Women of Islam Essays

Women of Islam Essays Women of Islam Essay Women of Islam Essay Religion has its way of imposing things on people. Most religions usually impose a contrast between the rights and roles of men and women with regard. Since most religions are also patriarchal, and these rights and roles usually are more favorable to the men.Islam is probably one of those seemingly patriarchal religions. Having to live in an Islamic therefore patriarchal society, Islam Women are usually undermined, or at least it seems that way for outsiders to the religions who do not fully understand their teachings. Islamic Women are probably some of the most misunderstood people in the world.II. Rights, Roles and MisconceptionsThe Stereotypical image of an Islam Woman is that of a veiled Woman who is all covered up save for their hands and eyes in what they call the Hijab (the scarf) and Niqab (the face veil), who has no choice but to be completely submissive to the whims of her husband, and is married along with a few more women to just one man. Let us fi rst be clear about these misconceptions about Islam Women and understand the true essence of being a Woman in Islam.Islam, in reality, has a high regard for its women. Islam Women may even have more rights and privileges, and are respected more as compared to those from other religions. This is probably one reason why many women today from all sorts of societies convert to the Islamic faithClothingRegarding their fashion, They have to follow strict rules of modesty. There are seven conditions regarding how an Islam Woman should dress: ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Clothing must cover the entire body, only the hands and face may remain visible. ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The material must not be so thin that one can see through it. ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The clothing must hang loose so that the shape or form of the body is not apparent. ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The female clothing must not resemble the mans clothing. ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã ‚  Ã‚   The design of the clothing must not resemble the clothing of the non believing women. ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The design must not consist of bold designs which attract attention. ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Clothing should not be worn for the sole purpose of gaining reputation or increasing ones status in society. (islamfortoday.com)Apparent from these conditions is how Islam emphasizes modesty and the need to cover up a Woman’s body. This is in order to protect themselves from the lustful eyes and immodest thoughts of men. They should not attract attention to themselves. Islam probably considers all of its women to be beautiful enough to attract the desires of their men. Men are actually allowed to look at a woman’s eyes, but only once. To gaze at a woman’s eyes twice may encourage lustful thoughts.Islam does not want its women to be objectified as mere objects of lust and desire. In contrast with other societies, women are used as o bjects or tools of desire used to attract men. Advertising is one example in so-called free societies on how women are used to attract and to sell products.There is also the emphasis on being unique. They strive to not be like others from other societies and culture. In contrast to other societies where women are supposedly encouraged to be unique and are allowed to dress however they want, their notions what to wear are actually dictated by the mass media. To the Islam’s, it is better to dress according to God rather than according to man.Individual and Marital RightsIslam Women do not unquestioningly submit to their husbands or would-be husbands. Fixed marriages are allowed in the Islamic traditions. However, it is the decision upon who to marry that is sometimes fixed. But the decision whether or not to marry that man is that of the Woman alone. They have the right to accept or reject a marriage proposal.Islam Women also have the right to a divorce if they she deems their marriage to have failed or if the man fails to live up to the responsibilities that are expected of him especially regarding those that are specified in their marriage contract. The right to a divorce usually has to be specified in the marriage contract with the mutual agreement of both parties. Otherwise, however, the Woman may still pursue a divorce if her marriage has truly failed beyond the couple’s capability to mend it with the help of a court of law.Though Divorce is allowed in Islam, it is somewhat discouraged. They recognize the sanctity of marriage. Their divorce process is not of an instant separation of severing of the marriage but is rather a process of reconciliation. After filing for a divorce, the Woman is first required to stay and not go out of her husband’s house for three months. During this process, the husband will still be responsible for his wife. Its first purpose is to check whether the woman may be expecting a child and the second purpose is to give the couple a chance for reconciliation. Their family and relatives are allowed to help fix the marriage of the couple. Once the couple are reconciled, the divorce is automatically cancelled. But when further problems in their relationship arise, the couple can go through the same divorce process again. When it happens again for a third time, this is the only instance when the divorce can no longer be revoked. They want to prevent separation as much as possible.Men and Women in Islam have equal rights to ask for a divorce. It is a part of the Islam teachings that men and women are equals.   Some grounds for divorce could be as simple as the fact that the woman does not like her husband anymore or if she does not get any sexual satisfaction from him. If some people from other societies would think that it is only men who has the urge and need for sexual satisfaction, this is not the case for Islam. Women have the right to call for a divorce is she does not get sexual satisfa ction from her husband.For a society and religion that can openly express the necessity and importance of sexual intercourse, Islam people still has a high regard for chastity. The idea of chastity can usually be mistaken for the idea of celibacy. Chastity in the context of sex and intercourse means to avoid any unlawful sexual relations while to celibacy is to avoid any kind of sexual relations be it legal or not. One can be chaste without being celibate. Chastity is a matter of great importance to Islam. They impose severe punishments for whoever accuses an Islam woman of unchaste behavior. Just imagine how much more severe the punishment could be if the woman was proven to be unchaste.There have been allegations that Islamic traditions in punishments include female genital cutting particularly for cases of being unchaste. This allegation has been disputed. It has been proven that such practices only exist in only in Africa.In the case of a complete divorce, the woman has the righ t to gain custody of their children for as long as she can provide for them.With regard to what they consider a marrying age, children who are nine years old and younger are not yet allowed to formally marry. They are allowed though to be promised for marriage. And even when they are formally married, young women are still not allowed to live with her husband until she reaches sexual maturity.Islam Women also have the optional privilege of retaining their maiden names even after marriage, something that we would never see in other societies.With regard to Islamic polygamy, the decision of the man to have multiple wives usually needs the consent of the first wife. This is also not a matter of caprice or is a privilege for the men; it is a matter of duty. Polygamy in Islam has a very noble cause. It is the duty of a man to support and sustain the livelihood of his wife, or wives for that matter. A man cannot marry unless he has the means and capacity to do that. He can have as many wi ves as he can as long as he can maintain all their well-being and give them all a good life. Particularly in times of war and poverty when many women are suffering or are widowed, it is the man’s duty to alleviate them from all those hardships by marrying them. Therefore, polygamy for the men of Islam is a matter of heroic altruism and not of sexual selfishness as others might think. This again reflects the high regard of Islam for its Women; they are to be cared for.Since marriage for the Islam is a matter of support and sustenance from the men to the women, this does not entail that women are completely dependent on men. Though she has the right to receive provisions of her needs and more from her husband, she is still also an independent being that can move and interact with her world on her own.An Islam Woman has the right to an education. She can learn what she deems necessary in order for her to contribute to her society and to earn money and a living for herself becaus e she also has the right to earn her own money. She can use that money to purchase whatever she thinks that she needs or wants because she also has the right to have her own property. Moreover, since she has an education, she has the right to work and receive equal rewards for her deeds and services. She also has the right to voice her own opinions and be heard for it.Islam women also have the right to receive an inheritance. In dividing the inheritance to be received however, the men usually receives a larger percent of it. This should not be mistaken as a matter of inequality due to gender. This is again, a matter of duty for the men. It is the responsibility of a man to support his wife (if he has at least one) and his family. He has a bigger financial burden, which is why he is allowed to receive more. Women on the other hand have no duty or responsibility to the financial support of anyone. She is entitles to her own money.Islam declared Men and Women to be equals. Women are ju st as important in their society as men. A proof of this equality is their traditions are the sharing of inheritance. Men and women have equal but not necessarily the same rights and privileges. â€Å"If she is deprived of one thing in some aspect, she is fully compensated for it with more things in many other aspects† (Abdul-Ati).Roles of an Islam WomanIt has been well established how Men and Women in Islam are equals. However, they still vary in terms of their roles in the society. The variation is mainly in a public and private sphere. The husband’s main role is to work in the public sphere and earn a living to support his family. For the wife on the other hand, her biggest and most important role would have to be in the private sphere with her family. She has the most important role in an Islamic society as being a wife to her husband and more importantly, as a mother to he children. She may not be the head of the family, but she is considered as the most important part of the family.In terms of Politics and leadership, Islam has no clear statement that would accept of reject women’s role in this. There is one story however; the story of Belquees. She is the queen of Sheba, and is a Muslim. This is probably the only account of a Islam woman being a leader. This story has been some Muslim scholars. One Muslim scholar named Abu Bakra even stated â€Å"a community ruled by a woman will never succeed† (submission,org). Some have argued however that his views may be corrupted due to his chauvinistic influences. Nevertheless, the fact that Islam woman are allowed to have an education could indicate that they could learn and should be given the chance to become good leaders.III. According to Mohammed†¦Just how did Islam come to regard women at such a high esteem? Here are some quotes from the Qur’an by Mohammed that state why:Fear Allah in respect of women.The best of you are they who behave best to their wives.A Muslim mus t not hate his wife, and if he be displeased with one bad quality in her, let him be pleased with one that is good.The more civil and kind a Muslim is to his wife, the more perfect in faith he is.A man asked the Prophet: Whom should I honor most? The Prophet replied: Your mother. And who comes next? asked the man. The Prophet replied: Your mother. And who comes next? asked the man. The Prophet replied: Your mother!. And who comes next? asked the man. The Prophet replied: Your father'I asked the Prophet who has the greatest right over a man, and he said, His mother†VI. CriticismsSome might argue that the Islamic traditions are still quite chauvinistic or patriarchal. They still acknowledge that women are weaker than men and that women need men to support them.Yes, women might be considered to be weaker, but not necessarily lesser. Their high regard for women might actually root from this notion.VII. ConclusionMost religions are patriarchal, religion has a big influence in socie ty, and therefore the society can become patriarchal. Islam may seem to be patriarchal for those who do not know better. But in reality, to have an Islamic faith in an Islamic society can probably be the best thing that could happen to a woman, especially a mother.