Women in Islam- Is Religion to be Blamed?- Part 2

The question on whether religion is to blame for the oppression of women is one that has had many Muslim scholars defending their faith. The implementation of Sharia law is one based on interpretation of the Qur’an and its teachings relating to gender equality. One example of a skewed interpretation of the Qur’an is the supremacy of men over women according to Al Qur’an 4:34

“Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others… those on whose part you fear desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping places and beat them.”

Explicitly, this verse from the Qur’an states that men are superior to women and that men have the authority to punish their women with a beating, should they commit a wrongdoing. Implicitly, according to Muslim scholars, the reason why men are considered supreme is because they are physically superior to women and are further expected to be more responsible for the world. The usage of the word “beat” is misinterpreted as the original meaning emphasizes all other forms of reasoning before physically abusing the spouse. Future conjunctions of the Qur’an condone beatings.

The misinterpretation of the law can lead to false social construction of reality by males in retrospect to women. If wrongly interpreted in this case, gender stratification occurs where women are subjected to being dominated by men, an indicator of a Patriarchal based culture.

Islam provides rights to women and states that women have the right to education, political office, money, and the ownership of wealth and property. Although Islam itself provides for the security and rights for women economically, socially, and politically, there lies the argument that the culture and/or law in place beside Sharia Law is the reason for gender stratification and discrimination.

The Muslim faith is defended by claims that extremist regimes, such as the Taliban, are bringing attention to Islamic world with their unfair treatment of women. The Taliban in fact are not representing the true beliefs and intentions of Islam and are not following proper Sharia Law. In the examples of genital mutilation for women and rape used earlier, these are explained as examples of remote events out of the jurisdiction of the centralized government and are not true reflections of Islam.

Though Muslim Scholars and Muslims alike defend their faith through reasonable explanations on the treatment of Muslim women, one cannot ignore that, “The men who wrote the foundational texts of official Islam were living in societies and eras where men believed that God had made them superior to women and that God fully intended them to have dominion over women.”

While there are truths to the extreme segregation of women from men in Islam, westerners are often criticized for judging Islamic customs as unjust and not acceptable in terms of western standards. An example of this misunderstanding of oppression is the use of a hijab (covering scarf) and/or niqab (veil). Westerners believe that oppression is at work and the Islamic dress devalues women, when in fact the reasons deal much more with equality then oppression. This is an example of ethnocentrism because of the fact that western women do not have to cover their faces and are free to dress in whatever they please.

Due to religious and social customs, Muslim men and women cover up in order to hide the physical aspects of lust and desire. This ensures that when members of the opposite sex meet, they are allowed to talk to each other without the question of physical appearance coming to mind, allowing women and men to be treated in the same way as the Qur’an dictates.

“Protected on her own symbol of dignity (her dress), the woman can feel free to take whichever role in her society that she wishes to do without the added burden of having to constantly look beautiful…”

Categoric knowing is an important issue as the oppression of women in the Islamic world is often misconstrued as a widespread phenomenon that is based on the religious teachings of Islam. When presented with the facts as to why women are discriminated; misinterpretations of the Qur’an, misunderstandings between the western world and the Islamic world, the lack of self awareness of rights by Muslim women, and a lack of proper governance protecting women’s right, it is evident that the teachings of Islam do not devalue women as is assumed by western society.