The topic of women’s rights is widely discussed today. Nearly every woman has her own views on it, with us, as Muslim women, being at especially hot crossroads. For me, as a convert Muslim, who has come to Islam, leaving behind the Western society, the implications are even more complex. So why is it that so many women nowadays choose to accept Islam, even though Western women supposedly have more freedom? What are the rights that women have achieved in the West and what exactly does Islam grant to Muslim women? Let us take a look at both the traditions in detail to understand the relation between them.
Western Feminism
For the past two centuries, feminism – the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of equality of the sexes – has played a significant role in the Western world as an important social movement that has brought about transformations for the betterment of women. Today, feminism may mean many different things to different people, as the scope of what feminism stands for has extended far beyond its original meaning. In order to understand the origins and goals of this movement, let us take a brief look at the history of feminism.
Historical Background of Feminism Movement
Looking back into the Western Medieval Ages, we learn that women of the time did not have equal rights like they do today. They could not vote and were not able to make decisions about their marriage or having children. Generally, they were not able to work and were restricted mainly to domestic affairs. Medieval women did not have access to education, unless they chose to become nuns, who were given basic education in addition to their Christian devotion. They were not able to own property, and if they inherited land or property from their fathers, then they were forced to surrender it to their husbands at the time of marriage. As horrifying as it may sound, there were Christian clerics at the time, who were even discussing whether women had a soul…
The actual term ‘feminism’ originated from the French word ‘feminisme’, which was coined by utopian socialist Charles Fourier. It was first used in English in the 1890s in relation to the movement for equal political and legal rights of women. Even under the reign of a female monarch Queen Victoria, the status of middle-class women in the Victorian England of nineteenth century was not very different from the Middle Ages. According to the Victorian ‘cult of domesticity’, also called as ‘the feminine ideal’, a woman was seen as belonging to the domestic sphere, bound to care for her husband, children, and home, with no right to vote, sue or own property. Once married, a woman’s rights were legally given over to her spouse, and the married couple became one entity that was represented by the husband, which placed him in control of all property, earnings, and money of both. Even more, the woman herself became ‘the property’ of her husband, giving him the right to what a woman’s body produced: children, sex, and domestic labour.
This was the climate out of which the early Western movement for the rights of women rose. Although Queen Victoria herself despised feminism, describing it in a private letter as the “mad, wicked folly of ‘Women’s Rights’”, and the first voices that spoke about the obvious mistreatment of women in society were very few and lonely, the movement kept growing.
The Four Waves of Feminism Movement
It has become customary to divide the history of feminism into First, Second, Third and most recently also Fourth Waves. Each wave had its own set of rights and freedoms that women were struggling to achieve.
The First Wave (1830’s – early 1900’s): The first wave of feminism focused on basic political inequities of women, such as equal contract, marriage, parenting, and property rights of women, as well as female education rights, better working conditions and abolition of gender double standards. An important focal struggle was for the women’s suffrage (the right to vote and stand for parliamentary office), which represented a significant paradigm shift, where women would not be treated as second-class citizens without a voice. This suffrage movement extended over nearly a century – if in New Zealand women were granted the right to vote in 1893, then in Liechtenstein this right was given to women only in 1984.
The Second Wave (1960’s – 1980’s): If the first wave focused mainly on political rights, then the second wave of feminism fought social and cultural inequities, thus broadening the debate of feminism. This wave coincided with the anti-war and civil rights movements, which brought into focus a variety of minority groups. If the first wave was generally white middle-class driven, then the second wave included women of colour and varied social backgrounds. Feminists spoke of ‘identity politics’ to make a point that race, class, and gender oppressions are all related. This wave also continued to campaign for reforms in family laws, which still gave husbands’ control over their wives, spoke about access to family planning as well as equality in education for women and girls.
The Third Wave (1990’s – early 2000’s): The third wave came as a response to what women perceived as failures of the second wave feminism and is often described as ‘micropolitics’ on feminist issues. This wave breaks the boundaries of the definitions coined by the second wave, re-examining the concepts of femininity, gender and sexuality as well as questioning whether the second wave paradigms are universally good for all females. Feminists of this wave tend to be global and multi-cultural, celebrating ethnic, class and sexual orientation diversity. They fought against sexual harassment and for social acceptance of female sexual freedoms.
The Fourth Wave (2008 and beyond): The fourth wave is a recent development in the feminist movement and is characterized by connectivity through technology, empowered by the constant availability of the Internet. Researcher Diana Diamond defines the fourth wave feminism as movement that “combines politics, psychology, and spirituality in an overarching vision of change”. This wave focuses on sexual inequality as manifest in street harassment, sexual harassment, workplace discrimination, assaults in public transport, online misogyny, and body shaming. Women share their experiences on social media with perception inherited from pervious waves that individual experiences can bring about political solutions. Some highlights of the newest feminism wave:
- The #MeToo movement – millions of women across the globe united, stepping up to share their own assault stories using the #MeToo hashtag.
- The “Time’s Up” movement – bringing high profile assault cases to the spotlight.
- A record number of women seeking political office and leadership roles. The demand for equality, rights, and equal pay is brought to the public eye at record highs – highlighted by marches, social media campaigns, and high-profile women taking a strong stance.
Women’s Rights in Islam
For most Westerners, the image of a Muslim woman is coloured by stereotypes of subjugation, oppression, and even degradation. Many believe that women in Islam do not have basic human rights and are far below the standards of freedom that Western women of today enjoy. So what are the actual rights that Islam granted to women more than fourteen centuries ago at the time, when the Christian clerics of the West questioned the existence of a soul in a woman?
The right to life: In pre-Islamic era, female infanticide (burying newborn girls alive) was very common, as society valued sons over daughters. Islam prohibited this horrifying practice and thus granted to females the right to live.
Equal reward and equal accountability: Islam stipulates that both men and women are equal as believers in front of God – they are equally rewarded for whatever good they do and will be equally held accountable for their deeds on the Day of Judgement. This proves that in Islam the reward depends on one’s actions, not on one’s gender.
“Never will I allow to be lost the work of [any] worker among you, whether male or female.” (Al-Imran 3:195)
Even more, the Quran is the only religious scripture that explicitly addresses in its commands equally both men and women:
“Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their private parts and the women who do so, and the men who remember Allah often and the women who do so – for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.” (Al-Ahzab 33:35)
Equal rights to knowledge: Islam equally encourages both men and women to seek knowledge. Anas ibn Malik (rtam) reported that the Prophet (sa) said: “Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim.” (Ibn Majah) Islamic history has plentiful evidence of excellent female scholars, from whom even men came to learn, starting with Prophet Muhammad’s (sa) own wife Aisha (rtaf), who became an important source of Islamic knowledge, as she narrated two thousand Hadeeths. Muslim women have not only gained education but served as cornerstones for educational opportunities of others. Fatima bint Muhammad Al-Fihriya Al-Qurashiya was an Arab Muslim woman, who is credited with founding the oldest existing, continually operating and first degree-awarding educational institution in the world, The University of Al Quaraouiyine in Fes, Morocco in 859 CE.
Equal right to property ownership and managing finances: Muslim women have the right to inherit and own assets independently. Her wealth is her own property and nobody can take anything from it. No matter how wealthy a Muslim woman may be, it is still her husband’s duty (or if she is not married, then her father’s or her brother’s) to provide her with sustenance, clothing, and protection. With husband’s permission, Muslim woman can have a job and career outside of home and her earnings are only hers to keep and dispose of as she desires. Even more, if a Muslim woman chooses to spend out of her earnings or wealth on her family, she receives double reward for it: that of helping relatives and that of giving in charity.
When the Prophet (sa) was asked in the Hadeeth of Zainab: “Is it permissible for me to spend (the alms) on my husband and the orphans under my protection? The Prophet (sa) said: “Yes, (it is sufficient for her) and she will receive a double reward (for that): One for helping relatives, and the other for giving alms.”
Equal right to choose a spouse and request divorce: Islam has honoured women by granting them the right to choose their spouse. Despite the popular impression, forced marriages are not valid in Islam. Parents forcing daughters into marriage is a cultural practice, which has no basis in Islam.
It was narrated from Aishah (rtaf): “A girl came to her and said: ‘My father married me to his brother’s son so that he might raise his own status thereby, and I was unwilling.’ She said: ‘Sit here until the Prophet (sa) comes.’ Then the Messenger of Allah (sa) came, and I told him (what she had said). He sent word to her father, calling him, and he left the matter up to her. She said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, I accept what my father did, but I wanted to know whether women have any say in the matter.'” (an-Nasai)
Muslim women are also allowed to keep their original family name at the time of marriage, while in the West, the tradition of women changing their family names was associated with the fact that they became ‘the property’ of their husbands. Even more, Muslim woman is entitled to a bridal gift (Mahr) by her husband at the time of marriage (An-Nisa 4:4), which is hers to keep and dispose of at her own will, and has the right to seek divorce (Khulah) for Islamically legal reasons, if the marriage has not been successful.
Equal reward for roles in the family unit: God has created man and woman to be different – they have unique skills, roles and responsibilities. Islam recognizes these differences by ordaining men and women with specific duties within the family unit: the husband is to care for the financial provisions and security of the family, while the wife is to care about the family’s physical, educational, and emotional wellbeing. Even though not the same, the roles of each are equally important and complementary in nature, in order to ensure the smooth running of the family. Both husband and wife will be equally responsible and equally rewarded for the roles they have carried out. Such true equality is celebrated in Islam, while the ‘sameness’ of rights as claimed by Western feminists, according to which men may be assuming the roles of women and vice versa, are generally not encouraged.
Respect and kindness towards women in all stages of their lives: As daughters, wives, and mothers, women are honoured in Islam with great respect. Islam has granted special reward for raising daughters, which is not granted for raising sons: It was narrated from Ibn Abbas (rtam) that the Prophet (SA) said: “There is no man whose two daughters reach the age of puberty and he treats them kindly for the time they are together, but they will gain him admittance to Paradise.” (Ibn Majah)
The Quran ordains love and mercy between the spouses: “And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquillity in them; and He placed between you affection and mercy…” (Ar-Rum 30:21)
The Prophet (sa) also encouraged men to treat their spouses in the best way. Abu Hurairah (tram) reported that the Prophet (sa) said: “The believers who show the most perfect faith are those who have the best behaviour, and the best of you are those who are the best to their wives.” (At-Tirmidhi)
Mothers in Islam are honoured as the nurturers of the future generations and deserve kind treatment at all times. Abu Hurairah (rtam) reported that a person said: “Allah’s Messenger, who amongst the people is most deserving of my good treatment? He said: Your mother, again your mother, again your mother, then your father, then your nearest relatives according to the order (of nearness).” (Muslim)
Conclusion
Having discussed the two traditions – Western feminism and Islam – we can conclude that women in both have very similar rights and that the stereotypes about the oppression of Muslim women do not have any basis in Islam. Rather, it is the local cultural baggage of Muslim countries that oppresses the women and robs them of the rights granted by Islam. A historical comparison also shows us that Western women have gained their current freedoms within the last couple of centuries, while Muslim women were given their rights more than 1400 years ago – an indeed significant difference to consider, which many are not aware of.
As Muslims, we know that Allah (swt) is our Creator, Who has given us the most complete guidance for building a just society and leading a successful life here on earth. Who would know better what is good for us than the Creator? We see that the divine guidance for women includes the rights that the secular society has recognized only recently, as in secular worldview there is no single point of accountability – different historic ages may have different norms of what is good and what is not. We must have true gratitude and appreciation for the fact that Islam elevated the status of women and gave them respect at a time when women in the rest of the world did not have even very basic rights.
As they say, knowledge is power – when Western women crack through the stereotypes surrounding Islam and come to know its true teachings, they see its beauty and recognize the dignity it offers to them. Unfortunately, quite the opposite move is on the rise in Muslim societies, where women are looking towards the West and getting inspired by the ‘freedoms’, which undermine the divine wisdom of what is good for us. The grass is not always greener on the other side – sometimes all we need is to use the same power of knowledge for truly understanding the status of women in Islam and gain pride in the fact that our rights were granted by Allah (swt), not by secular predominantly male governments.
About author
