Woman In Islam

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[b][font=trebuchet MS][size=9]Women In Christianity And Islam[/size][/font]

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[b][font=trebuchet MS][size=9]Whenever
the topic of Islam is brought up among Westerners, it has been my
experience that the first objection that immediately springs into their
minds is: "But women are so extremely oppressed in Islam."

And, "But women are second class citizens in Islam." For example,
they see that Muslim women usually observe modest standards in their
clothing and they automatically equate their modesty with oppression.

They appear to feel that freedom is in some way directly
proportional to how little clothing one wears and that oppression is
directly proportional to the degree of modesty one exhibits in their
clothing. Although this topic does not directly relate to the main topic
of this book, still it seems inevitable to touch on this subject even
if only very briefly, due to it's importance.


The problem is twofold: First of all, people who make such
objections usually only have A very superficial knowledge of the true
teachings of Islam, and secondly, they do not realize what The Bible
requires of all believing women.


I was once passing through Canada with in lawS and their family. As
we walked down the street, a Canadian Christian girl (in her late
teens-perhaps early twenties) passed by us with a group of her friends.
She looked at my mother in law who was dressed in modest clothing and
had a large scarf wrapped around her head such that only her face was
showing. She then stopped my mother in law and said words to the effect
of: "Why do you allow your men to oppress you? Why do you wear these
clothes?"

Now, my mother in law is a university graduate, a straight A
student, highly respected by her peers, and gainfully employed as an
inspector of the public educational system back in my home country. My
mother in law has also distinguished herself in her study of the English
language and it's grammatical structure. However, she did not have an
extensive working knowledge of American and Canadian pronunciation and
slang, and thus, she missed the tone with which this question was
delivered to her.

I decided to move a reasonable distance away, and let her handle
this situation herself. My mother in law was very happy to answer this
girl's question and went on to explain to her about our religion and
customs and how we prefer to dress modestly, and that Allah Almighty
requires us to do this. However, this was not the answer this girl was
looking for so she retorted: "Thanks for sharing!," then spun around and
stormed off.

Now, in my home country, our elders are quite used to being highly
respected by those who are younger than them and being served by them.
For this reason, it did not even occur to my mother in law that this
question could have been anything more than a young girl respectfully
asking an innocent question of a trusted elder, and I hated to tell her
otherwise. I would have hated for her to leave Canada thinking that all
Canadians or all Christians speak this way to their elders, since I know
that this is not the true case. However, this episode did indeed sadden
me.

Many non-Muslims feel sorry for any Muslim women they see adorned in
their modest clothing. They feel that they are deprived the freedom to
roam around in more scant and revealing clothing. Anyone who lives in a
manner other that which they have become accustomed to is seen by them
to be oppressed and forced to live in this manner. There are certain
tribes in the Amazon jungle, in Australia, and in Africa, which have
become accustomed to walking around in a simple g-string around their
waist. What would the people of the West say if these people were to
condemn the Western habit of "forcing" their women to wear "excessive
amounts of clothing" and to demand that all women in the west
immediately stop wearing anything but the simplest g-string around their
waist? What if they were to say that the Western society should
immediately stop unjustly persecuting their women and preventing them
from freely roaming the streets wearing only a pair of socks? They would
say that the people making these demands have no morals or shame.
Philosophers would have a field day with such a question.


What if someone were to claim that it was immoral, discriminatory,
and unjust to separate men and women indifferent public bathrooms the
same as it is not just to do so with blacks and whites. What if this
person were to then call (in the interest of equality, fairness, and
constitutional freedom of course) for a merging of men and women's
bathrooms into one "unisex" or "equal-opportunity" bathrooms for both
men and women? Once again, the philosophers would have a field day.
Anyone who follows the news will see that this may indeed be where the
USA is now headed. In the New York Post (31 Aug. 1994 or a little
before) it was reported that women have now won the right to appear
topless in the New York subway system. Where will the USA be a few years
from now? That is anyone's guess.

Who has the power to determine what is decent and modest clothing?
Who is to determine what is decent and modest behavior? Muslims assign
this right to God alone. This is the essence of "Islam." "Islam" means
"The submission to the will of God." What God commands, a Muslim does.
They do not demand that God justify his commands before they accept
them. Once they have verified that a command is indeed from God then
they abide by it without hesitation.


We can indeed find this lesson in the story of Adam. In the Islamic
version of the story of Adam (slightly different than that of
Judaism/Christianity), Adam and Eve were created by God, educated,
clothed, and then allowed to inhabit heaven. They were told by God that
they could have anything their hearts desired except they must not eat
from the tree. Out of envy, the devil encouraged them to eat from the
tree and told them that its fruit would make them angles or immortal.
They ate from the tree and immediately, their bodies were revealed to
one another, so they took to scooping up the leaves off the trees in
order to cover themselves. This is when Allah sent them down to earth.
What mankind learned from this lesson is that just because a person does
not know the wisdom behind a command of God, and others tell him to
disobey it, by the time the reason for the command is made apparent to
them it may be too late.


Example of dress worn by a Christian nun. Compare it with how Muslim women dress today.

Well then, what is the Biblical view on these matters? Actually,
even in this day and age there still remain traces in Christianity of
the common ancestry with Islam in regard to the accepted norms of modest
dress for Christian women as ordained by her Creator. In the above
figure we have an example of the sort of dress codes observed by
Christian nuns. We are strangely amazed to find that it is almost the
striking similarity it bears to the sort of outfit, which most Muslim
women wear. Why is that? Well, although there are quite a number of very
pronounced differences between Biblical and Qur'anic laws in this
regard, let us start with the following:


Biblical view:


What the New Testament has to say:


1 Timothy 2:11-14 "Let the woman learn in silence with all
subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority
over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the
transgression."


1 Corinthians 14:34 "Let your women keep silence in the churches:
for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be
under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn any
thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women
to speak in the church."


1 Corinthians 11:5-10: "But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth
with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one
as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be
shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her
be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, for as much as
he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the
man. For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man. Neither
was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. For this
cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels."


1 Corinthians 11:13: "Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God (with her head) uncovered?"



What the Old Testament has to say:


Genesis 3:12-16 "And the man (Adam) said, The woman (Eve) whom thou
gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the
LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the
woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the LORD God
said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed
above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly
shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I
will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her
seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto
the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy
conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire
shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."


Leviticus 12:2-5 "Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a
woman have conceived seed, and born a MALE child: then she shall be
unclean SEVEN DAYS; according to the days of the separation for her
infirmity shall she be unclean. And in the eighth day the flesh of his
foreskin shall be circumcised. And she shall then continue in the blood
of her purifying THIRTY THREE days; she shall touch no hallowed thing,
nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be
fulfilled. But if she bear a FEMALE child, then she shall be unclean TWO
WEEKS, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her
purifying SIXTY SIX days."

Ecclesiastics 7:26-28 "And I find more bitter than death the woman
who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The
man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will
ensnare....while I was still searching but not finding, I found one
upright man among a thousand but not one upright woman among them all".


Leviticus 15:19-30 "And if a woman have an issue (her
period/menses), [and] her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put
apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the
even.

And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be
unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean. And
whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe [himself]
in water, and be unclean until the even. And whosoever toucheth any
thing that she sat upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe [himself] in
water, and be unclean until the even. And if it [be] on [her] bed, or on
any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean
until the even. And if any man lie with her at all, and her flowers be
upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and all the bed whereon he
lieth shall be unclean. And if a woman have an issue of her blood many
days out of the time of her separation, or if it run beyond the time of
her separation; all the days of the issue of her uncleanness shall be as
the days of her separation: she [shall be] unclean. Every bed whereon
she lieth all the days of her issue shall be unto her as the bed of her
separation: and whatsoever she sitteth upon shall be unclean, as the
uncleanness of her separation. And whosoever toucheth those things shall
be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and bathe [himself] in water,
and be unclean until the even. But if she be cleansed of her issue, then
she shall number to herself seven days, and after that she shall be
clean. And on the eighth day she shall take unto her two turtles, or two
young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest, to the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation. And the priest shall offer the one [for]
a sin offering, and the other [for] a burnt offering; and the priest
shall make an atonement for her before the LORD for the issue of her
uncleanness." SEE ALSO WOMEN IN THE BIBLE



In other words, the Bible teaches us that:


1.Women should learn in silence and subjugation.

2.Women should not teach.

3.Women should not have authority over men but should remain silent.

4.Adam and Eve were not equal in sin. Adam was not deceived but Eve was.

5.Women are commanded to be under obedience to men. God ordained that men shall for all time rule over women

6.Women must keep silent in Churches. It is shameful for them to
open their mouths therein. If they have a question they should ask their
husbands before going to church and then their husbands will ask for
them in the church.

7.A woman should neither pray nor profess with her head uncovered.

8.If a woman prays with her head uncovered then she might as well shave her head.

9.Man was created in the image and glory of God, and Woman was created in the glory of Man, thus Man must have power over her.

10.Any woman who delivers a male baby shall be unclean for one week.
But any woman who delivers a female baby shall be unclean for TWO
weeks. Thus, females make their mothers DOUBLY unclean as compared to
males.

11.While it is possible to find one upright man in every thousand,
it is impossible to find even one single upright woman in every thousand


12.Woman is a snare, her heart is a trap, and her hands are chains.
The man who pleases God will escape her, but she will ensnare the
sinner.

13.If a woman had her period and touches a chair or a bed or
anything else then that item immediately becomes unclean. Anyone who
then touches those things shall also become unclean. They must then
bathe themselves and wash their clothes because they have touched an
item that a menstruous woman has touched.


What the canonized saints of Christianity said about women:


"Woman is a daughter of falsehood, a sentinel of Hell, the enemy of peace; through her Adam lost paradise" (St. John Demascene)


"Woman is the instrument which the devil uses to gain possession of our souls" (St. Cyprian)


"Woman is the fountain of the arm of the devil, her voice is the hissing of the serpent" (St. Anthony)


"Woman has the poison of an asp, the malice of a dragon" (St. Gregory)


St. Tertullian, while he was talking to his 'best beloved sisters'
in the faith, he said, "Do you not know that you are each an Eve? The
sentence of God on this sex of yours lives in this age: the guilt must
of necessity live too. You are the Devil's gateway: You are the unsealer
of the forbidden tree: You are the first deserter of the divine law:
You are she who persuaded him whom the devil wasn't valiant enough to
attack. You destroyed so easily God's image, man." Once again, St.
Augustine wrote to a friend, "What is the difference whether it is in a
wife or a mother, it is still Eve the temptress that we must beware of
in any woman."


Centuries later, St. Thomas Aquinas still considered women as
defective, "As regards the individual nature, woman is defective and
misbegotten, for the active force in the male seed tends to the
production of a perfect likeness in the masculine sex; while the
production of woman comes from a defect in the active force or from some
material indisposition, or even from some external influence."


Orthodox Jewish men in their daily morning prayer recite "Blessed be
God King of the universe that Thou has not made me a woman." The women,
on the other hand, thank God every morning for "making me according to
Thy will"


According to the Jewish Talmud, "women are exempt from the study of
the Torah." In the first century C.E.,Rabbi Eliezer said: "If any man
teaches his daughter Torah it is as though he taught her lechery"


According to Rabbi Dr. Menachem M. Brayer (Professor of Biblical
Literature at Yeshiva University) in his book 'The Jewish woman in
Rabbinic literature', it was the custom of Jewish women to go out in
public with a head covering which, sometimes, even covered the whole
face leaving one eye free. He quotes some famous ancient Rabbis saying,
"It is not like the daughters of Israel to walk out with heads
uncovered" and "Cursed be the man who lets the hair of his wife be
seen...a woman who exposes her hair for self-adornment brings poverty."
Rabbinic law forbids the recitation of blessings or prayers in the
presence of a bareheaded married woman since uncovering the woman's hair
is considered "nudity" . Dr. Brayer also mentions, that "During the
Tannaitic period the Jewish woman's failure to cover her head was
considered an affront to her modesty. When her head was uncovered she
might be fined four hundred zuzim for this offense." Dr. Brayer also
explains that veil of the Jewish woman wasn't always considered a sign
of modesty. Sometimes, the veil symbolized a state of distinction and
luxury rather than modesty. The veil personified the dignity and
superiority of noble women. It, also, represented a woman's
inaccessibility as a sanctified possession of her husband. It is clear
in the Old Testament that uncovering a woman's head was a great disgrace
and that's why the priest had to uncover the suspected adulteress in
her trial by ordeal (Numbers 5:16-18).


St. Tertullian in his famous treatise 'On The Veiling Of Virgins'
wrote, "Young women, you wear your veils out on the streets, so you
should wear them in the church, you wear them when you are among
strangers, then wear them among your brothers..." Among the Canon laws
of the Catholic church today, there is a law that require women to cover
their heads in church.


Some Christian denominations, such as the Amish and the Mennonites
for example, keep their women veiled to the present day. The reason for
the veil, as offered by their Church leaders, is "The head covering is a
symbol of woman's subjection to the man and to God": The same logic
introduced by St. Paul in the New Testament.


Russian Orthodox women are expected to wear a head covering when in
the church. Most don't outside of it in America, but many in Russia do,
along with women in other eastern Orthodox countries Europe.

These are only a small sampling. For many more similar quotations
please obtain a copy of the 70 page book"Women in Islam Versus Women in
the Judaeo-Christian Tradition: The Myth & The Reality," By Dr.
Sherif Abdel Azeem, World Assembly of Muslim Youth.


Furthermore, according to the Old Testament, a childless widow must
marry her husband's brother, even if he is already married and
regardless of her consent, so that she might bear a child from him
(Genesis 38).

Additionally, according to the Bible:

"If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married
and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay the girl's father
fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has violated
her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives" Deuteronomy 22:28-30


One must ask a simple question here, who is really punished, the man
who raped the woman or the woman who was raped? What is to prevent
someone from finding the best looking woman in town, raping her, telling
everyone about it, and then having the courts force her to be his wife
for the rest of her life?


According to Numbers 27:1-11, widows and sisters don't inherit at
all. Daughters can inherit only if their deceased father had no sons.

So what is the standpoint of the Qur'an with regard to women? Women
are indeed commanded by Allah to cover their heads and wear modest
clothing, however, in Islam this is not a sign of denigration or
subjugation to men, rather, it is a sign of chastity, modesty, and the
fear of God. It also designates this woman to all men who might deal
with her that she is to be dealt with respect. This could be compared to
the situation in the West when one meets a nun or priest, how the nun's
habit and the priest's robes signal those who meet them, that this
person does not condone vulgarity of speech or evil actions. This is
made apparent in the Qur'an in Al-Ahzab:

"… that is closer to their being recognized so that they shall not
be abused, and Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful" Al-Ahzab(33):59 (also
see Noor(24):31)


What about the rights of women in Islam?


Are they indeed, as the popular propaganda would have us

believe, "second class citizens"? Let us read the Qur'an:

"And they (women) have rights similar to those of men over them in a just manner" The noble Qur'an, Al-Baqarah(2):228


"And their Lord has heard them (and He says): Verily! I suffer not
the work of any worker, male or female, to be lost. You proceed one from
another. So those who fled and were driven forth from their homes and
suffered damage for My cause, and fought and were slain, verily I shall
remit their evil deeds from them and verily I shall bring them into
Gardens underneath which rivers flow. A reward from Allah. And with
Allah is the fairest of rewards." The noble Qur'an, A'al-Umran(3):195.


"And covet not the thing in which Allah has made some of you excel
others. Unto men a fortune from that which they have earned, and unto
women a fortune from that which they have earned. (Envy not one another)
but ask Allah of His bounty. Verily! Allah is Knower of all things."
The noble Qur'an, Al-Nissa(4):32.


"Unto the men (of a family) belongs a share of that which parents
and near kindred leave, and unto the women a share of that which parents
and near kindred leave, whether it be little or much, a legal share."
The noble Qur'an, Al-Nissa(4):77.


"And whoso does good works, whether of male or female, and he (or
she) is a believer, such will enter paradise and they will not be
wronged the dint in a date stone." The noble Qur'an, Al-Nissa(4):124.


"And the believers, men and women, are protecting friends one of
another; they enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and they establish
worship and they pay the poor-due, and they obey Allah and His
messenger. As for these, Allah will have mercy on them. Lo! Allah is
Mighty, Wise." The noble Qur'an, Al-Tauba(9):71


"Whosoever does right, whether male or female, and is a believer,
him verily We shall quicken with good life, and We shall pay them a
recompense in proportion to the best of what they used to do." The noble
Qur'an, Al-Nahil(16):97


"And of His signs is this: He created for you spouses from
yourselves that you might find tranquility in them, and He ordained
between you love and mercy. Lo, herein indeed are signs for folk who
reflect." The noble Qur'an, Al-Room(30):21


"Whoso does an ill deed, he will be repaid the like thereof, while
whoso does right, whether male or female, and is a believer, (all) such
will enter the Garden, where they will be nourished without stint." The
noble Qur'an, Mumin(40):40


In the Qur'an, both, Adam and Eve share the blame for eating from
the tree. This can be seen in the Qur'an in such verses as
Al-Baqarah(2):36, Al-A'araf(7):22-24. They were also both forgiven by
God Almighty for this sin. Actually, in one verse of the Qur'an
(Taha(20):121), Adam is specifically blamed.


Islam encourages spouses to take each other's council and to seek
mutual agreement in matters which affect them, for example, in the
Qur'an, Al-Bakarah(2):233 we read: "Mothers shall suckle their children
for two whole years; (that is) for those who wish to complete the
suckling. The duty of feeding and clothing nursing mothers in a seemly
manner is upon the father of the child. No one should be charged beyond
their capacity. A mother should not be made to suffer because of her
child, nor should he to whom the child is born (be made to suffer)
because of his child.

And on the (father's) heir is incumbent the like of that (which was
incumbent on the father). If they desire to wean the child by mutual
consent and (after) consultation, it is no sin for them; and if you wish
to give your children out to nurse, it is no sin for you, provided that
you pay what is due from you in kindness. Observe your duty to Allah,
and know that Allah is Seer of what you do."


Husbands are commanded to treat their wives with kindness and
respect. In Al-Nissa(4)-19 we read "…But consort with them in kindness,
for if you hate them it may happen that you hate a thing wherein Allah
has placed much good."


The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "The best believers are the best
in conduct, and the best of you are those who are best to their wives."

When Muhammad (pbuh) first became the prophet of Islam, the Pagans
of Arabia had inherited a similar disregard for woman as had been passed
down among their Jewish and Christian neighbors. It was considered so
disgraceful among them to be blessed with a female child that they would
go so far as to bury this baby alive in order to avoid the disgrace
associated with female children.


Through the teachings of Islam, Muhammad (pbuh) put a swift and
resounding end to this evil practice. Not only did he severely
discourage and condemn this act but he also used to teach them to
respect and cherish their daughters and mothers as partners and sources
of salvation for the men of their family:

AbuSa'id al-Khudri narrated: "The Prophet (pbuh) said: If anyone
cares for three daughters, disciplines them, marries them (to other
men), and does good by them, he will enter Paradise." (Narrated by
Abu-Dawood)


Abdullah the son of Abbas narrated: "The Prophet (pbuh) said: If
anyone has a female child, and does not bury her alive, or slight her,
or prefer his male children over her, Allah will bring him into
Paradise." (Narrated by Abu-Dawood)


Muhammad (pbuh) is also sited in "Sahih Muslim" as saying:

"Whoever maintains two girls till they attain maturity, he and I
will come on the Day of Resurrection like this; and he joined his
fingers".


In other words, if one loves the messenger of Allah and wishes to be
with him on the day of resurrection in heaven, then they should do good
by their daughters.


[i]To learn more about the rights of women in Islam, the issue of
modest dress codes, the issue of polygamy, and many other issues which
can not be covered here, I highly recommend the following books:

1.Women in Islam Versus Women in the Judaeo-Christian Tradition: The Myth & The Reality, By Dr.

Sherif Abdel Azeem, World Assembly of Muslim Youth.

2."The Status of Women in Islam," by Dr. Jamal A. Badawi, World Assembly of Muslim Youth.

3."Women's rights in Islam," by Lea Zaitoun, World Assembly of Muslim Youth.

4."Gender Equity in Islam," by Dr. Jamal Badawi, World Assembly of Muslim Youth. [/i]


Works Cited


Brayer M. Menachem. Psychosocial Perspective (New Jersey: Ktav Publishing House, 1986)

Henning M. Clara. " Cannon Law and the Battle of the Sexes" in
Rosemary R. Ruether, (Ed), Religion and Sexism: Images of Woman in the
Jewish and Christian Traditions, (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1974)

Kendath Thena. "Memories of an Orthodox youth" in Susannah Heschel
(Ed.) On being a Jewish Feminist, (New York: Schocken Books, 1983)

Kraybill B. Donald. The riddle of the Amish Culture (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press,1989)

Swidler J. Leonard. Women in Judaism: the Status of Women in Formative Judaism, Metuchen, (N.J: Scarecrow Press, 1976) [/size][/font][/b]</td></tr></table>[/td][/tr][/table]