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 and/or islam:
“The ideal of men and women sharing equally in parenting and working is a vision still. What would it be like if women and men were less different from each other, if our worlds were not so foreign? A male friend who shares daily parenting told me that he knows at his very core what his wife’s loving for their daughter feels like, and that this knowing creates a stronger bond between them.”
—Anonymous Mother. Ourselves and Our Children, by Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, ch. 6 (1978)
“The exact objectives of Islam Inc. are obscure. Needless to say everyone involved has a different angle, and they all intend to cross each other up somewhere along the line.”
—William Burroughs (b. 1914)