An analysis of the position of women in Islam

The status of women in the Muslim world is a source of frequent criticism against Islam. Women in the West have fixed their gaze on the polygamy, veils, and other inequalities in Muslim countries and are concerned about the rapid spread of Islam. When Western critics charge that Islam assigns a low status to women, however, Muslims often argue that any disparity between men and women is the result of cultural differences, rather than of Islamic law.

While it is true that Prophet Prophetraised the status of certain women in some respects, we cannot let this fact cloud other issues, namely, that Prophet Prophet Muhammad permitted husbands to beat their wives, (2) that he repeatedly proclaimed the inferiority of women’s intellectual abilities, that he taught that women’s prospects for the afterlife are extremely bleak, and that, according to Prophet Muhammad, it is acceptable for men to rape their female captives. Combined with the above passages describing Muhammad’s beneficial impact on society, these four facts allow us to arrive at a more accurate and well-rounded picture of Muhammad’s view of women.

The Qur’an states clearly that women are to be subordinate to men. Qur’an 4.34: “Men stand superior to women in that God hath preferred some of them over others, and in that they expend of their wealth; and the virtuous women, devoted, careful (in their husbands’) absence, as God has cared for them. But those whose perverseness ye fear, admonish them and remove them into bed-chambers and beat them; but if they submit to you, then do not seek a way against them; verily, God is high and great.”

The behaviour of the Prophet Muhammad clearly shows his value and respect for Khadijah. Khadijah also is widely revered by Muslims. However, reverence for Khadijah does not necessarily translate to respect for all women. One of the attributes of Allah is that Allah has no body and no gender. Yet Allah is always referred to as “He.” In Arabic, genderless nouns are generally given the male form. This clearly illustrates that in Arabic Islamic society, males are seen as superior to females.

The requirement that women cover their hair and dress modestly is demeaning and discriminatory. The restriction is used to justify the mistreatment of women with uncovered hair, exposed arms, etc., by suggesting they “asked for it” by being immodest. While many specifics of Sharia law (Islamic religious law) are not found in the Qur’an, traditional Muslim texts and practices are used to justify restrictions that limit women’s access to education, transportation, and employment, making women reliant on men for these fundamental rights and denying women self-determination. In countries where this is the case, women and girls experience oppression, whatever the Qur’an says. If lowering the eyes and softening the voice are recognitions of personal power and displays of humility before God, why are men not required to do it as well as women? The fact that this is not required of men demonstrates the expectation of women being submissive.

Unwillingness to question different requirements for men and women is a sign of ongoing oppression. Does something being done many times and having the force of habit make it right? Acknowledging that Prophet Muhammad was ahead of his time, valued women enough to assert their equality with men, and changed their standing in society for the better, would he not want today’s women also to be equal with men? If Prophet Muhammad could see that the way Sharia (Islamic law) is applied today keeps women from opportunity, freedom, and happiness, would he want things done differently?

Prophet Muhammad offered women little hope for the afterlife. Indeed, he clearly states that most of the inhabitants of hell are women who were ungrateful to their husbands (though he never suggests that ungrateful husbands will receive similar punishment). This means that, after being admonished, banished to a separate bed, and beaten by her husband, a willful woman can look forward to an eternity in hell: The Prophet said: “I saw paradise and stretched my hands towards a bunch (of its fruits) and had I taken it, you would have eaten from it as long as the world remains. I also saw the Hell-fire and I had never seen such a horrible sight. I saw that most of the inhabitants were women.” The people asked: “O Allah’s Apostle! Why is it so?” The Prophet said: “Because of their ungratefulness.” It was asked whether they were ungrateful to Allah. The Prophet said: “They are ungrateful to their companions of life (husbands) and ungrateful to good deeds.”

In Iran, Muslim Women by raising their voice against the freedom from Burqa and the atrocities against them, Muslim women have made it clear in the global scenario that Muslim women now also want to move with the time. They too have the freedom to walk in step with men. This wave of change should also be visible in Indian Muslim women, because no Mullah or Maulvi can decide someone’s life. The Indian constitution has given this right to both men and women equally, but due to Muslim personal law, Muslim women are deprived of their rights.

As per the Islamic tenets, a Muslim person’s allegiance should always be towards their faith, which is Islam and the Qur’an mandates each and every Muslim to abide by it under every circumstance. The Qur’an forbids Muslims to question anything in the text even if it seems illogical or is in opposition to the laws of nature. Their ideology demands a homogenous society in which everyone should follow the same faith and disregard the existence of any other religious practices.

When people with such mindsets live in an open and pluralistic society that has followers of other faiths then they are always in conflict with the society as their religious teachings expect them to either convert everyone to Islam or kill the non-believers. This pushes the Muslims to disregard the civic laws and the general law of the land and indulge in violent criminal activities. Such extremist behaviour is praised by their religious leaders and as a consequence many Muslim youth are often seen involved in anti-social/anti-national activities and often their local political representatives are also shown supporting/defending their crimes. 

Muslim children, especially from low-income families, are often deprived of formal education due to the religious restrictions that recommend madrassa education which focuses on knowledge of Islamic texts and its rote learning. The Islamic religious leaders are always seen promoting madrassa education and under their influence, Muslim families don’t prefer formal schooling of their children. There are a few people who do want their children to get into formal education and become doctors, engineers etc, but they are also forced to compromise under the pressure of their religious leaders. This takes away the right of the Muslim children to have a bright and prospective career on par with other non-muslim children. This blind following of the religion and their religious leaders leads to massive unemployment among Muslim youth who then become a burden to society.

Islamic scholars are always of the opinion that their religious texts are the final word when it comes to scientific aspects even when it is evident that they are wrong. For eg. the Qur’an says that the Earth is flat and stationary and the Sun revolves around the Earth which was scientifically proven wrong centuries ago. However, the Islamic teachers still propagate the false information to Muslims who in turn are extremely ignorant about the basic understanding of a lot of scientific concepts. The effects of this are seen in such a way that on an average, an adult Muslim person may be less knowledgeable than a school-going child who has been given proper education.

                                                                                                                                                                                                             -Kunal Raj & Tanmay Naik