1
2
Islam is a women hating religion which has manipulated the world to believe it’s a religion of peace. If by peace it means to keep the women covered and indoors then it has done its task. It has subjugated women from it’s beginning, giving them no voice, and eventually no face. It considers women inferior in all matters and constantly degrades them to being simply sexual creatures obligated to serve the husband for their sexual needs. And if you stop at the end of this paragraph and quote simply this paragraph, eager to show your anti-Islam friends how horrible Islam really is to women, then you are a fool. You are a fool to think that a religion that gave women the right to vote since 600BCE would ever be anti-women. The religion that gave women the right to education, right to ownership of property, right to choose marital partners, right to keep their maiden name, right to inheritance, right to divorce, right to custody of children, right to engage in contracts, right to welfare support and maintenance, right to run their own business, and right to birth control. You must understand the difference between what is actually religion and what is created by society. The cultural practicing of Islam does not make it part of the pure religion. Whenever we discuss religion, we must understand that whether it was created by God or not, it is interpreted and practiced by humans. Humans who were created
with flaws. Perfection is something intangible to all humans beings, and perfection is not our goal. Approaching the topic of gender equity in Islam, one must understand that there are primary documents, the Quran and the Hadith (thought the hadith is still hotly debated to be secondary and at times irrelevant), and human interpretation of these primary documents. These interpretations can be limited to the political atmosphere of the time period that the scholar interpreted it to be, personal ambitions and goals, manipulative arrangements, social context, and the overall culture of the society. Together, we will attempt to decipher elements in the Quran that pertain to the subject of women. However, we must take into account hadith because exegesis of Quranic verses require the use of other sources giving us background information at the time. Now sit, with an open mind, intellectually absorbing the words of a book you may or may not believe in, but is genuinely the “Guide to Paradise� for Muslims around the world. Quran When approaching the Quran you must take into account it’s complex linguistics and historical context. Linguistics:
3
4
Arabic in and of itself has a very broad vocabulary, therefore, for any given word, there are several synonyms, each slightly different from another. For example, in English we say the word sleep, and in order to describe stages we have to add adjectives, like “deep sleep”, “light sleep”, or additional words like “sleeping sitting up”, “sleeping with eyes slightly open”, “sleeping on one’s right side”, “eyes open but one’s mind is asleep”, “sleep with dreams” etc. In Arabic however, there is a word for each of these phrases. Even just the term “farmer” has many different variations because there is a word for a farmer when he is planting the seed or a farmer when he is watering the plants. So what takes English an entire phrase, takes Arabic only one word. Therefore, translating Arabic word-to-word never actually works unless there is a phrase for every word. Translations of the Quran can make the meaning weaker or change it entirely even if the translator was trying to be as efficiently faithful to the original text. Therefore a translation of the Quran is not the Quran but actually an interpretation of the Quran from the translator’s point of view. Historical Context: Scholars may argue that the Quran is timeless. But they will not argue that certain verses were sent down specific to that time, for a specific
reason. For example, when the Prophet was giving the message of Islam and people were not supporting him, he felt disheartened, and Allah sent down verses of encouragement. Thereafter, during the time of war, when the Muslims were loosing and feeling dispirited at the losses of their numbers, Allah sent down verses that He will help them destroy the opposing party, which in that case were the nonbelievers. That’s how these ayah telling Muslims to kill nonbelievers comes from. They are not eternal ayahs – telling all Muslims to kill nonbelievers. They were meant for that time period – and only meant as a self defense and only soldiers – not civilians. I don’t feel that Islam needs to be defended. Any normal, intellectual, human being like yourself can come to the conclusion that no religion tells it’s members to kill the members of another religion simply because they believe in something else. In fact, all religions teach tolerance of others. O else every person would think their religion is the proper religion and kill off other religions and then it would just be a killing spree. The Quran was sent down to inspire and to guide but that does not mean we follow the Quran’s words blindly. It also means to understand the historical context it came from, how certain verses pertained to certain events, how the people of the past were, how curious we humans are, and everything in between.
5
Equity, not Equality Men and women are biologically different. Two separate wonderful entities that work together harmoniously to make another spectacular entity. It’s like peanut butter on a slice of bread, which is great. And jelly on a slice of bread, which is equally as great. And then put together as peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a whole new entity, which is awesome. 6
As two different entities we have our own singular responsibilities and rights; the right to our own body, the right to happiness, the spiritual responsibility of praying and worshipping God. Equality gives the impression of absolute equality in all details and aspects of comparison. But for this discourse, equality does mean identicality. The example used by Dr. Zakir Naik is that of two students. Both students receive at grade of 90. If you look at the paper however, student A got the full number of points for question 1, student B however, got a lower grade. So in regards to question 1, student A performed better whereas student B did not. For question 2, student A, got a point off of the total number of points for the questions, but student B got the total number of points, and therefore performed better. From this we see that Student A had a degree of advantage over Student B in the first question and Student B had a degree of advantage over student A
in the second question. In the end, they ended up with the same exact grade. But they differed in the points on questions. Similarly, man and women are in essence equal in their totality, but in some elements, man have a degree of advantage over women, and in other elements woman have a degree of advantage over man. Allah knows where to make man and woman equal and who to give a certain advantage of a skill set. And the western society believes in this notion without blatantly saying it. If man and woman were equal in every aspect of life, there would be no dichotomy. But in the most modern of societies this dichotomy still exists. In the Olympics, man and woman are separated. There is women’s swimming, and women’s running. Already this is acceptance that physically men and women are different – why is it bad to verbally not admit to it? If you believe it’s equal – have boxing matches with men and women together. Have the man and woman in the same sports. In Beauty pageants, are there men being judged with the woman? Do you judge a man’s hair by the same criteria that you would judge a womans? Or their bodies? Why is a woman who is completely flexible, a turn-on, whereas a man being completely flexible is “gay”. Because aesthetically they are different.
7
8
In Islam, it seems that the man’s advantages over the women are more widely discussed and assumed but women have a degree of advantage in some elements. Financially, for example, the man must spend his money on the family, he has financial responsibility of the whole family, but a woman may use her money solely on herself, she does not have financial responsibility over anyone. In love and compassion Islam lays out very blatantly that the mother has the right to more love and compassion from the child. Biologically, have men ever objected – why can’t we give birth or breast feed? If a there was a situation where a burglar came into the house, would the husband ever tell his wife or daughters to go protect him from the burglar or would he get up to fight. Men and women are equal (in loose usage of the term) but not identical. Spiritual Same. Man and woman are the same spiritually in the eyes of God. A man’s prayer does not count more than a female’s prayer. His sin is not less than a woman’s sin. And Islam has no concept of original sin. Although there are hadiths that say “O’ son of Adam” and are still technically referring to both
man and woman, the Quran specifically mentions man and woman consecutively in the aspect of spirituality. The common phrases are “If any of you – be it – a male or a female”, “Tell the believing women and the believing man”, “Children of Adam”, and “O’ human kind”. Economic A women is financially secure at every moment of her life. Growing up, her father must financially support her. If she lacks a father, it would be her brother or her uncle. The marriage contract, then gives the financial responsibility over to the husband. One additional aspect of the marriage contract is the dowry which in Islam is a gift from the husband to the wife. Without this gift, the marriage is not valid. The gift is whatever the bride-to-be wants whether it be of monetary value or materialistic. Traditionally, the bride-to-be’s parents decide on a monetary value although it really is up to the bride. This dowry is mandated as a protective measure for the wife because that becomes her inheritance. So even if the husband divorces her, the dowry remains hers because it was a gift. He can’t just leave her with nothing. Same with if he passes away, the dowry will always remain hers. She may use the dowry to invest in something or for her children or keep it in case of an emergency. But this gift is all her decision.
9
The woman does not need to work, but she may work if she desires to. And every penny that she attains through her work is her right to keep. No one can force her to spend it on bills or any household up keepings because that is the husband’s responsibility. If she wants to use her money on her children or in the house, she may, but only if she wants to. You can already see how financially, woman have the upper hand.
10
Islam is also the first religion to give women inheritance and property rights. However, people will always throw these verses to show the supposed inequality between the woman and man. This is completely out of context and taking from a long verse: A male’s share shall equal that of two females. (4:11) This was in regards to sons and daughters and of course, to the small minded, the one who only sees what’s in front, it seems unfair that a woman would get one third and a man would get two thirds. But to the one who sees the whole picture, they understand how balanced this is. In Islam, a man has the financial burden of the whole family on his shoulders, it seems fair that he gets more money since he will be spending this money on other members of the family anyway. So for the women who still aren’t satisfied with that. Let’s pose this example. Let’s say there’s a
total of 150,000 dollars. Would you rather get 100,000 dollars and be mandated to spend 98% of it on your spouse and children? Or 50,000 dollars and keep it for yourself, spending whatever amount on whomever if you so wish. If it was an even split – there would have to be discussion on men’s rights in Islam because now Allah is giving man and women equal inheritance but making the man use all of his on the women. Allah’s wisdom is far beyond ours. Social When revelation came to the Arab people, they were at the time very ignorant. The news of a daughter was upsetting to the people because they were deemed worthless. So as expected, they would bury the newborn daughters. This practice still exists in many parts of the world and has more to do with the financial burden of a daughter than any religious aspect. So revelation came prohibiting the killing of female children. “When the female (infant), buried alive, is questioned, for what crime she was killed.” (17:31) “Do not murder your children out of fear of poverty” (6:151). Furthermore, not only is it prohibited, but Islam motivated the people to have daughters. Allah
11
promises Paradise for the man who raises two daughters with love, compassion, and faith. The Quran even has an incident where the birth of a daughter upset the father. And Allah says don’t even think about feeling upset by the birth of a daughter. The mere thought of it is evil and punishable in Hell.
12
Just as valued a daughters life, even more is that of a mother. Islam gave mother rights over her children. Constantly after the worship of God comes respecting the parents, specifically the mother. “Respect the womb that bore you”. Perhaps the most echoing phrase taught to every child is “Paradise lies at the feet of the mother”. Islam uplifted women from beneath the ground to a status such that Heaven lies beneath her feet. When it comes to marriage, the daughter cannot be forced to marry. A marriage without the woman’s consent is not a valid marriage. But many commentators against Islam like to point out the husband being superior to the wife using this verse: “Wives have the same rights as the husbands have on them in accordance with the generally known principles. Of course, men are a degree above them in status” (2:228)
Many misunderstand this to mean that men are superior. The Arabic term for the phrase “degree above them” as translated here is actually the word “qawam”. Qawam comes from the root term Aqamah which means “to stand up for” and is usually used to say “to stand up for Salah”. Standing up for Salah means that the man has one additional responsibility. Standing up for the women, looking after the women. Men have a degree of responsibility – of service to the women, not power over the women to boss over her or control her. A woman is not married to a master – she is married to an equal. No man has control over a woman; or woman have control over a man. Only Allah has control and power. There is misconception about Islam not giving the women a right to divorce which is completely false. Women may divorce her husband if she feels that he is not taking care of her or if he is harming her and she can bring the complaint to a judge. A husband wife relationship is clearly written out in the Quran in several places.
13
“They are your garments and you are their garments.” (2:187)
14
The role of a garment is to cover you, sometimes as protection, like covering you with a blanket to protect from the cold, and sometimes as concealment, like concealing your insecurities with your clothing. And most times, it’s beautification as well, to make yourself look and feel aesthetically pleasing. A spouse protects the other spouse, they conceal each others flaws and hide each others secrets, and beautify each other. “The believing men and women are supporters of one another.” (9:71) Educational The first obligation to all of humankind was “Iqra”. Read, proclaim, recite, in the name of your Lord. It is obligatory on every Muslim to acquire knowledge. Educate the children especially the daughters. Religious education is her right. A wife has to be educated by her husband or by someone else and it is the husband’s duty to give her that education through an outlet. Basically, if you, a woman, wants to learn, to go to religious institution, or to go to med school, it is the husband’s obligation to pay for your studies, unless you, out of your own mercy, forgive him of that
obligation and take it upon yourself. Legal Legally, man and women are the same in regards to punishment. For any crimes committed, they are punished the same amount. Now there are those who use this verse to say man are superior: “And call to witness, from among your men, two witnesses. And if two men be not found then a man and two women.” (2:282) So a woman’s testimony is worth half of a man’s. Two women are equal to one man. This is actually taken completely out of context and in order to understand Allah’s wisdom behind this verse we must go back in time. This verse in particular discusses business contracts and at the time women did not take part in these transactions. If there was only one woman giving testimony, she can be threatened by a man leading to her giving false testimony. In order to not be intimidated by the man, there should be two women giving testimony, backing each other up. This way, it is more fair, and easier on the women themselves. Who out of fear may have given false testimonies. It is only in reference to business transactions. And not to be taken as a
15
whole to mean that women are any less in value that a man. Islam keeps the woman’s dignity intact. “And those who launch a charge against chaste women and produce not four witnesses to support the allegation, flog them with 80 stripes and reject their evidence ever after for such men are wicked transgressors.” (24:4) 16
If true, pure, unadulterated Islam was followed and the punishments put to practice, a man would think twice before opening his mouth to utter a word against a woman. This means that a woman can take, up to court, verbal abuse from her man. In modern times, if a woman takes a case to court that a man verbally abused her, there would be no punishment. She would simply be advised to seek marriage counseling. Islam protects the women’s virtue from even verbalizing a rumor against her. Political Women took part in law making. Women objected to laws. Women spoke up. Islam did not silence the women, it gave her a voice. There are several accounts during the Prophet’s time in which a
woman would speak up against something without fear of consequences. There would be no consequences. There is freedom of speech. There’s a story where Umar, one of the companions of the Prophet was at a mosque discussing laws. The topic came to be “should there be a maximum limit on dowry”. From the back of the mosque, an ordinary women objected to this. She stood up, came to the front as the people made way for her, and said “If God did not put a limit on dowry, you can give a mountain of gold. Who are you to put a limit?” And thus there was no law created. There is no limit. It seems pathetic that American women had to wait till 1920 to finally have the right to vote. I don’t even understand why the suffrage movement was needed. You create a country giving equal rights and have pride in how progressive it is but then forget that women make up 50% and decide that they shouldn’t have a right in who rules them? And let’s not get started on the “black people aren’t real people” phase where these WASPS decided they ruled this land that wasn’t even theirs to begin with. What about . . . ? What about the headscarf ? What about domestic violence? What about rape? What about concubines? What about men getting maidens in Para-
17
dise? What about the taboo word Jihaad? There is a multitude of questions. And those who want true answers will find them. Those who only want to touch the surface will find the negative versions of the answers. Every religion must be looked at with an open mind. Because every religion seeks to be a perfect way of life and a beautiful system. The people corrupt the religion; it is not the religion itself. 18
For those with open minds, they will always find the wisdom behind pure scripts and pure words from God. Whether they believe it is from God or not. They will find the good, in all things that seem bad.
Acknowledgements Special Thanks To Nouman Ali Khan Dr. Zakir Naik & Professor Bert Breiner Badawi, Jamal A. Gender Equity in Islam: Basic Principles. Plainfield, IN: American Trust Publications, 1995. Print. Emerick, Yahiya. The Holy Qur’an in Today’s English. Charleston, S.C.: CreateSpace.com, 2010. Print.
19
20