Women in Islam, the stereotypical married off whilst still a child, uneducated oppressed stay at home mom with an abusive husband. As Halima Abdullah puts it in “And Ain’t I a Muslima?” we are a “trend towards suggesting that most Muslimas are shrouded in some mysterious, untold past” (Abdullah, 217). Muslim women are actually the complete opposite, although there are sadly some women in the position, many Muslima’s are actually empowered within their communities. I interviewed Tabarak Abdelhabib, a Sudanese Muslim woman who is currently a sophomore at ASU. She is very involved in the Islamic community, ASU community, interfaith community etc. My first question was about the role of a woman within the community/mosque. She said that they, …show more content…
In the Afterward, Miriam Cooke says, “[a] woman’s jihad, to use Ansaro Bah’s term from the poem “Jihad,” contains what some might consider two contradictions: women and war, feminism and Islam” (Cooke, 257). There is a false binary that it is impossible to be both Muslim and feminist. The hijab is viewed as what makes a Muslim subordinate to men. When in fact, the hijab, is actually seen as a feminist movement for Muslim women. There are plenty of Muslim feminist role models, many other women look up to. One of them being Khadija Bint Khuwaylid, the first female Muslim as well as the last prophet, Muhammad ﷺ, wife. In a Ted Talk “I am here to confuse you” by Mona Eltahawy, she says, “she [Khadija] was a rich divorcee, a business woman who owned her own business, she was 15 years older than him [Muhammad ﷺ], and she proposed to him.” She was one of the first feminist Muslim woman who went against gender norms, and did what people believe does not exist within Islam. Another popular feminist and political activist female role model is Linda Sarsour. She is one of the many leaders of the women’s marches. She has publicly preached against the stereotype of who a Muslim woman is. She has empowered thousands of women, not just Muslim, to speak up for what they believe, and to have their voices heard. Just a few weeks ago, she and …show more content…
She said that acceptance is the way it should be, because being LGBTQ+ is a personal part of someone’s identity. In Islam, there are extensive amounts of verses within the Quran and hadiths (sayings of the prophets) that no one should be judging, backbiting, invading privacy, etc. So, no one in the community/mosque should be invested within someone’s personal life. A mosque is house of God, and the only one that can be invested is God, himself. She then continues that there are multiple cultural biases rather than religious values that may take a role in a mosque. Which may lead member in those communities to feel uncomfortable. At ICC (the mosque she is involved with), there are multiple interfaith community events where everyone and anyone is welcomed into the masjid. She says that there are members who identify with the LGBTQ+ community, and they are treated equally and with kindness, respect, and hospitality just like everyone
One of the most powerful inspirational women that made a difference was Angelina Grimke. Angelina Grimke was a southern abolitionist and was one of the first women in America to take a stand up against slavery yet she persuaded many people into helping the slaves get rights. She persuaded women by stating that “1st. You can read on this subject. 2d You can pray over this subject. 3d. You can speak on this subject. 4th. You can act on this subject” (MP 10-3, 285). Angelina made a great impact with the involvement of religion to inspire women to help the slaves be free. Angelina uses a persuasive tone to show that woman can make a difference by following her steps. She brings up Adam to symbolize Adam as America’s past mistakes, and then brings up Noah since she wants to make America turn into Noah by being faithful to God. With that women started make a voice for themselves, in 1815, they decided to make a movement to be educated then in the future to be educators. An African-American abolitionist and women 's rights activist, Sojourner Truth, also discusses religion by stating that “[where] did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him” (MP 10-8, 292). Sojourner knows how to argue her point for women and slaves to be treated equally. She sought political equality for all women, and
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.
One of the most famous contemporary ethnographic studies of women and gender within Islam is Erika Friedl’s Women of Deh Koh, in which her main concern seems to be providing he...
Whether it be for religious reasons, or simply because they are afraid of how people might react, many of the LGBT+ community live in fear, never telling people how they really feel. There are many gay, bi, transgender, and more, living on the street simply because their parents abandoned them once they had come out. “In America, up to 1.6 million youth experience homelessness each year. The statistics for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) homeless youth are even more shocking, as this group represents up to 40% all young people experiencing homelessness...Half of all teens get a negative reaction from their parents when they come out to them. More than 1 in 4 are thrown out of their homes” (True Colors Fund, 1). LGBT+ youth, representing around 7% of the total youth, find difficulty living the American Dream that they dreamed of as
The constant smear remarks from media headlines are chiseled into the minds of Westerners and no amount of “educated [and] articulate women fulfilling the modest conditions of the hijab can do little to dispel the myths” (Stacey). She writes how even when these women are simply placing their focus on the spiritually constructed values rather than socially constructed ones they still may be labeled as oppressed. Indeed, the majority of the women in the world have the free choice to where a hijab or not. The Gallup Poll mentioned earlier actually concludes that that “most women in the Muslim world are well aware that they have the same capabilities and deserve the same fundamental rights as men”
To the women of Islam she was seen as a role model, through the restrictions she had broken of a masculine society and excelled in a world dominated by men. She would teach many women and children in her own time and was passionate about education, giving other women hope to see they can be active in their faith and strengthen it. Aisha took in poor, uneducated, abandoned and orphan children into her care and educated and provided for them. Aisha’s devotion and contribution to the development of Islam was probably because of her having no children or certain commitments, giving her time to make contributions. Her knowledge impressed so many people that people came from far away to learn and benefit from her. She also was seen as a role model for her rejection of wealth. Muhammad received a revelation from God to offer his wives the choice between a separation from him, which would allow them to become wealthier, or staying with him and remaining in poverty. Aisha was the first to choose, she opted for poverty. She lived in poverty with the Prophet and continued to do so after his death. Even when wealth came to her she quickly distributed it to the poor. This acts as an example to Muslims that faced with the choice between Muhammad and their faith or wealth, they should choose the
She shares how she was clearly shown that that God is triune, that Jesus is the only way to God, that the Bible is God’s true Word, and that God did, indeed, want to be her Father. She shares the heartbreak of being ignored and shunned by her family (the most important unit in Islamic society), but also the goodness of God in providing her with so much more spiritual family—brothers and sisters in Christ—than the natural family she lost. She tells how her relationships with her servants changed, and how she was led to give up her comfortable house, her lovely gardens, and her privacy and leisure time for the sake of
Her powerful voice to the Islamic world says. Her ideal asserts that education for both girls and boys is a critical step towards becoming a country in which gender equality exists in everyday life.
In the past, these societies had roles for LGBT persons that allowed acceptance, and in our global society where Abrahamic religions are widely influential, we can draw back on our ancient histories to create an environment where LGBT persons are accepted while continuing to have a religious and spiritual society.
In discussing the role of women in contemporary society there are three main areas that can be addressed. The perceptions of woman within contemporary Muslim societies. The status, position and role of woman in the Qur'an and in early Islam
Aisha has had and continues to have a significant impact on Islam. Aisha showed leadership when leading an army into the Battle of the Camel, this battle lead to the division of Islam into Shiites and Sunnis and the battle had and still has a massive impact on the division of Islam. Alisha was a role model to women, she taught women how to be a better wife through her relationship with Mahammad and to respect women within a marriage. Through her actions, she promoted the rights of females within the Islam community and within marriage. Aisha also strengthened women’s faith within religion and encouraged females to have a role within Islamic traditions. Aisha developed and transmitted over 2000 hadiths, these hadiths are still relevant today and have impacted the jurisprudence because of her developing the hadiths. Aisha preached on the streets to encourage and develop the communities understanding about Islam and their faith. This provided people with knowledge about the Islamic religion and allowed for them to become more evolved within the religion. Aisha has also been significantly acknowledged for her contribution to teach both men and women about Islam, their faith and the hadiths, this promoted equality of men and women. Through this, many feminists today use Aisha as an example/model for equality within the community and within religion. Hence, Aisha significantly impacted Islam and continues to today through her
middle of paper ... ... ng the world do not become more tolerant of their very own kind. The LGBT community is not a community of sin, it is merely a community of people like all who go day to day waiting to be accepted for who they are. Works Cited Barber, Heather, and Vikki Krane. "Creating a Positive Climate for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youths."
The prophet, Muhammad, said that “The pursuit of knowledge is a duty of every Muslim, man and woman,” this gave people the motivation to educate themselves, regardless of their gender, which was originally frowned upon (Angha). Since women are now able to educated themselves, they have the necessary knowledge to take advantage of their new freedom, joining the workforce. By joining the workforce women in the Islamic culture can really feel a sense of freedom because they are no longer expected to just sit at home and take care of the house and children, while their husband is at work. Women’s education and work abilities also helps further push for equality and allows them to join “reformist efforts to challenge the control of the male clerical elite over social life” (Fisher). The women in the Islamic culture have become empowered to make changes by being allowed to gain further education. In pre-Islam, women could not purchase their own property, but with women not being able to work, they would have never had the funds to purchase the properties. Today in Islam, women can work and use the money to purchase their own property, another step in making women equal to
Women who have the misfortune of living in predominately Muslim societies often are confronted with adversities concerning their rights in marriage, divorce, education, and seclusion. Consequently, many Westerners seeing a lack of equality towards women in these societies consider it as a confirmation of their own misconceptions about Islam itself. Islam is often rejected as being an intolerant and violent religion that discriminates against and subjugates women, treating them as second-class citizens. From a Muslim’s perspective, Islam’s stance on women can be approached by two opposing views. Scholars amongst the Muslim apologists have claimed, “The verses in the Qur’an represented Muhammad's intention to improve a debased condition of women that prevailed during the Jahiliya, the time of ignorance before Islam came into being.” (Doumato, 177) If inequalities still exist between men and women, they cannot be attributed to Islam, but are a result of the misinterpretation of Islam’s true meaning. Others have entirely denied the notion of inequality between men and women in Islam, claiming that the alleged inequalities “are merely perceived as such by foreign observers who confuse seclusion and sex difference with inequality.” (Ibid.) Many Muslim apologists defend the Koran as noble for the very fact that it raises women to an equal status of men despite their inferiority.
I hope that with this understanding in mind, Muslims and non-Muslims, both men and women can start a process of communication and dialogue in order to remove misconceptions, suspicions, and fears. So as you can see, there are many challenges for today's Muslim woman whether in the westernized world or in traditional societies. Through internal and external dialogue, I am confident we will find the ways to remain true to the Shariah and Sunnah and contribute to the world today.