Faraz Omar

SO much is in the news everyday about liberation of women and their rights. But it seems everyone has a different idea of what actually entail women's rights. There have been different attempts by various groups at bringing about what each group thought were women's rights. For example, look at this video from the 1950's. Is something similar also spreading in the Muslim countries? Look at Arab News' editorial on International Women's Day.

I realize there is a need for addressing women's issues and problems. But I'm quite uneasy with extremism and exaggeration, I may be wrong. I'm also worried about what impact such propaganda has on women. 

The problem I think is that the media makes use of cases of abuse to demand rights that are actually transgressions? Allah knows best. Next: Umm Zakiyyah's reply

Umm Zakiyyah

WHILE viewing the video, I was saddened, not because of the encouragement and acceptance of women in the workforce but due to the foundational ideology that seems to suggest that being committed to a career is mutually exclusive to being committed to your husband and family.

Although this is an old video, I don't like the idea that a woman's advancement is connected to her disregard for her home—a sentiment that has been carried even into the 21st century. From a purely business perspective, isn't "working" at home (being a homemaker and stay-at-home mom) a possible source of income and financial security for women who wish to get "room and board" (so to speak) as well as pocket money from their "boss" (i.e. husband) while never leaving their house for "work"?

And am I to assume that fostering an intimate, loving relationship with my husband and children is less important than fostering a financially lucrative relationship with a business partner? I can have one or the other if I choose, or I can have both. And as long as no ethical (i.e. Islamic) rules have been broken, why even hint at either scenario being at odds with the other? Such rhetoric gives credence to the often-voiced concerns that there seems to be at the root of such discussions the desire to break down family units as opposed to having the goal to "empower" women (whatever that means).

I must admit I wasn't quite clear on the overall goal of the Arab News article. There were some elements that addressed concrete issues like voting rights and women holding public office, but there were other elements that were a bit subtle yet clear in actually opposing women's empowerment. 

For example, one part of the article states:

Just as in Europe and America 100 years ago, there are even Saudi women opposed to change, who fear that change will threaten the one area where they have power —the home...Women need to empower themselves and start thinking in terms of entitlement.

This excerpt left me wondering three things: 

1. How is the word "change" being specifically defined here? (There is a clear need to define terms.) 
2. What are these "anti-change" women's actual sentiments? (Out of respect for the women themselves, their specific sentiments should be mentioned here.)
3. So what if they oppose your idea of "change"? Isn't the whole point to give women a voice and a right to do and believe as they want? (I guess not.)

This portion makes the article self-contradictory and glaringly so. On the one hand, we want to give women a voice. On the other, we want to shut them up if they don't agree with our "change."

Makes me wonder if such arguments are really about empowering women, or just about introducing another form of their oppression.

May Allah help us. Next: Noor's reply

Umm Talal Noor

THE video also disappointed me. The woman was being treated as if she was a monkey that was taught some tricks and the people were excited to watch. I very much believe that women and men are both strong people that can do pretty much anything they choose to but I also want to add that the two are obviously different. Those differences cannot be denied. For me as a Muslim I think the Qur'an defines those differences perfectly.

I had read about the International Woman's Day and honestly it appalled me. You do not see men getting a special day now do you? Why do we get a special day? I mean for crying out load they also have a dog day. That just proves societies views of us STILL after all this time. I comprehend and accept that we all have different views on everything in life. 

Each country is struggling with this issue in various ways. In America you see women working alongside men in construction, road jobs, fire-fighters and all other ‘men’ based jobs. This took many years and yes I have saw tons of segregation still but it’s a start. Now living in Saudi I see this is a man’s world and even the men here will agree. It is extremely hard to be a woman in this country and for those of us who are married well were lucky we have someone to help us do not every day normal things one should be able to do on their own. 

For us women to observe that the world needs to change her views this does not mean were feminist. It means we have hope for a better future. I do not agree with the feminist personality what so ever and as I said previously men and woman are obviously different and this is something we have to understand. 

Call me old fashioned but I believe if a woman has a family that should her main concern. Why would you make one if you were not around in the first place? Some women work for pleasure while others have to and regardless or the situation I think they should be able to do this if they choose to as long as they can handle all responsibilities and this goes for men as well. 

In the end, I truly do not see the world ever looking at woman as an equal to men. We will always be just ‘women’ to the world. But as long as we define what success is to ourselves that is really all that matters rather it be as a housewife or a in the workforce. Next: Ali's reply

Ali Shah

THERE is only one issue in this world. Lack of understanding of the Laws of the Universe. Allah has made roles and levels very clear in the Qur'an. As Muslims, this should be our criterion and guide. Anything else will lead to certain confusion and eventual misery.
Women will never be, can never be, have never been, equal to men. It is that simple. They are DEPENDENT on men, and Allah has made it so. This will not change. No matter how much we want to change it and are changing it, this is how it is. Our "forced" change is only causing damage.

I think it is sad that in Islamic Countries, women have to now go out and look for work. It only shows the failure of men. I have even heard of men expressing their desire to marry ONLY women who have stable jobs. To me, these are degenerates, losers, failures.

A single, stable man receives proposals from a large number of women these days, including those previously married. Why? Because women yearn for stability and security through men. We are now seeing a society getting sicker and sicker. The cause of this? Rules and basic principles of status and economics. Man restricts man through unfair distribution of wealth and restriction of activity. Man suffers the stupidity of man by abandoning the Qur'an and so man destroys the very bases of family and society.

Whatever the case maybe, the fact is: women today are not "secure". It was the job of men to ensure their security, including financial security. Instead of that, men have restricted and abused them, and now the situation is basically out of control. Next: Faraz's reply

Faraz

THE topic of women is touchy and it always evokes strong reactions. The reason why I shared that video was because it clearly showed the agenda to redefine the social structure – social engineering, one may call it. The agenda still exists today but it has taken a much more clever shape.

Women are made to believe that if they are to be successful they have to be men. What about the oft-repeated statement that women make up half the population and that if they were all employed they can make large contributions to the economy? As if contribution is made only by doing a "job". And who benefits if women turn into workers? Today's materialistic world and financial elite view profit and loss only in terms of money.

Doesn't that also mean that the greatest contribution women make as mothers and wives — unparalleled by every definition of the word — has absolutely no recognition at all?

As Muslims, the challenges we face are several. We need to raise men and women teaching them their rights and responsibilities. Unless Muslim individuals — male & female — learn to give each other the rights that Allah wants us to give each other and take up the responsibility that He has placed on us, we cannot expect a change in the Muslim society. It perhaps starts with us, then our family, our friends and so on.

Of course women need suitable employment opportunities. I'm not denying that. Not every woman is blessed with a good marriage or a providing husband. It is quite possible that a husband is poor while a wife rich. I'm only talking about how the social structure is being redefined as to what our aspirations should be.

If women can get their larger goal right and find happiness in that, they will know very well how to juggle between realizing their talents and serving the family. And if priorities are set right, women can come up with innovative employment solutions — special timings for women (why should they work like men?), entrepreneurship, community/social work and so on. 'Job' after all is not restricted to being employed in a company.

Moreover, when women are abused in marriages, they don't have many options as well. They mostly suffer in silence. Our culture that frowns upon polygamy, marrying widows, divorcees or older women makes things even more difficult — the victims are largely women. A woman who does not find a suitable single man will obviously be much better off if she married an already married, but good, man than marry an abusive, but single, man. There is no doubt that women are susceptible to be abuse and that they need special care. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) emphasized in his farewell Hajj sermon to take care of women. Muslim men should take up the role of protecting them, not abusing them. May Allah guide us men to learn what we should be and how we should be from the Qur’an and Sunnah.

So yes, there is a need for addressing women's needs and problems. But what the media, IMO, does is, while citing examples of abuse, it proposes solutions/rights — or a social order — that are transgressions against Allah's laws. Women are reduced to considering themselves victims always and they are expected to become what they are not. They are rarely appreciated for who they are and consequently they never learn to appreciate the good things in life. So what we have in result are angry, really angry, women with a confused identity. If we were to tell them Allah has made men Qawwaamoon (protectors/maintainers) over women, they would erupt and call it sexist. But this is what Allah said in the Qur'an. And don't even ask how it would be if I were to narrate ahadith on the rights and status of a husband over a wife! On the other hand, it would be perfectly alright to narrate the rights and status of women. (But just don't talk about responsibilities!) Such attitudes may actually be preventing women from acquiring their rights. May Allah guide our women to learn what they should be and how they should be from the Qur’an and Sunnah.

It’s not only women who are affected by this new social order (even though they may feel they have been liberated), even men are affected, but they don’t realize it.

Men now can “enjoy” women without taking up an iota of responsibility. In permissive societies that are not ruled by the Shariah, marriage rates have dwindled down. A man will prefer having a “partner” or “partners” than getting "stuck up" in marriage. But men do not realize that such temporary pleasures are denying them the blessings of having a family and belonging to it. 

So it cannot be that only women are affected. Men cannot be happy until their companions too are content.

And also it's not that all women are abused. It’s only some women who are abused. Just as some men too are abused. In my opinion, the people who are denied the most rights in this country are the poor, expat men. They are not permitted to bring in their families. So what they are being denied of is a necessity as basic as food and drink — this is how Islam classifies this particular need. The torture they must be going through for years cannot be overemphasized: Imagine, a whole population being denied of a need as basic as food and drink! Yet this is rarely addressed in the media. 

All those of us who have been denied of our rights or have been oppressed in some way or the other should take comfort in knowing that this world is only temporary and Allah will Insha Allah compensate on the Day of Judgment. Remembering this will help us be patient Insha Allah regardless of what situation we are in. Let’s just do what we are supposed to do, perhaps Allah will reward us and give us what is better and everlasting in the Hereafter than the temporary benefits we may have lost in this world. Insha Allah, Ameen. Next: Rahla's reply

Rahla Khan

I ONCE read somewhere or heard in a lecture (I forget) that if men were reminded about their duties in Islam more than their rights, and vice versa for women, we would all be the better for it.

Many Muslim women complain that there is an "over-kill" or "information overload" or an "unhealthy emphasis" on their Islamic duties, and not enough is spoken about their rights, which has left them with no alternative other than being strident, even aggressive, in their pursuit of what Allah has already granted them.

I personally feel that the current state of gender relations betrays the centuries of indoctrination undergone on both sides: from ancient un-Islamic patriarchal cultural influences to the 20th century Satanic version of feminism that aims to create irreconcilable differences between man and woman, so that they wind up adversaries, caught in an eternal barter of acrimonious give and take, as opposed to the Qur'anic ideal of living in tranquility, with mutual mercy (Rahmah) and love (Mawaddah).

I feel this phenomenon has to be addressed at various levels: we need to look into the influences and pressures that have fashioned/are fashioning the 'battleground' of gender interaction, specifically in the context of spouses; the various manifestations of brainwashing in our lives and attitudes and in the fabric of the society around us. And we must focus urgently focus on the all-important question: Now, what?

By 'we', I mean Imams in the masjid, callers to Islam, students of knowledge, parents and community elders, teachers and employers, and other people of influence who have access to a captive audience/willing ears.

In doing so, we will be taking back the narrative where it rightfully belongs, rather than sit by and watch it being hijacked by agencies or individuals with ulterior motives, who may not have the best interests of Islam, or indeed, of the women they purport to serve by their belligerence/interference.