Women in Islam: Oppression or Liberation?
For centuries, Muslim women in all corners of the world have
been aware of the liberation that is achieved by adhering to the
concept of hijab. Current world events have once again brought the
issue of women's liberation in Islam to the forefront of people's
minds.
Can a Woman Who Adheres to Hijab Be
Liberated?
Can a religion that considers morality to be a part of faith
clearly define the equality of men and women and their rights and
responsibilities? The answer is a resounding "yes." In a day and
age when the basic tenets of Islam are being questioned by Muslim
and non-Muslim alike, we must be cautious when evaluating
Islam.
The general picture that is painted by the media is biased and
unsubstantiated. The impression that some Muslims give to the world
is often not a true reflection of the religion, one that is the
completion of all religions. Islam, the religion for all people in
all places and times, which takes the equality of men and women
very seriously. It sees the liberation of women as essential and
considers modesty, good character, and manners to be the way to
achieve such liberation.
Too often, the image of a covered woman is used to represent what
much of the world views as oppression. Her very existence is
described in terms that convey ignorance and unhappiness. Words
like "beaten," "repressed" and "oppressed" are bandied about by the
Western media in a desperate attempt to convince the readers that
women in Islam have no rights. Descriptive and intrinsically
oppressive terms such as "shrouded" and "shackled" are used to
portray an image of women who have no minds and who are the slaves
or possessions of their husbands and fathers. In the 19th century,
T. E. Lawrence described women in Arabia as "death taking a walk,"
and from that time forward, the true status of women in Islam has
been shrouded by misunderstanding. The truth about women and Islam
is far from this melodramatic portrayal.
Over 1,400 years ago, Islam raised the status of women from a
position of oppression to one of liberation and equality. In an era
when women were considered possessions, Islam restored women to a
position of dignity.
In order to gain a true insight into the real and lasting
liberation that Islam guarantees women, we must first examine the
concept of liberation as viewed by the West. In Western countries
where liberation encompasses unlimited freedom, many women are
actually finding themselves living lives that are unsatisfying and
meaningless. In their quest for liberation, they have abandoned the
ideals of morality and stability and found themselves in marriages
and families that bear little resemblance to real life.
What is liberating about working all day and coming home at night
to the housework? What is liberating about having babies who, at
six weeks old can be deposited in childcare centers to learn their
behavior and morality from strangers? Girls as young as 6 years old
have been diagnosed with eating disorders, teenage pregnancy is
rampant, and women who choose to stay at home to raise their
families are viewed as old fashioned or unemployable.
Women in the West are liberated: liberated to the point that they
are no longer free to choose the life that is natural for them.
They are free only to choose from the selection of consumer goods
offered to them by their masters. The so-called liberated women of
the West have become slaves. Slaves to the economic system, slaves
to the fashion and beauty industries, and slaves to a society that
views them as brainless machines, taught to look desirable, earn
money, and shop. Even the career woman who has managed to push her
way through the glass ceiling is a slave to the consumer society,
which requires her to reside in a spacious house, wear only the
latest designer clothes, drive a luxurious car, and educate her
children at the most exclusive and expensive schools.
Is This Liberation?
The natural inclination of women is to please, comfort, and support
their men: their husbands, fathers, brothers, or sons. The natural
inclination of men is to protect, support, and provide for the
women lawfully in their lives: wives, mothers, sisters, and
daughters. Islam, the only true religion and infallible guide to
life, requires that we follow such natural inclinations. It allows
us to abandon ideas that are intrinsically foreign to human nature
and supports us in developing and sustaining natural family
relationships that spread out to form part of the wider Muslim
community.
A Muslim woman knows her place in society and knows her place in
the family infrastructure. Her religion is her first priority;
therefore, her role is clear-cut and defined. A Muslim woman, far
from being oppressed, is a woman who is liberated in the true sense
of the word. She is a slave to no man or to any economic system;
rather, she is the slave of God. Islam clearly defines women's
rights and responsibilities spiritually, socially, and
economically. Islam's clear-cut guidelines are empowering; they
raise women to a natural and revered position.
Women in Islam have no need to protest and demonstrate for equal
rights. They have no need to live their lives aimlessly acquiring
possessions and money. With the perfection of Islam as the natural
and only true religion came the undeniable fact that women and men
are equal, partners and protectors of one another.
{So their Lord accepted from them;
Never will I allow to be lost the work of any of you, be they male
or female. You are of one another; so those who emigrated or were
driven out from their homes, who suffered harm in My cause, and
fought and were killed, I will verily expiate from them their evil
deeds and admit them into gardens under which rivers flow: a reward
from God; and with God is the best rewards.} [Quran
3:195]
{And whoever does righteous good
deeds, male or female, and is a true believer in the Oneness of
Allah, such will enter paradise; and not the least injustice, even
to the size of a speck on the back of a date stone, will be done to
them.} [Quran 4:124]
Women in Islam have the right to own property, to control their own
money or money that they earn, to buy and sell, and to give gifts
and charity. They have formal rights of inheritance. They have the
right to an education; seeking and acquiring knowledge is an
obligation on all Muslims, male or female. Married Muslim women are
completely free from the obligation of supporting and maintaining
the family, yet may work if they wish too.
They are in no way forced into marriage, but have the right to
accept or refuse a proposal as they see fit. Women in Islam have
the right to seek divorce if it becomes necessary, as they also
have the right to save their marriages.
Islam teaches that the family is the core of society. In Western
cultures, the fabric of society is being torn apart by the
breakdown of the family unit. It is in these crumbling communities
that the call for the liberation of women arises. It seems to be a
misguided and feeble attempt to find a path of security and safety.
Such security is available only when the human being turns back to
God and accepts the role for which he or she was created.
Liberation means freedom, but not the freedom to do as one pleases.
Freedom must never be at the expense of oneself or of the wider
community. When a woman fulfills the role for which she was
created, not only is she liberated but she is empowered.
The modestly dressed or covered woman you see in the street is
liberated. She is liberated from the shackles that have tied the
feet of her Western counterparts. She is liberated from the
economic slavery of the West, and she is liberated from the
necessity of managing a house and family without the support of her
husband or the help of a wider community. She lives her life based
on divine guidelines; her life is filled with peace, happiness, and
strength. She is not afraid of the world, but rather embraces its
tests and trials with patience and fortitude, secure in the fact
that true liberation is only achieved by full and willing
submission to the natural order of the universe.
Oppression is not defined by a piece of material, but rather by a
sickening of the heart and a weakening of the mind. Oppression
grows in a society that is crumbling because its members have lost
sight of the true purpose of their existence. Liberation arises and
takes root in a society that is just, cohesive, and based on
natural order and divine guidelines. Islam is such a society, and
this is what makes a Muslim woman is liberated.
By Aisha Stacey
The Religion of Islm
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