse in to the mutual relationship between the state government and the household (Amin 197). Written in a time when women emancipation was considered impossibility, “The New Woman” can be regarded as a great landmark towards the subject matter. It has formed a basis for studies in women emancipation and is used a textbook in such studies. The most common publications of this book contain “The Liberation of Women”, his earlier book and “The New Woman”. The original text is Arabic though there are several translations in English and other major languages. Conclusion As a point of conclusion, it is worth noting that the book has been organized well by the author. From the very beginning, the author engages the completely to this event, after which he offers sufficient background information regarding the incident and how it affected the lives of many people. This offers a logical organization thus making the text readable and easy to comprehend. In an attempt to solve the above question, the authors rely heavily on historical evidence and connect it to issues of post-modernism. This understanding will help provide them with answers and solutions to the problems they face as humans. Most of the issues have been intelligently harmonized to make sure everything makes sense to the reader. Because of all these issues, it is agreeable that the text is significant in giving detailed information. As well, some explanations have been given in the text to make sure everything has been passed across to the reader thus giving the text an appropriate and logical organization. Work Cited Amin, Qassim. The Liberation of Women: And, The New Woman: Two Documents in the History of Egyptian Feminism. Cairo: American University Press, 2000. Print. Read More