Women rights in Islam

Outline
Introduction
Background
Equal rights of men and women in Islam
Social rights
.right to get education
.right to accept or reject marriage proposal
.right to get divers
.right to secrecy
.right to just treatment in case of polygamy
.right to entertain and dine out
.right to demand separate house
.right to deny doing all the chores of home
.right to dress
Economic rights
.right to Inheritance
.right to ownership
.right to dowry
.right to maintenance (Iddah, child upbringing)
.right to seek employment
.right to do business
Legal and political rights
.right to be equal before law
.right to witness
.right to vote
.right to work on legal and political positions
Conclusion

Women rights in Islam

Holy prophet (S.A.W) said,
Among you the most respectable is the one who respects women and the most disresp
ectable is the one who disrespect the women.
The above instruction of holy prophet (S.A.W) declared the ground of honor and r
espect for a person in Deen-e-Islam .Islam gave women an honorable life and igni
te the light of rights in her life. Before Islam women were extremely deteriorat
ed by the society. Arabs used to bury their daughters alive, wives were harshly
beaten, step mother became legacy of eldest son and the sisters were given as a
compensation for any sin of her family. Islam abolished all these dark practices
and made the paradise under the feet of mother, guaranteed paradise to a father
who brought up her daughters with love, assured paradise to the husband who car
e her wife and made sisters partners in the inheritance. Today Muslim woman is f
acing problems not because of lack of her rights in Islam but due to the male dr
iven and illiterate society. Islam promised women respect, honor and safety befo
re and more than any other religion, civilization and moderation. Islam gave wom
en all rights to women before 15 centuries which any one can expect in today s hig
hly modern world.
The sad pages of history only present crying voices and tears of women that brea
k the heart the reader. All the big civilization of their time including Hubsha,
Byzantine, Room, Greece, Egypt, China, Hindustan and Arabian Penusiuala ruined
the women under the feet of brutality. Those who are claiming themselves the lea
ders and providers of women rights in today s world were in fact the real usurper
of women rights from centuries. Women In these civilizations struggled so hard a
nd fight for her rights centuries and centuries even than their male dominant le

adership never gave them rights until they need them. After the two world wars w
hen men strength became insufficient in forces and in the other fields of life t
hen they brought women out of house and used her for their different purposes on
the name of women rights. Let s have a look on the dates of rights givers as a pr
ove US in 1920,British in 1918,France in 1944,Norway in 1907,Sweden in 1921,Belg
ium in 1919,Japan in 1945,Netherland in 1919 and so on. Whereas Islam gave all s
ocial, economical, political and legal rights to the women long before fifteen (
15) centuries.
Everyone knows Islam claim that it is a complete code of life. Therefore Islam i
s not only complete code of life for men it is also complete code of life for wo
men. It gives equal rights to men and women. It is very important for everyone t
hat there is big difference of meaning between the words equal and same . As women an
d man cannot same physically so there rights can also not same due to their duti
es but they have equal rights on or the other way. This equal terminology can al
so be explain by taking a very simple example. There are two students in class o
ne called Saeed scored 4 in economics,3 in political studies and 3 in social stu
dies and another called Sadia scored 2 in economics, 4 in political studies and
4 in social studies. Saeed got (4+3+3)=10 and Sadia got (2+4+4)=10,that shows bo
th Saeed and Sadia scored equal marks that is total 10 but they score different
marks in different areas. It illustrates the real meanings of equal and its simi
lar to the meaning of equal rights of men and women in Islam. If father has more
rights and responsibilities economically than women then mother has more rights
and responsibilities that balance their rights in all circumstances.
For further classifications of women rights in Islam, let s discuss them under dif
ferent heads such as social, economic, legal and political.
Starting from the social, holy prophet (S A W) said
Education is mandatory for men and women.
The above hadith does not discriminating gender that means it is not only mandat
ory for men but also for women. Therefore no body restricts her from getting edu
cation. Its her right to get same education as her brother gets.
Holy prophet (S A W) said
You have to get education even its available in China.
Again there is no discrimination of gender in above hadith. If a boy can get edu
cation by traveling long distance then girl can also. She has right to go to sch
ool and mosque. If women had right to go to mosque for getting education and off
er prayers during the period of holy prophet (S A W) and Caliphate than why not
she has this right in today s modern world. Hazat Ayasha(R.A) was the teacher of 8
000 companions and she was expert of history, medicine, hadith, literature and l
aw.
Once a lady came to Holy prophet (S A W) and said that she was forcefully marrie
d
by her father and she is not happy with her husband, the Holy prophet (S A W)
dissolved her marriage then and there and emphasizes for marrying couples by the
ir consent.
Above hadith validating the consent of females before marriage and made it compu
lsory for all Muslim parents. She can also demand to see the person before her m
arriage and she can also talk to him in the presence of her legal blood relative
.
Once hazrat Aysha (R.A) showed desire to see the ongoing circus in the street. H
oly prophet (S A W) happily replied to her that she can hide herself at the back
of holy prophet (S.A.W) and then watch the circus. Aysha(R.A) did this and enjo
yed the circus as long as she can stand there when became tired she went back to
home. The Holy prophets (S A W) stand there more than an hour for her entertain
ment.

This hadith is highlighting very kind treatment of Holy prophet (S A W) to his w

ife. It also emphasizes the right of entertainment to women. Some people having
wrong perception that Islam binds women in the walls of house and she has no rig
ht to come out for any purpose. In fact this is opposite of Islamic teachings. I
t is also her right that she should be treated with love by her husband.
Al-Quran
You and your wives are dresses of each other.
Therefore it is women right that she should be entertained by her husband.
Once Holy prophet (S A W) said to one of his companion
Why not you get marry so that you can play with your wife and she can play with y
ou.
It is making clear that it s not matter of disrespect or against the sobriety of m
en or matter of hummer if he entertains his wife.
Dinning out or going out for outing with wife is also encouraged in Islam. It is
also women right that she should be taken out by her husband for outing or for
dinning.
Once an Iranian companion of Holy prophet (S A W) who was a very good cook cooke
d some food and came to Holy prophet (S A W) house for inviting him. Holy prophe
t (S A W) asked can Aysha (R.A) also come with me. Because of any reason companion
replied no she can t. Holy prophet (S A W) also replied then I also cannot . Companion
invited Holy prophet (S A W) three times and got same answer from the Holy prop
het (S A W) .At last companion said yes she can also come with you then Holy proph
et (S A W) accepted invitation and brought her for dinner along him. Therefore b
ringing wife to dine out is not only encouraged but also SUNNA of Holy prophet (
S A W).
In addition, to demand separate house for living is also right of wife from his
husband. If she does not like to live with the family of her husband then she ha
s complete right to live with her husband in a separate place. Many cruel of our
male driven society are considering this right against their ago. So often inst
ead of fulfilling this true right of wife they give diverse or beat their wives
for forcefully living with their family like a servant which is completely again
st Islamic teachings.
Furthermore, Islam is not binding women to cook food to do crockery or to wash c
lothes of her husband. If she refuses to do all this then its not making her gui
lty in the eyes of almighty ALLAH. But yes, she might be very guilty in the eyes
of her husband who brings her for doing all these services for him. Many of Mus
lim women love to do all these services for their husbands, so their husbands mu
st be thankful for their wives.
Subsequently, human being is used to make mistakes. So if there is any conflict
arises between husband and wife then husband needs to resolve it first only by c
onsulting her wife. In case matter could not solved by both of them then they ne
ed to bring any other family member for consultation. Secrecy is also immensely
important for the matrimonial relation of couple. It is duty of husband to keep
all secrets of bed relation with her wife.
Holy prophet (S A W) said,
The person who shared his wife bed relations with anybody, he is the worst man an
d he cannot get even the smell of paradise.

Similarly, when conflict between husband and wife became bone of contentions and
seems unsolvable. In this case if wife no more wants to live with her husband t
hen she has right to get diverse. In case husband is not willing to give diverse
she can consult court for getting diverse.
Further, in case of polygamy Islam teaches full justice, equal and fair treatmen
t to all waives. Practically this is very hard for a men to keep completely fair
balance between all wives therefore it is highly recommended if he is not stron
g enough financially, physically and morally then he should not gets married eve
n with a single woman. If anyone has more than on wife and he could not maintain
ed just and fair treatment among all wives then he is severely treated by almigh
ty Allah at the Day of Judgment.
Adding to it, growing age of fashion makes many minds ultra modern. Now husband
wants to look his wife as a model and he forced her to wear dresses according to
fashion. In this case Muslim women has right to wear all these dresses which ar
e according to Islamic dress code while going out of house. If her husband force
d her to do so she can refuse to her husband to wear any vulgar dress which is a
gainst the teachings of Islam.
Allah almighty knows all strength and weaknesses of his creatures. He made women
physically very sensitive and weak than man. Therefore he shifted all the finan
cial burden of women on men s shoulder. When she is daughter she is duty of her fa
ther. If father died she becomes duty of her brother. When she is wife she is du
ty of her husband and when she is mother she is duty of her son. In this way she
can live her life very comfortably and can take care of house easily. God assig
ned all the financial requirements of women as a duty of men but even then he do
es not make women empty hand in economical rights.
Before Islam there was no concept of inheritance for women. Islam gave right to
women in the inheritance. Women have half of the part as men have in parent s prop
erties. This does not mean she has half right than man. But as it is mentioned a
bove she does not have any financial responsibility to fulfill as the men have.
Therefore she can save or invest her part of the property for her future and mak
ing profit. It is also very clear in Islam that her husband can demand a single
penny from her wife and she not bound to give anything to anybody.
In addition to she can buy property on her own name as a legal person. She can p
ossess property without anybody s interference. She has complete right on her prop
erty as she can sale it, rent out it and can give it to anyone as a gift.
Furthermore, wife has right to get dowry from her husband before establishing ma
trimonial relations. Husband is bound to give her wife dowry at the time of marr
iage.
When Allah almighty created Eve (R.A) for Adam (R.A) .
Adam (R.A) was attracted towards Eve (R.A) and wanted to touch her.
At that time Allah almighty said to Adam (R.A) that
He should not touch her without paying her dowry.
One more thing needs attention here that Islam did not fix any maximum limit of
dowry. Husband can give whatever maximum he can give to his wife.
In region of Hazrat Ummer(R.A)
e maximum limit of dowry. That
nd she said nobody can fix the
t. Hazrat ummer(R.A) asked her
She quoted the holy Quran

he forward a bill in the parliament for fixing th

bill was challenged by a female parliamentarian a
maximum limit of dowry if Allah himself did fix i
that why it couldn t be fixed.

If husband gave her wife bundles and bundles of wealth as dowry even then he cann
ot demand anything after diverse.
Hazrat ummer (R.A) said that she is right and today men made a mistake and women
corrected him.
Subsequently, maintenance is also on the shoulder of men at her stages of life.
Father, brother, husband and son has to give her food clothes and other needs of
life respectively.
Holy prophet (S A W) said,
Anyone who brought her daughters with full care and then merry them. He is as clo
se to me as my two fingers.
Maintenance of x-wife is also husband responsibility during the period of Iddah.
Some of Islamic scholars agreed that husband has to fulfill his x-wife s maintena
nce until her second marriage. In case if any childe from her x-husband then it
is also responsibility of child s father.
Moreover, she has right to seek employment. If she wants to do a job and if soci
ety needs her then Islam give her full right to seek employment. But if she does
n t want to do the job then nobody can force her to seek employment. Similarly she
has the right to do business and to trade things in order to earn finance.
Hazrat Khadija(R.A), Wife of Holy prophet (S A W) said, was the famous business
lady at that time.
Apart from social and economic securities in Islam, women have also legal and po
litical securities.
In the eyes of law she is as legal person as a man. she can be witness but her w
itness is half of man.It is not because she has half right as an human but due t
o her sensitive and shy nature. In fact God made her half responsible than man i
n all legal witnesses.
Similarly she has right to vote from first election of Islam.
After the election result of hazrat usman(R.A).Hazrat usman(R.A) and hazrat Ali
(R.A) got equal votes. Therefore Hazrat abur Rahman bin Auf was appointed as a c
hief polling agent and assigned the task to get votes of men and women. He did t
his work three days and ultimately hazrat usman (R.A) elected.
Above event proved that women were having the right to vote from the beginning o
f Islam.
Adding to it, women used to work at different legal positions from the start of
Islam. During the period of Holy prophet (S A W) women worked in different secto
rs such as in wars and in hospital.
Hazrat Ummer (R.A) appointed hazrat Shifa(R.A)as an administrator and account of
ficer for the market.
Hazrat Usman(R.A) made hazrat umm-e-kulsoom an ambassador and sent her to Room.
Women has right to be consulted as other family members have right to be consult
ed. Many people believe that it is folly to act or listen women advise in fact t
hey themselves are disbelievers and unaware to the sunna of Holy prophet (S A W)
.

At the event of Hudabiya Holy prophet (S A W) have consulted hazrat umm-e-Salma

and acted on her advice to move on.
By summing up the whole discussing it can be said that Islam is the first sun th
at embrace women with light of all social, economical, legal and political right
s before 15 centuries. It is very unjust if anybody is blaming Islam for the pre
sent state of suppresses women. In fact it is not Islam to be blamed it is becau
se of forgetting the teachings of Islam.
In khutaba hijtul Weda, the Holy prophet (S A W) said,
O, people fear from Allah in the matter of women, treats them carefully and fairl
y as Islam teaches you.

Women's Rights in Islam

The issue of women in Islam, is topic of great misunderstanding and distortion d
ue partly to a lack of understanding, but also partly due to misbehavior of some
Muslims which has been taken to represent the teachings of Islam. We speak here
about what Islam teaches, and that is that standard according to which Muslims
are to be judged. As such, my basis and source is the Quran--the words of Allah,
and the sayings of the Prophet, his deeds and his confirmation. Islamic laws ar
e derived from these sources. To facilitate our discussion we can discuss the po
sition of women from a spiritual, economic, social, and political standpoint.
From the spiritual aspect, there are seven points to remember:
According to the Quran, men and women have the same spirit, there is no superior
ity in the spiritual sense between men and women. [Noble Quran 4:1, 7:189, 42:11
]
The Quran makes it clear that all human beings (and the phraseology doesn't appl
y to men or women alone, but to both) have what you might call a human; He
"breathed some of My spirit into divine touch. When God created him"(or her in t
his sense). [Noble Quran 15:29 See also 32:9]
Some of His spirit here means not in the incarnational sense, but the pure, inna
te spiritual nature that God has endowed her or him with.
The Quran indicates again that one of the most honored positions of human, is th
at God created the human, and as I referred to Surah 17 earlier, it means both s
exes, as His trustee and representative on earth. There are many references in t
he Quran that reaffirm this.
Nowhere in the Quran do we find any trace of any notion of blaming Eve for the f
irst mistake or for eating from the forbidden tree. Nowhere, even though the Qur
an speaks about Adam, Eve, and the forbidden tree, but in a totally different sp
irit. The story is narrated in 7:19-27, and it speaks about both of them doing t
his, both of them are told that both of them disobeyed, both of them discovered
the consequences of their disobedience, both of them seek repentance and both of

them are forgiven. Nowhere in the Quran does it say woman is to be blamed for t
he fall of man. Furthermore, when the Quran speaks about the suffering of women
during the period of pregnancy and childbirth, nowhere does it connect it with t
he concept of original sin, because there is no concept of original sin in Islam
. The suffering is presented not as a reason to remind woman of the fall of man,
but as a reason to adore and love woman or the mother. In the Quran, especially
31:14, 46:15, it makes it quite clear God has commanded upon mankind to be kind
to parents and mentions,
"His mother bore him in difficulty or suffering upon suffering." [Noble Quran 31
:14, 46:15]
The Quran makes it clear again to remove any notion of superiority and I refer y
ou again to 49:13. I must caution you that there are some mistaken translations,
but if you go to the original Arabic, there is no question of gender being invo
lved.
In terms of moral, spiritual duties, acts of worship, the requirements of men an
d women are the same, except in some cases when women have certain concessions b
ecause of their feminine nature, or their health or the health of their babies.
The Quran explicitly, in more than one verse, 3:195, 4:124, specified that whoev
er does good deeds, and is a believer and then specifies "male or female" God wi
ll give them an abundant reward.
In the area of economic rights, we have to remember that in Europe until the 19t
h century, women did not have the right to own their own property. When they wer
e married, either it would transfer to the husband or she would not be able to d
ispense of it without permission of her husband. In Britain, perhaps the first c
ountry to give women some property rights, laws were passed in the 1860's known
as "Married Women Property Act." More than 1300 years earlier, that right was cl
early established in Islamic law.
"Whatever men earn, they have a share of that and whatever women earn, they have
a share in that." [Noble Quran 4:32]
Secondly, there is no restriction in Islamic law that says a woman cannot work o
r have a profession, that her only place is in the home. In fact, by definition,
in a truly Islamic society, there must be women physicians, women nurses, women
teachers, because it's preferable also to separate teenagers in the volatile ye
ars in high school education. And if she chooses to work, or if she's married wi
th the consent of her husband, she's entitled to equal pay, not for equal work,
but for work of equal worth.
Thirdly, when it comes to financial security, Islamic law is more tilted in many
respects towards women. These are seven examples:
During the period of engagement, a woman is to be on the receiving side of gifts
.
At the time of marriage, it is the duty of the husband, not the bride's family.
He is supposed to pay for a marital gift. The Quran called it a gift, and it is
exclusively the right of the woman. She doesn't have to spend it on the househol
d, she doesn't have to give it to her father or anyone else.
If the woman happened to own any property prior to marriage, she retains that pr
operty after marriage. It remains under her control. Also, in most Muslim countr
ies, the woman keeps her own last name, and her own identity.
If the woman has any earnings during her marital life, by way of investments of

her property or as a result of work, she doesn't have to spend one penny of that
income on the household, it is entirely hers.
The full maintenance and support of a married woman is the entire responsibility
of her husband, even though she might be richer than he is. She doesn't have to
spend a penny.
At the time of divorce, there are certain guarantees during the waiting period a
nd even beyond for a woman's support.
If the widow or divorcee has children, she's entitled to child support.
In return for these listed securities, it is clear why the Islamic laws pertaini
ng to inheritance give men a higher share. From the social standpoint, as a daug
hter we find that credit goes to Islam for stopping the barbaric practice of pre
-Islamic Arabs of female infanticide. These ignorant people used to bury female
daughters alive. The Quran forbade the practice, making it a crime. Surah 81 Add
itionally, the Quran condemned the chauvinistic attitudes of some people who use
d to greet the birth of a boy with gladness, but sadness in the case of a girl.
The duty, not the right, the duty of education, as the Prophet said, is a duty o
n every Muslim, male and female.
As far as treatment of daughters is concerned, Prophet Muhammad (peace and bless
ings be upon him) said, "Anyone who has two daughters, and did not bury them, di
d not insult them and brought them up properly, he and I will be like this," hol
ding his two fingers close together. Another version adds, "And also did not fav
or his sons over daughters." One time the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon h
im) was seated. A companion was sitting with him. The companion's son came. He k
issed his son and put him on his lap. Then his daughter came, and he just sat he
r by his side. The Prophet told the man, "You did not do Justice," meaning he sh
ould have treated the daughter equally, kissed her and put her in his lap also.
Indeed, whenever the Prophet's daughter Fatimah came to him, in front of everyon
e, he stood up, kissed her and let her sit in his favorite place where he'd been
sitting.
From the marital standpoint, the Quran clearly indicates in Surahs 30:20 and 42:
11 that marriage is not just an inevitable evil, marriage is not somebody gettin
g married to his master or slave, but rather to his partner.
"Among His Signs is this, that he created for you mates from among yourselves, t
hat they may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy betwe
en your (hearts): Verily in that are signs for those who reflect." [Noble Quran
30:21]
There are numerous verses in the Quran to the same effect.
Secondly, the approval and consent of the girl to marriage is a prerequisite for
the validity of marriage in Islam. She has the right to say yes or no.
Husbands' and wives' duties are mutual responsibilities. They might not be ident
ical duties, but the totality of rights and responsibilities are balanced. The Q
uran says:
"Women have the same rights (in relation to their husbands) as are expected in a
ll decency from them, while men stand a step above them." [Noble Quran 2:228]
This only specifies the degree of responsibility, not privilege, in man's role a
s provider, protector, maintainer, and leader of the family. The same Surah spea
ks about divorce, about consultation between husband and wife, even in the case

of divorce. When there are family disputes, first the Quran appeals to reason an
d the consideration of positive aspects of one's spouse,
"Dwell with your wives in kindness for even if you hate them, you might be hatin
g someone in whom God has placed so much good." [Noble Quran 4:19]
If that appeal does not succeed, and problems between the husband and wife conti
nue, there are measures that can be applied. Some of these measures are done pri
vately between husband and wife. Some of them might appear harsh, but there are
qualifications to restrict excessive or abusive use of these measures. These mea
sures are considered an attempt to save a marriage rather than break a family ap
art. If the situation does not improve, even with the limitation and prevention
of excesses, the next step is a family council. One arbiter from his family and
one from her family should sit together with the couple and try to resolve the p
roblems.
If a divorce becomes necessary, there are many detailed procedures in Islamic la
w that really knock down the common notion that divorce in Islam is very easy an
d that it is the sole right of man. It is not the sole right of man alone and ne
ither is it true that all you have to say is: "I divorce you three times," and t
hat's it. Islam also has laws regarding custody of children. I was very surprise
d to see newspapers making the false claim that in all cases custody goes to the
father. Custody involves the interest of the child, and laws often favor the mo
ther of young children.
Polygamy has become so mythical in the minds of many people that they assume bei
ng Muslim means having four wives. This is a false notion, of course. A very ren
owned anthropologist, Edward Westermarck, in his two-volume work, "History of Hu
man Marriage," notes that there has been polygamy in virtually every culture and
religion, including Judaism and Christianity. But the point here is not to say,
"Why blame Islam?" Actually, Islam is the only religion even among Abrahamic fa
iths, that specifically limited the practice of polygamy that existed before Isl
am and established very strict conditions for guidance. The question, "How could
any man have two wives? That's terrible!" reflects ethnocentrism. We assume tha
t because we're living in the West and it seems strange, and we assume it must a
pply to all cultures, all times, under all circumstances. This simply isn't true
. Let me give you one current-day example. In the savage attack on Afghanistan,
genocide was committed on the Afghani people. It is estimated that 1-1.5 million
people lost their lives, a great majority of whom were men of a marriageable ag
e. Now, with a great shortage of men, what will happen to their widows, their or
phans and their daughters of marriageable age? Is it better to leave them in a c
amp, with a handout? Or better a man is willing to take care of his fallen comra
de's wife and children?
It is obvious that monogamy is the norm for Muslims. If we assume that having fo
ur wives is the norm, then we assume a population of 80% female and 20% male, wh
ich is an impossibility on the aggregate level. The only verse in the Quran that
speaks about polygamy, speaks about limiting not instituting polygamy. The vers
e was revealed after the Battle of Uhud in which many Muslims were martyred, lea
ving behind wives and children in need of support. This verse shows the spirit a
nd reason of the revelation.
The Quran placed obedience to parents immediately after worship of God.
"We commanded mankind to be kind to his parents" [Noble Quran 31:14]
And then speaks of
eace and blessings
a man came to him
indness and love?"

the mother. In a very succinct statement, Prophet Muhammad (p

be upon him) said, "Paradise is at the feet of mothers." Once
and asked, "O, Messenger, who among mankind is worthy of my k
The Prophet answered, "Your mother." "Who next?" "Your mother

." "Who next?" "Your mother." Only after the third time he said, "And your fathe
r."
As a sister in faith, in blood, we find the Quran speaks about men and women, th
at they should cooperate and collaborate in goodness. Surah 9:71 speaks about me
n and women as supporters and helpers of each other, ordaining the good and forb
idding the evil, establishing prayers and doing charity. Prophet Muhammad (peace
and blessings be upon him) echoed what the Quran said, "I command you to be kin
d to women." In one of his last commands in his farewell pilgrimage before his d
eath, he kept repeating, "I command you to be kind and considerate to women." In
another hadith, he said, "It is only the generous in character who is good to w
omen, and only the evil one who insults them."
On the question of attire, the Quran and the sayings of the Prophet did not say
women must adopt a particular dress of a particular country. It only gives basic
boundaries, and for a committed Muslim woman, she doesn't follow this simply be
cause her father or husband tells her, but because Allah already stated that as
a requirement in the Quran, and was explained through revelation given to Prophe
t Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) that this was not to restrict woman
, but to provide a virtuous society where sexual attraction is not the main obse
ssion of everyone. This forces everyone to respect the woman for what she is as
a human being, as an intellectual and a spiritual being, rather than being diver
ted to her sexuality.
Finally, a few words about political involvement. The verse quoted earlier, Sura
h 9:71, which speaks about men and women being supporters and helpers of each ot
her was taken by some jurists to mean that it involves also public life. How cou
ld they ordain the good and forbid the evil without women being active in the af
fairs of their society? According to the Quran, I'm not talking about the practi
ces of Muslims, in Surah 60:12, we read about Muslim women making "bayy'ah" to t
he Prophet. Bayy'ah as an Islamic term is somewhat analogous, to a degree, to wh
at we would call an election, or oath of allegiance. And that was given in his c
apacity not only as a Prophet, but as a head of state, as he was already the hea
d of state in Medina.
During the rein of 'Umar, women participated in law making. 'Umar made a proposa
l of a certain regulation concerning marriage. A woman in the mosque stood up an
d said, "'Umar, you can't do that." 'Umar did not tell her, "Shut up, you are a
woman, you have nothing to do with politics, etc." He asked, "Why?" She made her
argument on the basis of Quran. In front of everybody, he stood up and said, "T
he woman is right and 'Umar is wrong," and he withdrew his proposal. That was th
e spirit in the early days of Islam.
In the most authentic collection of Hadith, Hadith Bukhari, a section is devoted
to the participation of women, not only in public affairs, but in the battlefie
ld, too, and not only as logistical support. Women carried arms, and when there
was great danger to the Muslims, they volunteered to participate even in the bat
tlefield.
The problems presented here are not the problems of Islam. They are problems of
a lack of commitment, lack of application, or misapplication of Islamic teaching
s by Muslims themselves. The topics I have tried to cover here represent and exe
mplify the big gap that exists between the true teachings of Islam as derived fr
om its original sources and its projected image in the West and the way some Mus
lims behave in the disregard of those noble teachings.
There's no question that the Western media has played an important role in perpe
tuating these misconceptions. But in fairness, we should not blame the media alo
ne. Western culture, in writings about other religions, in particular Islam, hav
e distorted images. From books, novels, even in the academic circle, and sermons

from the pulpit in places of worship, these kinds of prejudices are perpetuated
.
There are fair and honorable people in the media who are receptive to correction
of inaccuracies, and who present the facts, when the facts become manifest, as
we have seen in the coverage of the barbaric and cruel treatment of the Palestin
ians n the Occupied Territories. What I would suggest to the media is instead of
depending on the distorted information about Islam, they should keep in touch w
ith educated Muslims, and remember, the U.S. has between 5 and 6 million Muslims
. Only through correct representation and open communication with Muslims in Ame
rica can the media give a fair analysis of current events, given the background
of those conflicts, and provide a great service to society.