Women In Muslim Society

Women in Muslim Society

Muslim society over the centuries has treated women as second class citizens. It's been this way since the beginning of time. Women are treated in this manor for a number of reasons, but all leading back to the Quran. Women are considered inferior to men, are treated unfairly in marriage, and even are oppressed legally, but all are approved of in the Quran. It describes in detail the way that a women is to be treated and the way a women should treat her husband. The Quran expresses the equality of the sexes in the following. "And their Lord answereth them, `I will not suffer the work of him among you that worketh, whether of male or female, to be lost. the one of you is the issue of the other."(Q 3:195) So while the Qur`an holds the works of men and women in equal regard and acknowledges that they are completely interdependent to their very existence, They are not regarded as having equal worth as people. The fact that men are a step above the women and superior to them is evident in the following verses. "And it is for the women to act as they (the husbands) act by them, in all fairness; but the men are a step above them."(Q 2:228) "Men have authority over women because Allah has made the one superior to the other."(Q4:34) Women are thought of as being lower in intellect and spirituals in comparison to men. In the Quran it states, "And of His signs is that He created for you, of yourselves, spouses, that you may repose in them."(Q 30"21)

This causes many Muslims to look at women as creations like the animals and plants and other useful things created by Allah. Muslims believe that women are lacking many of the traits that men possess. The believe that women are lacking gratitude as well as intelligence. The Hadith speaks of this subject saying,

"Women are ungrateful to their husbands and are ungrateful for the favours and the good (charitable) deeds done to them. If you have always been good

(benevolent) to one of them and then she sees something in you (not of her liking), she will say, `I have never received and good from you." Also women are not reliable witnesses due to their lack of intelligence and their emotional state. It is said that, "Women was made to bear and feed children. Therefore she is very emoti...

... middle of paper ...

...d on a prohibited degree.

5. If the marriage contract is imperfect (i.e. if she had sex with someone by mistake, the man thinking she was his

Wife)

6. If the wife is too young to have sex

7. If the wife is imprisoned even if innocent

8. If the wife doesn't surrender herself in his home on the day due to illness.

9. If a wife was raped

10. If a wife goes to perform a pilgrimage (she in this case would not be under her husbands care at this time)

These instances of inequality among men and women of Islam where not the isolated or uncommon examples. I found that for the most part this is the way the Islamic women live their day to day lives. Unusual to Americans this is the norm for that part of the world and many people both men and women are fighting to keep it that way. Many of their beliefs are suprising, but are their results justified? Their goal is to secure a descent wholesome family free of adultery and divorces. However unusual they believe their means are justified.