In recent months, a number of groups have promoted misconceptions about Muslim beliefs.
In particular, broad generalizations about the treatment of women in the Muslim world
have widely been used to paint Islam as brutal or inhumane.
But for many of the world’s one and a half billion Muslim men and women, this does not
ring true.
So, what does the Western world often get wrong about women in Islam?
To start, public debate in the west often characterizes women in Islam as subordinate
to men; and in some ways, inferior as a result of Islamic scripture.
Men having multiple wives, women being forced to wear facial coverings, and not allowed
to leave the home are often used as examples of such oppression.
Many believe that Islam’s holy book, the Quran, dictates these rules, and is thus inseparable
from the values of Islam.
But this is not quite true.
While there are, in fact, Quranic verses which say that men are “in charge” of women,
the Quran also stresses fairness and justice towards women.
For example, although polygamy is often justified by a passage in the Quran, that same passage
says, “if you fear that you will not be able to maintain justice between your wives,
then marry only one.”
Values concerning the respect of women in the Quran are often overlooked in interpretation
and practice.
Moreover, the overwhelming majority of “rules” found in Muslim majority countries which are
oppressive to women do not have a direct basis in the Quran.
Instead they are the result of rulings by Muslim jurists since the 10th century - long
after the death of the prophet Muhammad, and the writing of the Quran.
A closer look at the inequality women face in certain countries shows that it is not
Islam, or Islamic teaching which promote oppression, but oppressive governments using religion
to maintain control over their people.
One frequent example is Saudi Arabia, where women suffer from some of the worst inequality
in the world.
Their prohibition from driving, or leaving the home without a chaperone, comes up again
and again in the media.
But Saudi Arabian oppression extends to many other groups, including minorities, and even
other sects of Islam.
And those rules against women driving aren’t found in any other country.
In other words, oppression in Saudi Arabia is largely a problem with Saudi Arabia, not
with Islam.
Meanwhile, Muslim women in countries like Indonesia and Malaysia see considerably greater
freedom, and higher rates of education, while keeping within Muslim tradition.
In Indonesia, women have a roughly 90% literacy rate, as compared to Pakistan where the rate
is closer to 40% These more liberal countries are marked by greater democracy, and a blend
of cultural influences from other religions.
For Muslim women living outside of politically unstable monarchies and theocracies, life
is considerably better.
And while passages within the Quran do place women in a somewhat deferential role to men,
that is arguably also the case in all three Abrahamic religions, including Christianity
and Judaism.
And in all cases, the real issue is governments and movements that build control around religion.
It is important to understand that the repression of women is not simply a factor of extremist
Islam, but of extremism as a whole.
But women are fighting back, both against repressive governments and Western misunderstanding.
Check out this video by Seeker Stories, to learn about how women in France are taking
back
the veil.
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