Distorted Image of Muslim Women
by a former non-muslim, Sister Naasira bint Ellison,
Taken from Hudaa magazine, Jamaica, New York
Since the height of the feminist movement in the late 70's there has
been a magnifying
glass placed over the status of muslim women. Unfortunately, the
magnifying glass that has been
used is an unusual one. Unusual in the sense that it is very selective
about which items it
will magnify; other items itwill distort to such a degree that they will
no longer look
familiar. I remember once reading in an "in depth" article about the lives
of muslim women.
This article "explained" that at any time a man can divorce his wife by
simply stating "I
divorce you, I divorce you, I divorce you". This article can lead anyone
ignorant of the
Islamic ruling regarding divorce to believe that in less than five seconds
the woman is left
with no husband and is left to care for herself (and possibly children) by
any means necessary.
The question that immediately popped up in my mind was, "Did the author
innocently write that
out of sincere ignorance or was it another of the many attempts to degrade
the religion of
Islam and its followers (muslims)?" It may be my own paranoia, but I tend
to believe it was the
latter of the two.
The truth of the matter is that Islam has the most humane and most
just system of divorce
that exists. Firstly, many options are taken and tried before coming to
the decision of the
divorce. If the man and woman decide that they can no longer live together
successfully as a
husband and wife, the husband (in most cases, not always) pronounces the
divorce by saying "I
divorce you". At this point the waiting period begins. The waiting period
lasts for three
menstrual cycles to assure the woman is not pregnant. This period allows
the couple time to
think about what they are doing and if this is what they really want to
do. There are no
lawyers involved to antagonise an already delicate situation. In the case
that it is realised,
that the woman is pregnant, the waiting period lasts the entire time she
is pregnant. During
the waiting period (whether the woman is pregnant or not) the man is
obligated to provide food,
clothing and shelter to the woman as he did before the divorce
pronouncement. If the couple
carries the divorce through to the birth of the child and the woman
suckles the baby, the man
is obligated to feed and clothe both his ex-wife for the time the woman
suckles (the maximum
being two years). After this weaning, the child will be provided for by
the father until he/she
is no longer in need of sup****t.
It is quite ironic that in such an "advanced society" as America,
there are divorce cases
in which women are being forced to pay alimony to their ex-husbands. Can
this and many other
things we know about the American system of divorce compare to the Islamic
system of divorce?
I have also read stories wherein it is stated that women are forced
to marry men without
their consent. This in no way resembles the marriage system in Islam. In
Islaam the woman
marries the man of her choice. She may even marry someone that her mother
and/or father objects
to. The point is that it is the woman who makes the final decision as to
whom she will marry.
Once the man and the woman decide that they are interested in one another
for marriage, a dowry
is decided upon. A dowry is not a brides price but, it is a gift from the
groom to the bride.
They agree upon a gift that is affordable by the groom. In the time of the
Prophet (sas), often
things such as livestock and money were given. This is a wise decision in
the event that a
woman becomes divorced or widowed, she has some financial security to fall
back on even if it
is for a limited amount of time. Once the man and woman are married, the
man is required to
clothe, feed, shelter and educate her (or allow her to be aducated) in the
same manner as he
does himself.
The last distorted image that I will cover is that of the muslim
women's dress. The
western influenced media ****trays our dress to be outdated and oppressive.
Needless to say
however, I differ with these adjectives. Our dress code does not hinder us
from doing anything
productive in our lives. Muslim women maintain a variety of jobs [under
necessity], non of
which are devalued nor hampered due to their dress code. And as for the
timing of muslims
women's dress during these contem****ary times, it seems most appropriate
due to decreasing
morals in the world today.
For those who say that Islamic dress is outdated, they speak from
great ignorance. The
decreasing molarity and trials of this time makes Hijaab even more in
need. More than ever
before *** crimes are rampant. Although this society tells women they can
wear what they want
to wear, anytime a rape occurs the woman is the one put on trial an one of
the first questions
is, "What were you wearing?"This concept seems as though it is a set up
directed against the so
called contem****ary woman. Also there is a direct correlation between the
respect a man has for
a woman and the amount of her body her body she displays flauntigly.
In conclusion, I hope this article helped to clear up some
distorted/misunderstood aspects
of Islam and women. Women in Islam are respected and held in high regard.
We will never find
success and/or solutions to our problems until we realise that Allaah
knows best and that this
disbelieving society will ruin itself.
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com
**
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