Women In Islam _______________________________________________ The complex relationship between women and Islam is defined by both Islamic texts and the historyand culture of the Muslim world. [ 1 ]The Quranstates that men and women are equal, [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ]but states in 4:34 that Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has made one of them to respect the other, and because they spend from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient and guard in the husbands absence what Allah orders them to guard. Although the Quran does say this, the superiority of men is interpreted in terms of strength by the context – men maintain women. [ 6 ]This verse however refers to a relationship between a husband and wife, not as a society in whole. [ 7 ]There are examples of female warriors in the armies of Prophet Muhammad. [ 8 ] Sharia(Islamic law) provides for complementarianism, [ 9 ]differences between womens and mens roles, rights, and obligations. However neither the Qurannor Hadithmention women have to be housewives. [ 10 ] [ 11 ] [ 12 ] [ 13 ]In majority Muslim countries women exercise varying degrees of rights with regards to marriage, divorce, civil and political rights, legal status, dress code, and education based on different interpretations. Scholars and other commentators vary as to whether they are just and whether they are a correct interpretation of religious imperatives. Sources of influence See also: Female figures in the Quranand Muhammads wives Muhammadwas in a precarious position as he began to spread his teachings to his disciples. As a man with no male descendants, in a natalist and patriarchal culture, his proclaimed identity as the messenger of God and temporal head of a new religion was viewed as an affront by many who attached authority to a man with a proliferation of wives and children, and in particular, a male heir to ensure the descendants of his authority. [ 14 ]Nonetheless, Islam spread to become the dominant religion in the Arab regions of the Middle East, as well as Maghrebin Northern Africa, the Anatolianregion such as Turkey, and into South Asia as far as Pakistan, India, Malaysia and Indonesia. The patriarchal character of pre-Islamic Arabiainfluenced not only the content of the Quran and related doctrine, it persists today in the interpretation and application of Islamic dogma. Theological scholarship and practices vary widely according to the country, region, or sectarianbeliefs where an Islamic community is located. The largest groups of Muslim women are in: Indonesia (over 100 million), Bangladesh (over 75 million), Pakistan (over 85 million), India (over 80 million), Egypt (nearly 40 million), Nigeria (nearly 40 million), Turkey (over 35 million) and Iran (over 35 million). These countries total more than 60% of the worlds Muslims; there are more than 750 million Muslim women worldwide, including sizable minorities in several countries of Africa and Europe, and in China. [ 15 ] Islamic doctrine is the product of Quranic guidelines, as understood by fiqh(Islamic jurisprudence) as well as of the interpretations derived from the hadith that were agreed upon by majority of Sunnischolars as authentic beyond doubt based on hadith studies. [ 1 ] [ 16 ] Early costumes of Arabwomen. Sunni Muslims are the largest Islamic sect, comprising approximately 80% of the worlds Muslims. The Sunni sect includes many theological schools and doctrines interpreting the Quran. To Sunnis, the ahadith constitute an important source of legislation. Fiqh is the basis of jurisprudence, or legal practise, developed by Muslim jurists during the centuries following the creation of Islam, and largely influenced by the ahadith. [ 17 ]These interpretations and their application were shaped by the historical context of the Muslim world at the time they were written. [ 1 ]Many of the earliest writings were from a time of tribal warfare which could have been inappropriate for the 21st century, but most remain appropriate to how a Muslim following the sunnahshould behave. The Marxist writer Valentine Moghadamargues that the position of women is mostly influenced by the extent of urbanization, industrialization, proletarization and political ploys of the state managers rather than culture or intrinsic properties of Islam; Islam, per Moghadam, is neither more nor less patriarchal than other world religions, especially Hinduism, Christianityand Judaism. [ 18 ] [ 19 ]The dowry, previously regarded as a bride-price paid to the father, became a nuptial gift retained by the wife as part of her personal property. [ 20 ] [ 21 ] Under Islamic law, marriage was no longer viewed as a status but rather as a contract, in which the womans consent was imperative. [ 20 ] [ 21 ] [ 22 ]Women were given inheritance rights in a patriarchal societythat had previously restricted inheritance to male relatives/ family members. [ 20 ]
Posted on: Tue, 08 Oct 2013 17:49:10 +0000
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