Muslim Women and Western Ideas of Feminism
Western feminists aim for completely equal rights for men and women.
They want to liberate women from perceived oppressions from men. Their
aims are to give women completely free choice in their decisions. Such
examples are child-bearing. This is a good view to the extent that men
and women were created equally and so they should be treated equally.
However, their views would not work in an Islamic culture. The Qur’an
does states that,
“Women have the same (rights in relation to their husbands) as are
expected in all decency from them; while men stand a step above them"
As Western feminists want women to be treated as though they are on
the same step as men, Muslim women would not be able to accept this.
Men are seen to be more capable in Islam. They do not necessarily have
more rights, but their capability is higher due to their physical
nature.
In Islam, women are treated with the highest esteem. They are not seen
as inferiors or as sexual objects. They are seen to be very important
in life as they give birth. The Qur’an mentions how men and women
cannot be separate. They both compliment each other and must work
together. They are like the yin-yang. Each half needs each other in
order to complete the circle. If they separate and are treated as
exact equals, then they cannot compliment each other.
Women convert to Islam for a number of reasons. Firstly, they may just
convert due to personal, political, cultural or spiritual reasons.
Perhaps, they have married Muslim men and felt it necessary to convert
to their partner’s religion.
Some may convert due to oppression from men. In Western society, women
can be seen as sexual objects and can be forced to wear sexually
revealing clothes, etc. In Islam, women are encouraged to wear the
hijab.
Islam could benefit from the West in terms of equality. Some people
could see giving women the same rights as men as a positive note.
The World’s Religions by Huston Smith is a novel based on the different religions found around the world. The main area of focus within this book was to expand the knowledge of different cultures and their religions. The chapters that were specified to focus on include Islam, Judaism, Christianity and the Primal Religions. Go into detail about each religion. Smith goes into great detail about each religion, concentrating on the teachings and essential elements of each religion, important people that helped form the religion, and traditions. He specifically discusses how these three religions are very similar rather then how different they are, with the main studies on Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad. Finally he discusses the Primal Religions – meaning the traditions that are passed down through oral communication.
...ople. It is heart breaking to see how few women contribute, compare to what they can contribute to the society for the moral and prosperity of the country. Islam teaches tolerance and sacrifice for both men and women because we are one under God’s eye. Women are not the only one to learn tolerance, sacrifice and serve men. It is important for people to educate themselves and find the purpose in making this world a better place for women and children. In addition, I wish to make every woman aware of their individuality that they are worthy in and of themselves and not by the men in the society.
The Islamic Revolution of 1979 placed an ideological wedge that created an increasingly pervasive rift in gender equality that is now only gradually being successfully challenged and correct upon.
Very frequently Islam is portrayed as a male centered, patriarchal faith. This has led to many outside of Sufism, even within the Islamic community, to be completely unaware of the importance of the feminine in Islam. Perhaps it is due in part to the interiority of the Feminine presence in Islam, this aspect of the culture and religion is widely unknown, though extremely important (Schimmel, “My Soul Is a Woman”). In recent years there has been much discussion and controversy over the role of women in Islam, however when looking at the most viewed and valued poetry of Majnun and Layla the role of the Feminine becomes fairly clear. As seen with how Layla responds to Majnun, the role of the Feminine in Islam is to be the counter balance to the Masculine. In short, just as Layla acts as both the spiritual reminder and voice of reason to Majnun, so too is the role of the Feminine in general (Galian, “The Centrality of the Devine Feminine in Sufism”).
An example of this is Islamic feminism, women use the teachings of the Quran as the source of their rights. Feminism is not only limited to western countries; it is regarded as a mission for women’s rights all over the world. This concept of Islamic feminism, is beneficial for women because it allows them to believe in their religious beliefs but also being able to have more freedom to identify themselves as an individual. According to Singh (2012), “hidden feminism is an individualistic paradigm. Hidden feminism draws from the realm of postcolonial, Islamic, cultural and global feminisms as it deconstructs modernity and ethics of modern structures” (p.128). In other words, hidden feminism is formed by from different feminisms and that concentrates on individuals that want to maintain their cultural/religious beliefs but also move forward and make changes to improve gender
The religion of Islam has obtained the reputation of violence and misogyny in recent decades due to radical sects in the international spotlight. Although violence has been limited to radical groups, many people outside of the religion view Islam’s law, Shari’ah law, to define the status of women below men. However, from the original holy text, the Qur’an, and the Prophet Muhammad’s Sunnah, a framework of equality and mutual respect across sexes is evident. Although the Qur’an is the unadulterated Word of God, it is interpreted by Muslims in many different ways. It has been through these patriarchal interpretations of the five schools of Islamic law that the status of women has been impinged upon (Barlas, 2002). The Qur’an itself contains versus which demonstrate the equality of men and women, but also seemingly contradicts itself by undermining the status of women. These contradictory phrases have recently been interpreted by female scholars differently than the original schools to support the equality of sex. Muhammad’s life also displays his affection and respect for his wives as opposed to a lifestyle of misogyny. In the end, the status of women in Islam has been largely degraded by human interpretation of the text to create a power dynamic between a husband and his wife, or wives. Although a woman’s status has been lowered in the eyes of many Muslims, recent civil rights movements and women activists are challenging these emboldened concepts to achieve social and political leadership.
In the book, Women in the Middle East, a Saudi Arabian proverb states, "A girl possesses nothing but a veil and a tomb" (Harik and Marston 83). The key words, "veil" and "tomb" lend evidence to the fact that many Middle Eastern women lack identity symbolized by the “veil” and lack the right of ownership except for their veil and the tomb. This statement further enforces the notion that many women in the Middle East are expected to serve and tolerate the oppression of the men in their lives throughout their lives on this earth. Moreover, it confirms that many of these women do not get the opportunity to obtain education, join the work force, and even participate in the political affairs of the country. This arrangement further helps the Middle Eastern men to view women as their properties, servants, or even as slaves. Ultimately, there are three main reasons why Middle Eastern men engage in the act of oppressing their women.
The author deal with the rebellion by taking away muslim women's rights. Muslims women's could not do the same things that men's are aloud to do. They had to cover there body from head to toe, they could not show any of there skin unless for there future husband. Also, muslim girl had to get married to the husband which their parents had chosen some even get married at the age of 13 or higher. It all depends on the father on which age their daughter can get married. OH! Did I mention they could not get married to the person they want, it has to be approve by the family or the father chooses the future husband for their daughter.
While people in the west think that women in Islam are oppressed, they do not know that Islam liberated women from oppression. There are many people who have opinions about the religion of Islam, but mostly about the women who follow it. Westerners have this idea that women in Islam are disrespected, mistreated and oppressed. In actuality, these allegations are incorrect. Women in Islam have rights and are not oppressed. The veil is widely misunderstood and many do not know what it represents. In many ways, men and women are equal as much as they are not; and this is in every religion.
For years American women have been and still fight for equality. On the other side
My thesis will be based on Feminism in the late 20th and 21st century in Western Europe, North America and compared to Feminism in middle eastern countries. I want to focus my thesis on why feminism is still necessary and how feminist art makes a difference in either culture I have been researching sexuality and politics, the use of the Word 'feminazi' as a way of degrading the feminist movement, and terms like "modern-day feminist", degrading, negative and harmful words used against women that are deemed socially acceptable in todays society, the female form and how women are played against each other in the media, stereotypes accosiated with feminism such as it being an anti men movement rather than an equal rights movement. I want to research radical feminism and question how it affects the feminist movement, why feminist art is relevant in western and middle eastern culture from the late 20th century to the present and the sexist views that still exist about women.
Muslim women have to dress modestly, may choose who their own husbands are, have the right to an education, and are able to lead other Muslim women in prayer and preach. Women of Islamic faith have more rights than what is stereotypically thought, such as Muslim women being controlled by their husbands and having no freedom. Stereotypes will continue to follow Muslim women, but they just brush them off and continue doing what they’re doing, which is something every person should do.
...So their Lord accepted their prayers, (saying): I will not suffer to be lost the work of any of you whether male or female. You proceed one from another ...(Qur'an 3: 195).
In today’s globalized world, women’s studies is emerging as a fast growing discipline which is not restricted any more to the academia but is significantly capturing the attention of the civil society. The way civil society responded to “Nirbhaya” gang-rape case of December, 2012 in Delhi; the way people came on the streets in protest against this horrific and barbarous crime committed against a 23 year old woman; this people’s movement has undoubtedly engineered the emergence of a new consciousness among us about the need for a realization of women’s honour and dignity in the society. There have been serious debates on the issue of whether more stringent laws (in the line of Shari’a law) be implemented in our Indian society so that such heinous crimes against women can be prevented. However, the aforesaid incident is only one among many hundred other such crimes happening everyday in almost every corner of the globe. Many such incidents of crime are either suppressed or do not come to limelight. The following analysis is a humble attempt to deal with the status of women (especially in Islam) in a globalized world.
Today, people think that women were liberated in the west and that the women's liberation movement began in the 20th Century. Actually, Islam preceded all the existing systems in introducing women's rights more than fourteen centuries ago. The women's liberation movement was revealed by God to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the seventh century. A whole package of new rights was given at once to women by their creator without their having to strive to get them. The Qur'an and the Traditions of the Prophet (Hadith and Sunnah) guarantee every Muslim woman certain rights and duties.