Women In Islam
The complex relationship between women and Islam is defined by both Islamic texts and the history and culture of the Muslim world. The Quran explicitly states that men and women are equal, but states in 4:34 that "Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has made one of them to respect 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. In general, women played a much bigger role in Islam than most people like Asmā' bint Abu Bakr would imagine. There are examples of female warriors in the armies of Prophet Muhammad.
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 Women In Islam: 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 and Notable Women in Islam, See Also
Famous quotes containing the words women in, women and/or islam:
“Women of fashion and character—I do not mean absolutely unblemished—are a necessary ingredient in the composition of good company; the attention which they require, and which is always paid them by well-bred men, keeps up politeness, and gives a habit of good-breeding; whereas men, when they live together without the lenitive of women in company, are apt to grow careless, negligent, and rough among one another.”
—Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl Chesterfield (1694–1773)
“The myth of motherhood as martyrdom has been bred into women, and behavioral scientists have helped embellish the myth with their ideas of correct “feminine” behavior. If women understand that they do not have to ignore their own needs and desires when they become mothers, that to be self-interested is not to be selfish, it will help them to avoid the trap of overattachment.”
—Grace Baruch (20th century)
“Awareness of the stars and their light pervades the Koran, which reflects the brightness of the heavenly bodies in many verses. The blossoming of mathematics and astronomy was a natural consequence of this awareness. Understanding the cosmos and the movements of the stars means understanding the marvels created by Allah. There would be no persecuted Galileo in Islam, because Islam, unlike Christianity, did not force people to believe in a “fixed” heaven.”
—Fatima Mernissi, Moroccan sociologist. Islam and Democracy, ch. 9, Addison-Wesley Publishing Co. (Trans. 1992)