Women and Islam

I haven't read through this entire essay yet, but I found this passage of interest. I may post more excerpts and make other comments soon, insha'allah.


"There is a innate wholesomeness, beauty and dignity in the Muslim woman which is exclusive to her and not found in any other woman. This wholesomeness is the result of her identification with and submission to God. Unlike many non-Muslim woman, the Muslimah does not equate her identity (or her worth) with her similarity or her proximity to men. Indeed her gauge of measurement is dependent upon her closeness to the ideals, directives and decrees made known to her through the Light of God as revealed in the Qur’an. Since she has submitted her will to God in Islam, and because she is God’s servant, all servitude to anyone or anything other than God is rendered inoperable and void. Even her husband, her father, her mother, or the Imam, is only to be obeyed in reference to how consistent their instructions are to those provided by God. And if their suggestions or directives are contrary to those of God and His Messenger, than they must not be followed. Also, she should never be passive in the face of brutality and exploitation, whether it is directed against herself or others.

"Muslim women in the West face a unique set of difficulties and distractions. They are surrounded and systematically bombarded with information and influences which are un-Islamic in content and effect. Those who do not live in stable Muslim communities or who do not have strong ties with Muslim family members or friends, are particularly vulnerable of being overwhelmed by a tide of dangerous concepts and inappropriate behaviors. They may even be persuaded that the so-called Western lifestyle is superior to the Islamic one and consequently a strange kind of inversion of reality takes place whereby that which is ugly becomes desirable and that which is beautiful becomes unattractive.

"She may also (like the Western women in her midst) believe that her freedom is based upon her ability to become involved in activities that have been traditionally designated for men. Yasmin Mogadesh writes:

"'Fifty years ago, society told us that men were superior because they left home to work in factories. We were mothers, and yet we were told that it was women’s liberation to abandon the raising of another human being in order to work on a machine. We accepted that working in a factory was superior to raising the foundation of society-just because a man did it.

"'Then after working, we were expected to be superhuman-the perfect mother, the perfect wife, the perfect homemaker-and have the perfect career. We soon came to realize what we had sacrificed by blindly mimicking men. We watched as our children became strangers and soon recognized the privilege we’d given up.'"