Islam And Women
The complex relationship between women and Islam is defined by both Islamic texts and the history and culture of the Muslim world. The Quran states both that men and women are equal, but also, as in 4:34, that "Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has made one of them to excel the other, and because they spend from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient and guard in the husband's absence what Allah orders them to guard." Although the Quran does say this, the superiority of men is interpreted in terms of strength by the context – men maintain women. This verse however refers to a relationship between a husband and wife, not as a society in whole.
Sharia (Islamic law) provides for complementarianism, differences between women's and men's roles, rights, and obligations. However neither the Quran nor Hadith mention women have to be housewives. In Majority Muslim countries-women exercise varying degrees of rights with regards to marriage, divorce, civil rights, legal status, dress code, and education based on different interpretations. Scholars and other commentators vary as to whether they are just and whether they are a correct interpretation of religious imperatives.
Read more about Islam And Women: Sources of Influence, Gender Roles, Female Education, Marriage and Sexuality, Movement and Travel, Dress Code, Women in Religious Life, Women and Politics, Modern Debate On The Status of Women in Islam
Famous quotes containing the words islam and, islam and/or women:
“During the first formative centuries of its existence, Christianity was separated from and indeed antagonistic to the state, with which it only later became involved. From the lifetime of its founder, Islam was the state, and the identity of religion and government is indelibly stamped on the memories and awareness of the faithful from their own sacred writings, history, and experience.”
—Bernard Lewis, U.S. Middle Eastern specialist. Islam and the West, ch. 8, Oxford University Press (1993)
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—D.H. (David Herbert)