WOMEN´S RIGHTS IN ISLAM VERSUS WESTERN DOUBLE STANDARD, PREJUDICE AND HYPOCRISY
by Syarif Hidayat
The
Western civilization regimes apply double standard policies against
Islam, Muslim World and Muslim people including the rights of Muslimah
(Muslim women) in general and their rights to Muslimah dress.
The
Western people and the Western civilization regimes leaders are busy
criticizing, hating and banning Muslimah (Muslim women) dress in their
countries. But They keep silent on the Nun's dress!! The Nuns wear
almost similar dresses as Muslimah dresses, but yet they are free from
the Western civilization bigotry and terror!
The Background: The Conditions of Women in Arabia Before Islam
In
those days before Islam, women were treated like slaves or property.
Their personal consent concerning anything related to their well-being
was considered unimportant, to such a degree that they were never even
treated as a party to a marriage contract. Women were used for
one purpose, and then discarded. They had no independence, could own no
property and were not allowed to inherit. In times of war, women were
treated as part of the prize. Simply put, their condition was
unspeakable.
In addition, the birth of a daughter in a
family was not an occasion for rejoicing, but was regarded with
humiliation. The practice of killing female children was uncontrolled.
With the advent of Islam came the verse from the Holy Qur’an condemning those who practiced female infanticide:
In the Name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful. "And
when the news of (the birth of) a female (child) is brought to any of
them, his face becomes dark, and he is filled with inward grief! He
hides himself from the people because of the evil of that whereof he has
been informed. Shall he keep her with dishonor or bury her in the
earth? Certainly, evil is their decision."(An-Nahl 16:58-59)
And as part of a description of various events on the Day of Judgment, the Holy Qur’an mentions:
In the Name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful. "And when the female (infant) buried alive (as the pagan Arabs used to do) shall be questioned. For what sin she was killed? (At-Takwir 81:8-9)
Outside
Arabia conditions for women were no better. In India, Egypt, and all
European countries in the Dark Ages, women were treated worse than
slaves. They were not regarded as human beings but as sort of a
sub-species between humans and animals.
Allah (SWT) Gave the Arab Women Their Rights
The
rights of Muslim women were given to us by Allah (SWT), who is
All-Compassionate, All-Merciful, All-Just, All-Unbiased, All-Knowing and
Most Wise. These rights, which were granted to women more than 1400
years ago, and were taught by the perfect example of the Prophet
Muhammad (SAW), were given by the one Who created us and Who alone knows
what rights are best for our female natures. Allah (SWT) says in the
Holy Qur’an:
In the Name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful. "O
You who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will,
and you should not treat them with harshness, that you may take away
part of the Mahr (bridal-money given by the husband to his wife at time
of marriage) you have given them, unless they commit open illegal sexual
intercourse. And live with them honorably. If you dislike them, it may
be that you dislike a thing and Allah brings through it a great deal of good." (An-Nisa 4:19)
The
most basic right of a woman in Islam is the knowledge and recognition
that she never has to ask or demand or fight for her rights which are
guaranteed to her by Allah (SWT) Himself.
Rights That Islam Gives to Women
Human Rights:
Islam
considers a woman to be equal to a man as a human being and as his
partner in this life. Women have been created with a soul of the same
nature as man’s. Allah (SWT) says in the Holy Qur’an:
In the Name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful. "O
mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person
(Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife (Eve), and from them
both He created many men and women and fear Allah through Whom you
demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs
(kinship). Surely, Allah is Ever and All-Watcher over you." (Al-Nisa
4:1)
And in the words of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW),
"Assuredly, women are the twin halves of men." (Sahih reported by Abu-Dawud (RA)
Islam does not blame Eve alone for the First Sin.
The
Holy Qur’an makes it very clear that both Adam and Eve were tempted,
that they both sinned and were both forgiven after their repentance.
Allah (SWT) says in the Holy Qur’an:
In the Name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful. "Then
Satan whispered suggestions to them both in order to uncover that which
was hidden from them of their private parts (before); he said: "Your
Lord did not forbid you this tree save you should become angels or
become of the immortals." And he (Satan) swore by Allah to them both
(saying): "Verily, I am one of the sincere well-wishers for you both."
So he mislead them with deception. Then when they tasted of the tree,
that which was hidden from them of their shame (private parts) became
manifest to them and they began to stick together the leaves of Paradise
over themselves (in order to cover their shame). And their Lord called
out to them (saying): "Did I not forbid you that tree and tell you:
Verily, Satan is an open enemy unto you?" They said: "Our Lord! We have
wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your
Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers." (Allah) said: "Get down,
one of you an enemy to the other (i.e. Adam, Eve, and Satan, etc.). On
earth will be a dwelling-place for you and an enjoyment, - for a time."
He said: "Therein you shall live, and therein you shall die, and from it
you shall be brought out (i.e. resurrected)."(Al-A’raf 7:20-25)
In
Islamic law a woman is an independent, unique individual in her own
right. She has the same responsibilities towards herself, towards Allah
(SWT) and towards other human beings as the male, and will be punished
or rewarded in the Hereafter without discrimination towards her female
gender.
Civil Rights:
There is no compulsion in religion according to the Holy Qur’an:
In the Name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful. "There
is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become
distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taghut [anything
worshipped other then the Real God (Allah SWT) (Allah)] and believes in
Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never
break. And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower." (Al-Baqarah 2:256)
A
Muslim woman is not permitted to change her family name to her
husband’s name upon marriage. She is always known by her father’s name,
as a mark of her own identity. In choosing a marriage partner, her
consent to accept or reject any prospective suitor for marriage must be
respected. A Muslim woman has the right to seek divorce, if necessary
within the laws of Islam.
Muslim Women Have the Right to Go Outside of Her Home
Muslim
women are not forbidden from going out in the community, working, or
visiting relatives and female friends, if there is no objection from
their guardian/husband and they are covered and behave and speak
according to Islamic guidelines and, if necessary, escorted by their Mahram (a close male relative).
However,
a woman’s home should be the main base that she works from. Allah (SWT)
instructed the wife’s of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW): "A Woman in Islam Has the Right to Get an Education.” In the words of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW): "To seek knowledge is obligatory on every Muslim."(Declared Authentic By Shaikh Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen Al-Albaani)
Muslim here meaning male and female Muslims, as women are the twin halves of men. The Prophet (SAW) also said:
"Whoever
follows a way to seek knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a way to
paradise." (Declared Authentic By Shaikh Muhammad Naasir-ud-Deen
Al-Albaani)
A woman in Islam has the
right to knowledge and education. Allah (SWT) encourages women to read
and keep up the learning process. He also bestows His mercy upon all who
seek knowledge, and gives them high status:
In the Name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful. "Is
one who is obedient to Allah, prostrating himself or standing (in
prayer) during the hours of the night, fearing the Hereafter and hoping
for the Mercy of his Lord (like one who disbelieves)? Say: "Are those
who know equal to those who know not?" It is only men of understanding
who will remember (i.e. get a lesson from Allah’s Signs and Verses).
(Az-Zumar 39:9)
In the Name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful. "O
you who believe! When you are told to make room in the assemblies,
(spread out and) make room. Allah will give you (ample) room (from His
Mercy). And when you are told to rise up (for prayers, Jihad, or for any
other good deed), rise up. Allah will exalt in degree those of you who
believe, and those who have been granted knowledge. And Allah is
Well-Acquainted with what you do. (Al-Mujadilah 58:11)
This
is referring to religious knowledge, in the first place, and to any
other kind of knowledge, in the second place, where one has the
intention of benefiting herself, her family and the Islamic society.
Additionally, a husband should not forbid his wife from going out of the
house to seek basic religious knowledge, unless he is teaching her at
home. The Holy Qur’an advises mankind to pray:
The Right to Go to the Mosque
The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said:"If someone’s wife asks his permission to go to the mosque, he should not deny it to her."
Women should be covered Islamically, according to the Muslim woman's dress requirements.
At
the same time, a woman’s prayer in her home is better, from the
standpoint of her household duties and duties as a mother. Also it is
better in the sense that it prevents unnecessary mixing with men. The
Prophet (SAW) also stated on another occasion: "But their homes are better for them." (Reported by Abu Dawud and Ahmed)
Islam Gives Men and Women Equal Rights
In
reality, and in Islam, the rights and responsibilities of a woman are
equal to those of man, but they are not necessarily identical with them.
Equality and sameness are two very different things. I think you’ll
agree that, for one thing, women and men are physically very different
from one another, although they are equal to each other in other
important ways.
In the West, women may be
doing the same job that men do, but their wages are often less. The
rights of Western women in modern times were not created voluntarily, or
out of kindness to the female. The modern Western woman reached her
present position by force, and not through natural processes or mutual
consent of Divine teachings. She had to force her way, and various
circumstances aided her.
Shortage of manpower during wars,
pressure of economic needs and requirement of industry forced women to
leave their homes to work, struggling for their livelihood, to appear
equal to men. Whether all women are sincerely pleased with these
circumstances, and whether they are happy and satisfied with the
results, is a different matter. But the fact remains that whatever
rights modern Western women have, they fall short of those of her Muslim
counterpart!
Islam has given woman what
duties her female nature. It gives her full security and protects her
against becoming what Western modern women themselves complain against: a
"mere sex object."
The Right to Seek Employment
If
you take a look at many societies today, a woman is only valued and
considered important if she performs the functions of a man, (while at
the same time displaying her feminine attractions to the public). While
these women may carry the immense responsibility of bearing and rearing
children, you have to admit that they may still be at par with men in
nearly every area of life. The result is the present-day confusion
concerning sex role differentiation, resulting in very large numbers of
divorces and emotionally distraught children.
In
Islam, however, the value and importance of women in society and the
true measure of their success as human beings, is measured with
completely different criteria: their fear of Allah (SWT) and obedience
to Him, and fulfillment of the duties He has entrusted them with,
particularly that of bearing, rearing and teaching children.
Nevertheless,
Islam is a practical religion, and responds to human needs and life
situations. Many women need, or wish, to work for various reasons. For
example, they may possess a needed skill, such as a teacher or a doctor.
While
Islam does not prohibit women working outside the home, it does
stipulate that the following restrictions be followed to safeguard the
dignity and honor of women and the purity and stability of the Islamic
society, (the conduct of women, after all, is the "backbone" of any
society):
1. Outside employment should not come before, or seriously interfere with her responsibilities as wife and mother.
2.
Her work should not be a source of friction within the family, and the
husband’s consent is required in order to eliminate later disagreements.
If she is not married, she must have her guardian’s consent.
3.
Her appearance, manner and tone of speech and overall behavior should
follow Islamic guidelines. These include: restraining her glances in
relation to any men near the work place, wearing correct Islamic dress,
avoiding men, not walking in a provocative manner, and not using make-up
or perfume in public.
4.
Her job should not be one which causes moral corruption in society, or
involve any prohibited trade or activity, affect her own religion,
morals, dignity and good behavior, or subject her to temptations.
5. Her job should not be one which is mixing and associating with men.
6.
A woman should try to seek employment in positions which require a
woman’s special skills, or which relate to the needs of women and
children, such as teaching, nursing other women, midwifery, medicine
with specialization’s like pediatric or obstetrics-gynecology.
MUSLIM WOMEN RIGHTS VS. WESTERN PREJUDICE AND HYPOCRISY!
The right of a Muslim woman is to be respected for her mind and for being her own person:
A
Muslim Woman is Required to Dress a Certain Way When She Goes Out in
Public. For a Muslim woman, her modest dress is an expression of a
universal sisterhood. An Islamic dress also liberates the Muslim woman,
and she is then automatically respected for her mind instead of her
body.
Simply put, she
retains her dignity! It is like saying: I am a respectful woman. I am
not for every man to look at, touch, or speak to. I am protected,
exactly like a precious white pearl which, if touched by everyone, will
become black and dirty.
A
woman’s modest dress protects society from adultery and other forms of
illegal sexual relations that lead to the break up of families and
corruption of society.
A
successful Muslim sister was asked by the people of the West, 'How is
it possible that an intelligent lady like yourself, well educated and
incredible successful, can be so backwards in thought, which is shown by
your 'choice' to cover yourself up [i.e. hijab]'.
The
sister very intelligently, and rightly so, replied, 'If you look back
into history, you'd notice that the not-so-intelligent people barely
covered. As intelligence increased, clothing was introduced. It is not I
who is backward, for I am moving forward, with intelligence. Backwards
are those who wear less clothes, like the ancestors did whence
cohabitation in caves were a norm.
But
why do the Western people and the Western civilization regimes leaders
hate Muslimah (Muslim women) dress so much?: It could be due to the
Western Prejudice and Hypocrisy!
Islam and The Western World: “Media-Biased News Reporting, Prejudice and Ignorance”
(Description: Stereotypes and misconceptions about Islam in the media are rooted in prejudice and ignorance!)
Islam is the fastest growing religion in the West. Nevertheless,
the West has many stereotypes and misconceptions about Islam that are
due to: the media, Prejudice, and Ignorance. Islam is often looked upon
as a "extremist", "terrorist", or "fundamental" religion. Many people
hate Islam and do not want to acknowledge its true teachings.
In
many cases, the media’s reports about Islam are incorrect due to
ignorance. This is one of the reasons why the West often hates Islam.
In contrast to what many Westerners think of Islam, Islam is a peaceful
religion, which does not promote any injustice or crime. Stereotypes
about Islam are not new to Western culture. Problems can be traced back
1400 years. At that time, Islam and Christianity were involved in the
Crusades in the 1100’s and in the Ottoman and Moorish control in Europe.
Islam spread quickly to the West, and started to threaten the position
of the Christian Church and the ruling class.
The Western
elites, mainly the governments and the churches, then became highly
involved in seeing that negative images were presented about Islam. As a
result, not only were battles fought against Islam, but also a war of
words was initiated to make sure that Islam would not have any converts
or sympathizers in the West. These kinds of actions and feelings that
the West had long ago still seem to be the case in the West today.
Today,
the West, with little or no understanding of Islamic history, has
identified a new enemy, "a new demon that has replaced the Red menace of
the Cold war, i.e., radical Islam". This "radical Islam", a stereotype
common to Western thought, portrays Muslims as fundamentalists or
potential terrorists. Some of these ideas that the Western people have
about Islam are due to the mass media of the West. Reporters who cover
the Muslim world often know very little details about it. The media then
develops a distorted image of Islam that Western culture adopts.
A
major factor which contributes to Islamic stereotyping in the West is
due to the media’s ignorance of selecting their words that describe
Muslims. Some common names heard or seen in the news about Muslims are
"extremist" or "terrorist". These words are misleading and are mainly
anti-Islamic. The media rarely uses more neutral terms such as
"revivalist" or "progressives". The Western media also creates the idea
that Muslims are "returning" to Islam. This is not true in most cases,
because many Muslims have never left Islam in the first place. Islam has
always been a big part of their lives.
Prophet Muhammad PBUH - one the greatest reformers for women
The
media often says that Islam discriminates against women, and that women
have no power or authority. However, it is ironic of what the media
represents, that the Prophet Muhammad PBUH was one the greatest
reformers for women. In fact, Islam is the only religion that formally
teaches women’s rights and finds ways to protect them. When Islam is
practiced correctly, it becomes the best example of a fair society.
As
Islam came around, traditional pre-Islamic roles of women were replaced
by new Islamic roles that women followed. Islam allowed women to have
the right to be educated and the right to participate in political,
economical, and social activities in their community. This created
upward mobility in their communities. Women were given the right to
inherit property and take charge of their possessions. While most of
these rights are denied to Muslim women today as a result of cultural
tradition, one should not associate this with Islam, because they do not
correlate with it.
Islamic women wearing veils is another
commonly misunderstood concept in the West. Westerners often think that
this is a harsh custom that Islam requires of women. Westerners often
say these women have no freedom or dignity for wearing these veils. But
in fact, these veils actuality help protect women and help them remain
in chastity. In Islamic societies there are very few rape cases and AIDS
victims as opposed to the Western societies, were there are thousands
of rape cases and AIDS infected victims a year. God will do anything He
wants to her in this world and the after.
Islamic women
are indeed supposed to be granted these rights, but the media often
fails to inform its audiences about this fact. The media also fails to
report that most of the Islamic countries have a high illiteracy rate.
This means that it is "virtually impossible for many Muslim women to
challenge cultural male authority when the women themselves do not know
the difference between village customs and actual Islamic law".
The
Western media would be able to better represent women’s issues in
Islamic countries if they identified how and why governments have
limited women’s rights that are guaranteed to them by the Quran (Muslim
Holy Book). Most so-called Islamic countries such as Syria are corrupt
(according to Islam) in their religion and should be addressed in the
media’s reports. But instead "the media falsely portrays Muslim women as
victims of a harsh and suppressive religion". With regard to Islamic
women’s rights, Islam is also a hot topic of Western governments.
Western powers do not usually easily tolerate Islamic movements or
governments.
One main reason is that in an Islamic
government, in contrast to Western governments, there is no separation
of church and state. Judith Miller states in her book Challenge of
Radical Islam, "that anyone who believes in universal human rights,
democratic governments, political tolerance, and peace between the Arabs
and the Israelis cannot be complacent about the growing strength of
Islamic militant movements in most Middle Eastern countries". Miller
says that the Western governments should oppose these kind of Islamic
movements. This statement shows one Western’s views about how the West
opposes Islamic movements.
The West False and Misleading Ideas about Islam
Observers
often say that the goal of Islamic fundamentalism is to wage a holy war
against the West. These observers believe the idea that Islamic leaders
only wanting the redress legitimate political grievances is totally
nonsense. They think that even if Israel or any other opposing regime in
the Middle East would disappear, "the appetite of the Islamic
fundamentalists would only have been whetted". These ideas
are false and also misleading. The Western media often portrays Islam as
a "militant Islam" or a "fundamental Islam" threat to the West.
Edward Said
states that: For the general public in America and Europe today, Islam
is "news" of a particularly unpleasant sort. The media, the government,
the geopolitical strategists, and although they are marginal to the
culture at large - the academic experts on Islam are all in concert:
Islam is a threat to Western civilization. Now this is by no means the
same as saying that only derogatory or racist caricatures of Islam are
to be found in the West...What I am saying is that negative images of
Islam are very much more prevalent than any others, and that such images
correspond, not to what Islam "is"...but to what prominent sectors of a
particular society take it to be: Those sectors have the power and the
will to propagate that particular image of Islam, and this image
therefore becomes more prevalent, more present, than all others.
John L. Esposito’s book, The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality,
states the question, is Islam a threat to the West? He tells us that
the answer lies in the West’s views. He says that if the Western powers
continue to defend the unjust status of the Middle East in the name of
an illusory or fleeting stability, Islam will be a threat. "But if the
Western powers begin to appreciate the legitimacy of grievances in the
Middle East, the West and Islamic movements will get along peacefully".
With
the Western media’s spotlight and some Western governmental attitudes,
the West is a place where Islam is a name of negativity. The Western
media has contributed a great deal to this negative image of Islam. The
media often misrepresents and inaccurately explains Islam and its
manifestations. Sometimes the media seems to be biased against Islam.
When the media distorts the image of Islam, the general public tends to
believe it, because the media is a major source of information that the
public gets about Islam. This ignorance that the West accumulates from
the media leads them into making stereotypes about Islam and associating
all Muslims and Arabs together.
The West often times
views Islam as "fundamental" "extremist" or "discriminatory", but all of
these terms have be manipulated, purposely because of biased feelings
and accidentally because of ignorance, by the media to present a
negative image about Islam.
Bibliotheque:
1. “ISLAM AND THE WEST: WOMEN´S RIGHTS IN ISLAM” by Amer Al-bayya
2. ”ISLAM COVEYED” (http://www.islamconveyed.com/pages/index.php?id=181)