Women in Islam- Is Religion to be Blamed?- Part 3

Although one cannot deny the existence of a patriarchal based religion with the emphasis of men in power, there lies provisions in Islam which give and protect women’s rights. This fact is contrary to the popular western belief that Islam the religion is to blame for the oppression and discriminatory treatment of women.
While looking at the topic from a logical perspective, it is easy to reason that the cases on the mistreatment of women in Islam can be blamed on the followers of Islam and their own misinterpretations of Sharia Law. It is logical to blame the extreme oppression of women on extremists factions that control government in the in the politically unstable nations of the Middle East. It is also logical to believe that what may be viewed as oppression to the western world may be considered morally correct in the Islamic world.

Although we see previously that the oppression of women is not a result of the religion itself and that some of this oppression is actually ethnocentrism at work, this does not negate the fact that women in the Islamic world are being discriminated from many things that men are entitled to such as basic healthcare and education. Women are still being discriminated because of a lack of proper governance and self awareness of the equal rights they have as people given to them by the Qur’an.

To promote equality and to ease discrimination of women in the Islamic world, I believe that the first step toward real equal rights would be good governance on the part of each host nation. The creation and active enforcement of Laws which support women’s rights would allow women to go unharmed as they received education, political power, property, money, etc. Although traditionalists will ultimately try to prevent this from happening, a widespread feminist movement in the Islamic world would bring a new generation of Muslim leaders who understand a need for change in these modern times.

The cultural diffusion occurring between the Muslim and Western world is opening the eyes of men and women alike in Islam. In a case study performed by Leila Ahmed in the UAE, the issue of equal education was of interest at the time. Segregation between the sexes was prevalent during the time frame and Ahmed had passed out questionnaires regarding whether people were in favor of equal education for women. The local men and women both supported equal education.

“Whatever either sex felt about segregation and about women’s pursuing professional lives within a segregated context, they did not want to see women held back intellectually or prevented from pushing the professions they wished.”

Though segregated, both men and women agreed that women should not be discriminated from having the same education as men. Coupled with an organized feminist movement, the day will come when the mindset of Muslims will transcend traditionalist thinking.

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