Muslim women in the modern world

By Ayatollah Mohsen Araki
Muslim women are currently facing two antithetical circumstances: one being the legacy of past cultural traditions and the other being the outcome of the Western secular culture, both of which do not agree with Islamic values. In light of this, Muslim women share the following obligations: - To expand their awareness of the aforesaid circumstances and deepen their understanding of Islam and the notion of women from the vantage point of Islam. - To rid themselves off the influence of the erroneous traditions and the encroachment of corrupt Western secularism. - To create circumstances that promote the true status of Muslim women in line with the Islamic values. The burden of responsibility however shall not rest upon Muslim women only.
All people who have a proper sense of morality shoulder this responsibility and should help fulfil this task. With the help of socially committed individuals, Muslim women should endeavour to unveil their true status in our contemporary world and ultimately establish their genuine role in society. Although Western civilisation has presented many services to human society through its advanced knowledge and technology, but it has brought many unsolved daily problems and has had a destructive influence upon human society due to its position vis-à-vis religion and moral values. One of the most significant elements of the Western civilisation which has negatively influenced human society, due to its illogical views vis- à-vis religion and religious values, is the superficial, materialistic view of humankind which evaluates it in accordance with materialistic standards and criteria. It has established its social relations, particularly family relations, based upon these materialistic values.
There are a number of unpleasant and very distressing facts about women’s circumstances in the Western society, which explains the unhappy life of women in the West and indicates their privation and civil death under the governance of the values of the Western civilisation. In the Reformation Movement, which resulted in the expansion of the Western civilisation, there was a struggle to improve the condition of women and to take them out of the misery and deprivation of middle-age. However, due to the West’s separation of its society from its religion and moral values, the movement for women’s freedom led to some advancement deviated from morality and caused social and family disruption. The unfortunate result of the women’s freedom movement in the shadow of the values of Western civilisation was women''s captivity and servitude, during this period, not to her husband, father or other family members, but to strangers.
Women were slaves for wealthy men, owners of large cartels and companies. In the new period of women’s servitude, women were means for the indulgence of men’s sensual desires or were used for political or economic purposes. Women in the West needed to work twice as hard as before. They had to respond to the immoral demands of society as well as having to respond to their individual needs. Today a new movement is needed which can free women from the chains that have imprisoned her true identity and personality in the name of civilisation. A new movement is needed to return to her the greatness of her humanity and fulfil her human rights.
The most important mission of Muslim women in the contemporary world is to lead the frontiers of this movement. This new modern freedom-seeking movement enables women to claim back their true identity and open up routes for securing the rights of all women. The characteristics of a modern freedom movement for women are as follows:
1. The achievement of women’s rights by enforcing rules and plans which clarify women’s rights from the point of view of Islamic thought. In Islam, men and women are both equal in humanity and servitude of Allah (swt) and both are equal in His Presence. The criteria of superiority amongst humankind are not whether one is a man or a woman; it lies in nothing but piety. Allah (swt) in the Qur’an in chapter 3, verse 195 says: “So their Lord accepted of them (their supplication and answered them), Never will I allow to be lost the work of any of you, be the male or female. You are (members) one of another.” Allah (swt) in another verse, chapter 49, verse 13 says: “O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily the most honourable of you with Allah is the pious.” It is evident that the equal status of men and women does not imply their equality in everything. Due to the physiological and psychological differences and the special place that both men and women possess in the structure of society, each has a specific role in the composition of the society. The rules specific to either gender cannot be inter-changed, nor can one perform them instead of the other.
2. To free women from the doubleedge sword of deprivation and lack of identity. One edge represents a view of women from a purely materialistic perspective- this is the perspective upon which the position of women in the Western civilisation has been based and developed. The other edge of this sword represents the condescension of treatment of women which is deeply rooted in the social tradition. A Muslim woman in her Islamic freedom-seeking movement should be able, on one hand; to combat the captivity resulted from the materialistic values of ‘modern’ civilisation and on the other, fight against the false obligations inherited from the social traditions. The contemporary Muslim woman can become successful on these two battle fronts on the condition that she has the necessary Islamic education and creates in herself the true characteristics of the personality of a Muslim woman. The true characteristics of a Muslim woman, abling her to follow the example of Lady Fatimah Zahra (sa)- who has successfully developed her Islamic personality- are to acknowledge and perform her complex social and religious duties. These characteristics are summarised in the following passage:
i. Religious piety and correct Islamic knowledge in accordance with the Qur’an and Sunnah of Prophet Mohammad (swa) and his purified Household (as).
ii. Qualities like those of Lady Khadija (sa) who accompanied Prophet Mohammad (swa) in combating polytheism and infidelity at every stage. The lady whose generosity with her life and wealth played a great role in laying the foundation of Islam and defending the Prophet- hood of Prophet Mohammad (swa). In addition qualities such as those of Lady Fatimah(sa), as the frontier of combating the diversion from the true line of Islam after Prophet Mohammad (swa) and her most important role, defending the true Islam and the Imamate and the continuity of the message of the Prophet Mohammad (swa). Another example is Lady Zainab (sa). In the renewed restoration movement of Islam she played the greatest role after the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (as). Through Lady Zainab''s role, she could be seen as the precursor to the Islamic modern freedomseeking movement.
iii. The most significant characteristics of the Islamic personality of women is the performance of many responsibilities at the same time: The first of these many responsibilities is with regard to her inner femininity; it is to stand beside her husband as a sympathetic partner and a soul-mate and to be pure and chaste, giving love and care to her children in order to bring them up with the correct Islamic education. The second responsibility is towards her outer femininity. This is her active presence in society and the performance of social responsibilities, since this is reflected in the personalities of Lady Fatimah (sa), Lady Zainab (sa) and Lady Khadija (sa). The contemporary Muslim woman should be able to perform her important responsibilities by following the example of these great personalities.
iv. The contemporary Muslim woman should have adequate knowledge of Islamic teachings, especially those related to the rights and responsibilities of women in both family and society. This will enable her to propagate Islamic teachings and to be successful in her efforts in creating appropriate social grounds for establishing Islamic values. She will have the ability to perform her role as the leader of the Islamic modern freedom-seeking movement.
v. The contemporary Muslim woman should have knowledge about the contemporary world, current affairs and the destructive powers within the fields of political and social affairs which are making efforts against divine values and are trying to turn women into a tool for misuse in human society. Women’s knowledge of these affairs, of their dangers and consequences, is vital for spreading and continuing the Islamic Muslim women''s freedom-seeking movement in the contemporary world.
vi. The contemporary Muslim woman should have awareness of the deprivation occurring under the shadow of the ruling atheistic culture. She should be aware of the critical and difficult conditions that have undermined the foundations of the family on one hand and manners and human values, including humanity of women on the other.
Today there is growing oppression of women and other vulnerable sects of society due to a weakening of spiritual values and the indulgence of wealth and physical desires. This knowledge can help Muslim women to fight the modern captivity and social oppression of women which, under the false cover of freedom, has been inflicted upon her.
From Living Islam issue 72 Oct 2011 - The above article was presented at the “International Conference on Muslim Women & the Modern World” held at the Islamic Centre of England on 28 th September 2003