A Study of Islam- Part Five
Women in Islam
The immense volume of literature on the subject of women in Islam reveals a dramatic division of opinion. The difference is so extreme that one wonders if the same subject is being debated.
On the one hand, orthodox Muslims believe that women gain true freedom in Islam, that the Prophet liberated females, that there is essential equality between males and females, and that non-Muslims have misunderstood the whole topic. On the opposite extreme, critics of Islam argue that women are in bondage in Islam, that the Prophet was a chauvinist, and that the Quran contains very offensive material about women. Many non-Muslims believe that Islamic law and tradition treat women as second-class citizens, and that women are subject to abuse in most Muslim countries of the world.[ii] You be the judge as we explore what the Quran says regarding women.
A Woman’s Place in the Family
Muslim women are always under the protection of a male relative: father, husband, brother, uncle or son. Many of the restrictions on a woman are due to the need to keep her honor – on which the honor of the entire family depends – carefully preserved. It will be argued that the more strictly she is controlled, the more highly she is valued. It is essential for a girl to be a virgin at marriage.
A woman will often need permission from a male relative
even to visit her mother or sisters. She will seldom go out alone, but usually
with a close male relative or a number of female relatives.
Even young children can chaperone their mothers or elder sister in this
way.
The woman’s place is in the home. Her role is to
produce sons for her husband, to care for them, and to do the housework.
Some women may go out to work to add to the family’s finances, but this
is usually only in cases of necessity. The husband will rarely assist with the
housework, even if his wife has a fulltime job. Although the wife normally does
the cooking, in some Muslim societies the husband will cook for special
occasions.
Clothing
Islam teaches that a woman must dress modestly, covering
herself from neck to wrist and down to her ankles as well as covering her hair.
Different Muslim cultures fulfill these criteria in different ways. The
covering should be opaque and loose fitting.
Long, loose hair is considered immodest.
In some parts of the world, further demands are placed by
custom on the woman, for example, covering the feet, hands or face.
In some cultures, though brightly colored clothes may be worn in the
home, these must be covered with a dark outer garment when going out.
The hijab – the woman’s veil and head covering
– can have political significance. In some secular countries, such as Turkey,
it is banned at certain times and in certain areas. In conservative countries,
such as Saudi Arabia, it is obligatory and if not worn, or worn properly, it can
result in severe punishment.
Marriage
Marriage is seen in the Quran as a gift from God (Q
16:72) and the normal human condition (Q 4:25). Singleness is viewed as very
undesirable and probably an indication of immorality. Likewise voluntary childlessness is a completely baffling
concept to most Muslims. An older Christian woman who is single will find
herself having to answer many questions from Muslims about her strange position
in society. There are, however, a few sections of Muslim society where celibacy
for religious reasons is approved.
Marriage is not so much a joining of the two individuals
involved as a joining of their respective families. As such, marriages are
almost always arranged by the families concerned, sometimes with little or no
consultation with the young couple, who often do not even see each other until
the wedding day. Strictly speaking, the young person is allowed to refuse the
prospective marriage partner whom their family chooses for them, but in practice
there is often enormous pressure and emotional blackmail put upon them to accept
and not disgrace their family by refusing. The bride is not necessarily even present at the marriage
contract ceremony, but can be represented by a male relative.
It is common in some Muslim societies for marriages to be
arranged with close relatives, for example, first and second cousins.
If the marriage is arranged outside the family, then factors such as the
financial situation and social status are very important in making the choice. A
Muslim man is permitted to marry a Christian or Jewish woman (as she is thought
to be converted to Islam after marriage), but a Muslim woman can only marry a
Muslim man.
Love is expected to grow between husband and wife after
their marriage, rather than before. Even
so, this love is not usually expected to blossom into the kind of devotion and
tender feelings which we in the West generally hope for in a marriage. A Muslim
girl is taught very early in childhood to look to her children, especially her
sons, for love rather than to her husband, who is primarily the provider and
protector. Generally the closest bond in a Muslim family is between mother and
son.
Divorce
According to the Shariah, it is easy for a Muslim man to
divorce his wife; he need only say to her three times in front of witnesses:
‘I divorce you.’ On the other
hand, it is very difficult for a woman to divorce her husband.
The children of a marriage belong to the husband and his
family. Whether the wife is
divorced or widowed, she must hand over the children (though she can keep
infants until she has finished breastfeeding them, or until the age of two) to
the husband or his family.
Divorce in the early years of marriage is frowned on,
though many Muslims consider it less disgraceful if the marriage has lasted some
time. By the same token, breaking an engagement is often considered to be even
more disgraceful than divorce.
In Shiah Islam there is the possibility of temporary
marriages called muta. The length of the marriage is agreed upon in the
marriage contract, and can vary from one hour to ninety-nine years.
Spiritual Duties
Women are required to practice the five pillars of Islam,
as men are, though menstruation is considered to invalidate prayer and fasting.
Muslim societies vary as to whether women are expected to attend public
prayers in the mosque. Even if they are, they will do so in secluded places,
separate from and invisible to the men. They are promised a heavenly reward
though it has to be said that a paradise full of beautiful virgins (Q 44:54,
55:72) would not seem to be as great a delight for women as for men. Many
believe the Quran states that a woman’s obedience to her husband is the main
prerequisite for her to get to heaven.
Many women have little knowledge of true Islam or the
teachings of the Quran, though interestingly enough, they generally know all
about the Day of Judgment. Often they are familiar with certain beliefs which
indicate that most women will go to hell (though most men will go to heaven). It
is hardly surprising that their lives are often dominated by superstition and
fear, and many practice ‘folk Islam’, seeking help from the Muslim saints
– living and dead – and protection against evil spirits. They use charms,
amulets, spells and curses to try to achieve their aims and remove their fears.
Muhammad and Women
The teaching of the Prophet on women and the example he
set with women is crucial in understanding the Islamic heritage about women.
Obviously, Muhammad would affirm all of the ideal principles noted earlier.
Muslims love to cite stories from the hadith about his care for girls, his
concern about women who were being mistreated, and about his tender relations
with Khadijah, his first wife.
Critics of Islam target Muhammad for some of the same
things noted in the Quranic material. Thus,
Muhammad is viewed as a male chauvinist because of his views on inheritance
rights, legal value of a woman’s testimony, male dominance in divorce
proceedings, and the inferiority of women. Critics also question Muhammad’s
moral character in terms of his engagement in polygamy, sexual use of female
slaves, and the defense of the Quran when it teaches that wives can be beaten.
Muslim apologists use the same arguments to defend the
Prophet as they do for defending the Quran. However, they also have to address
other things that surfaced in the course of Muhammad’s life.
These include complaints that the Prophet:
1. Taught that there are more women in hell than men.
2. Believed brief contractual marriages are sometimes right, given the sexual needs of males
3. Married one of his wives when she was just six years old.
4. Married his own stepson’s wife
5. Taught that women are mentally inferior to men.
6.
Believed that the prayer of a man is invalid if a donkey, dog, or woman
walks in front of him while praying.
Contrary to what non-Muslims might think, these
allegations were not invented by enemies of Muhammad. Islamic scholars grant
that each point arises out of genuine hadith about the Prophet. In other words,
there is no dispute over the basic facts. The differences come over how to
interpret them, whether a person accepts or rejects the Prophet’s teaching,
and whether his behavior is justified or condemned.
For the orthodox Muslim, it is absolutely unthinkable
that the Prophet can be wrong in his views or in his deeds. So, if the Prophet
taught, for example, that women outnumber men in hell, then that is a truth that
is to be accepted. If he taught that women are mentally inferior, that is the
case. Who is anyone to question the word of the Prophet?
Other Issues
Critics point to many passages in the Quran regarding
marriage and the status and treatment of women. The dominant charges are:
1. The Quran grants more power to husbands in the divorce process than is given to wives.
2. The Quran grants men access to female slaves for sexual purposes.
3. The Quran allows polygamy for males.
4. The Quran teaches that husbands are superior to wives and can beat them.
5. The Quran teaches that the testimony of women is worth only half that of males.
6. The Quran grants greater inheritance rights to males than females.
Muslim apologists admit to the factual reality of these
points but seek to blunt criticism by arguing that:
1. The Quranic teaching improved the status of women in contrast to pre-Islamic Arabic life.
2. Social conditions explain the need for polygamy, or for the inheritance rights.
3. Military realities of Muhammad’s day warrant the use of female slaves.
4.
Allah’s Word is to be trusted and not treated with suspicion and doubt.
Additionally, there is a very militant Islamic (Taliban)
view towards women. Some of their beliefs regarding women have been much
publicized in recent days. Outlined below is a summary of their beliefs:
The Taliban on Women
1. Cannot receive education
2. Cannot be employed
3. Must remain at home unless absolutely necessary
4. No female doctors
5. Cannot associate or be seen with any male who is not a relative
6. Cannot wear makeup or any nail polish
7. Cannot have hair cut
8. Must wear the veil (burqa) at all times outside the home
9. Violation of dress code will result in public lashings
10. Breaking of sexual rules will result in stoning
11.
Transported in special buses with windows covered.
There are many who believe that the status and treatment of women in Islam is shameful. Given the number of Muslim women in the world, the diversity of Muslim states, and the encroaching power of feminism, the only thing that can be written with certainty is that no one picture can capture what it is to be a Muslim woman today.
[ii]
Taken from Understanding Islam, James Beverley, Nelson Publishing, Copyright
2001, page 45
Copyright
© 2002, Scott Ptak. All Rights Reserved.