Thoughts on International Women's Day and Feminists

Feminism is a range of political movements, ideologies, and social movements that share a common goal: to define, establish and achieve political, economic, personal, and social equality of sexes. It’s a claim that women need justice as they face injustice.

The major beliefs of liberal Muslim feminists include belief in the right to equal inheritance, right to participate in politics, right to travel without ‘mahram’, right to unveil the face and hair, illegality of polygamy, etc. While some feminists were balanced and came with views which are already present in the Qur`an (like to freedom of choice on who to marry), other feminists were considered extreme and came with views in absolute contradiction with Qur`an calling for a reformation.

However, it faced strong criticism from other Muslim men and women alike. Zara Faris, a well-known speaker, writer and debater for the Muslim Debate Initiative, says, “Islam proposes solutions for ensuring women's safety, women's liberation, their rights and abilities to pursue different opportunities. When groups like Femen, or any feminist group, claim that monopoly, they paint an unjust picture of Islam and, therefore, many people feel the need to attach feminism to Islam. We need to empower justice itself rather than the rather sexist ideology of feminism.” (Refer: Interview with Zara Faris, Claudia Mend)

Below are some of my views and thoughts on 

women rights and Modern Feminism 

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Thought 1:
While camels are created to live in desserts, the giraffes are created tall to eat from trees. Dates grow high on trees, but melons grow down on the soil. This is how Allah created things according to need. Men are made strong by Allah for heavy work and women are made comparably less strong. So, women and men are equal but not alike. Thus, Allah obligated on men to protect the land, fight in the heat, deal with blood, earn and struggle and to do the all the heavy work, not women. And women are the ones who give not only birth to the child but Allah created breasts as well to feed the child and placed love and affection to raise them well. Thus, physical appearance has an effect on the role we play.

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Thought 2:

Allah created people in pairs and its a great sign for only those who comprehend. So, He created the poor who serves the rich and the rich pays in return. If everyone was rich, who would do the works which the poor do? And Allah created lions who eat flesh and He also created cows who eat grass. If everyone would eat flesh, would that not be a clear misbalance? We learned about the ecosystem in much detail at school. But people reject the fact that Allah created men and women as well in a pair, both support each other by distributing the responsibilities of office and house.

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Thought 3:

Islam gave women the right to education and work. Prophet's wife Khadeejah was a businesswoman, Aishah learned Islamic rulings and was a teacher, Hafsah learned medicine, several female companions were nurses, some were cleaners and laborers like the one who would clean the prophet's Masjid, and so on. May Allah be pleased with them all! If women don't learn medicine, you'll have to take your daughter to a male doctor. If women don't learn and become teachers, you'll have a similar problem. Therefore, some women of the society must stand for this responsibility.

So, while Islam teaches that women who stay home working and teaching their own children are generally virtuous, we also learn that in many cases women who teach and work outside home are more virtuous. Therefore, women must stand to work after discussing with the husband, while considering the house and society needs.

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Thought 4:

Some of the people exaggerate out of ignorance when it comes to rulings with regards to women.

Some are on one extreme who say that women are not permitted to do any professional work while the other goes to another extreme saying they can do whatever they want.

Some say that they must be with a mahram even if they want to go to a local shop while others say that they can travel wherever they want without a mahram.

Some say that women need to be separated/segregated from men with a wall division everywhere while others say there is no need for any division as long as your hearts are pure.

Some say that women are not permitted to be head or at any leading position while others say that they are just like men and can be in whatever position.

والحق بين الضلالين!!

The truth lies in the middle of the two deviancies, as reported from the Salaf. And a poet said:

خير الامور وسط الوسيط *** وشرها الافراط والتفريط

The best of the matters is the middle path *** And the worst of it is the right and the left extremes 

But who is there to stand for truth and declare as has come from the Qur'an and Sunnah?!

May Allah keep us steadfast on his deen.

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Thought 5:

Many recognize the rights of women but do not apply it. Talk about Muslim countries itself where in many cases:

1. Parents prefer giving the complete share of inheritance to their sons instead of daughters. 

2. The husband sends his wife to her house everytime she gets pregnant so that the father of the wife bears the expenses.

3. The husband's family does the Aqeeqah happily if the child is a male but the wife's family is asked to do it if the child happens to be female. 

4. After the whole family has finished eating, the mother eats the leftover.

There are so many daily examples of such forms of oppression. Someone might even claim to be a practicing religious Muslim and what not, yet he abuses and beats his wife. Every Muslim will quote to prove that Allah is above the `Arsh the famous Hadith in which the slave girl pointed towards the sky, but why so many of us forget that the Sahabi freed her only as an expiation for a slap?

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Thought 6:

Look at the wife of Fir'awn, whose name has not been even mentioned in the Qur'an, but Allah made her an example (in 66:11) for not only believing women but all believers. She is the role-model who *feared Allah as much as she could*. She couldn't do anything living with that tyrant, so she tried whatever she could. So, through her Musa was saved and she was the one who brought him up, so through her, the complete nation of Banu Israel was freed from slavery! There was no Imam or soldier except that he had a mother raising him for years. When women know their role, they will raise such leaders, but where is the patience today? By Allah, many are those famous on Earth but are not known in the Skies and how few are those who are not known on the Earth but are famous in the Skies!

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Thought 7:

Women and men are equal in terms of reward. But the virtue of a mother is more than the virtue of the father. This is because the greater the responsibility, the greater the virtue and status. Therefore, it is Islam that raised women by teaching them their right role.

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Thought 8:

Rights are related to roles. If you are a judge, you have the right to sit on the bench of the courtroom. And if you are not, it is not right for you to claim it as your right. Women have been given by Islam all rights that fit their role, and they have also been given status and virtue accordingly.

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Thought 9:

The West is one of the most ignorant of civilizations today when it comes to freedom of women. They degraded the role of a mother at home, so children began disrespecting them and put them in old age house. They actively promoted that unveiling women is a sign of freedom, so the West has produced lunatic women who think that protesting with open breasts will give them their rights.