Professional Documents
Culture Documents
REL3150
December 7, 2017
Towards the end of our Anthology, McAuliffe introduces a section that revolves around
women in Islam. Throughout this part of the book, labeled “The Emergence of Women’s Voices
in Islam”, McAuliffe highlights the history of women’s roles in Islam by comparing society’s
perception of women with how they’re truly valued in Islamic law, etc. We get this comparison
through the many subjects he focuses on such us women’s rights in Islam, polygamy, Muslim
Law, and a few others. He also offers the perspectives and ideas of many Muslim authors and
The first feature we read in this section is a journal by Saayid Ahmad Khan. Khan is a
social activist and one of the founders of the Islamic modernism movement, which according to
Oxford, is “the reform of Islamic tradition through emphasis on the Quran and Sunnah to meet
the needs of modern society” (“Modernism.”). After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Khan tried to
defend Indian Muslims while simultaneously dispelling misunderstandings between them and
the British. Khan accomplished this by publishing several pamphlets such as Reasons for the
Indian Rebellion and An Account of the Loyal Mahomedans of India. At this point in time, is
when Khan began to fully understand and embrace the modernist thought. In May of 1869, he
had ventured to England and was dumbfounded by the advancement of the English technology
and education systems. He had planned for a “Muslim Cambridge” and had set up a committee
to help him fund such institution (“Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan.”). He then founded the journal The
Refinement of Character in an attempt to modernize the Muslims of India. Khan contrasts the
role of women in England and those in Muslim Societies to show the disillusion of the Islamic
law concerning the status of women. He emphasizes that even though the Islamic law elevates
the status of women above those in developed countries, Muslim societies failed to respect the
Islamic law and treated women so badly that “all the nations laugh at the condition of Muslim
women” (McAuliffe).
In the developed world, surrounding muslim societies, there are proclamations of equal
rights between the sexes. This however, is not replicated in the society, and women are
continually treated as lesser beings. According to McAuliffe, “no developed country has given
women equal rights or power to that of men that have been given to them through the religion of
Islam” (McAuliffe). England states that they favor the freedom of their women, yet their laws
reflect that women are considered to be “insignificant, unintelligent, and valueless” (McAuliffe).
In English law, when a woman marries she has lost her separate existence and her distinctive
personality is absorbed into her husband’s. Personal wealth, property, and assets then belong
to her husband. For example, a dowry “serves as a form of protection for the wife against the
very real possibility of ill treatment by her husband and family” (“Dowry.”). A dowry is supposed
to be restored to the women if there is abuse, divorce, or grave offense, yet this is never what
happens. The dowry ends up become the man’s property and the women is left with nothing.
The English law of marriage made it so that anything a woman earned or made herself, or
anything she received from her husband, was lost to her after his death. This illustrates how one
of the most developed nations that claims to treat men and women equally, does not.
Muslim law concerning women is very equal and gives respect to women. In muslim law,
women’s rights and authority are equal to that of men, which is the basis of equality. Before
adulthood, men and women are disallowed from entering into official agreements; however,
after reaching adulthood, a woman receives the same authority as a man and can enter official
arguments. Muslim law concerning marriage states that a marriage cannot take place without a
woman’s consent. Following are some of the most basic laws concerning women in Muslim
societies: A woman is the owner of any property that may have come into her possession before
or after her marriage and they can also file suits or be sued. A woman can purchase anything
she wants or needs with her wealth and sell anything she wishes. A woman can gain anything
that a man can and she receives the same rewards and punishments as men on judgement
day. There is no special treatment placed on a woman that is not placed on men. Based off this
evidence, no religion or nation’s laws have women equal to men as the religion of Islam does,
yet the condition of women in developed countries is much better than that of muslim women in
muslim countries. Khan argues that we should look at woman as “comrades and companions
rather than servants, and treat them with good fellowship, courtesy, and respect” (McAuliffe).
There is evidence that developed countries are making great progress on this, yet there is not
progress happening in Muslim countries. This lack of progress should not be attested to Islam,
as it is a failure to observe the regulations of Islam fully. If the principles of Islam were to be
Muhammad ‘Abduh lived from 1849 to 1905, and is considered to be one of the most
important figures in the history of modern-day Muslim reform movements. Abduh worked
tirelessly to reverse the decline of muslim institutions and society. His best-known work is the
Al-Manar Commentary, which is based off his institutional lectures and is transcribed by his
Muhammad Abduh responded that when one looks at the text, polygamy is only allowed with
the strictest of restrictions. Originally in the beginnings of Islam, polygamy had its benefits, such
as tightening the tribal bond between the community, but the early period of Islam did not lead
the same harm that it does today. However; in today’s society, every additional wife carries
extra harm and baggage, which then transfers over to her children. Now, polygamy is more
harmful than beneficial as it puts the whole family in danger. According to ‘Abduh, “if women
had the benefit of a ‘proper’ religious education so that religion had the highest power over her
heart, then the modern-day corruption of polygamy would not occur” (McAuliffe). Overall,
Muhammad ‘Abduh was one of the key founding figures of Islamic modernism, and always
From 1933 to 1977, Ali Shari’ati, the Iranian activist and intellectual, was active in
several organizations opposed to the Iranian monarchy. Due to his strong political resistance
throughout his life, he spent 6 months in jail in Tehran. Shari’ati always sought a way to
articulate a way of being modern, whilst being religious, that rejected Shah’s equation of
religious and cultural roles assigned to women, as well as, the new Westernized roles advanced
by some segments of the Iranian population. Shari’ati presents Fatima, Muhammad's daughter,
Mohammed, as the perfect model for Muslim women. ‘Ali explores the many problems faced by
women in this day and religion, then explains why these issues only further highlight the need
for someone to look up to like Fatima. However, before we get into those problems, it’s better to
first explain why he chose Fatima as this representative. In part of his book, Shari’ati describes
Fatima as the true symbol for all of the various dimensions of womanhood. She was the one
real companion of the Prophet whom she was loving and devoted to. He describes that love as
one that goes beyond the love between a father and a daughter; she accompanied him in times
of loneliness, bore his troubles, and stayed by his side through all religious obstacles. Even
though Fatima’s mother wasn’t the Prophet’s only wife or even his favorite, she was still devoted
enough to both of them to be by her bedridden mother’s side as well as continue to stay with her
father through death. Her love and faith made her pure and strong but more importantly, as ‘Ali
describes, it makes her a source of inspiration for those who desire their rights, and seek
Now that we can clearly see why Fatima is chosen as the model of Islamic women, we
must contemplate why she is needed in the first place. The first struggle of women that is
analyzed by Shari’ati is their identity. He explains to us how society, especially within Islam, has
created a system that bombards women with expectations and traditional values from a young
age. After being told over and over that a woman must become these things to be valued, they
develop this mask put on by society. The best way Shari’ati describes the masks pushed on
these women is through his “three faces” analogy. Each face symbolizes a different woman and
one even relates to Fatima. One is the face is the traditional Muslim woman. The second is that
of the modern woman, new and European like. The third is the face of Fatima which has no
resemblance ethnically to that of a Muslim woman. The face of an ethnically Muslim woman, in
society’s mind, is as far away from the face of Fatima as Fatima is from the modern woman.
This shows the different progressions of women around the world and how they all still have a
long way to go to be like Fatima, who is free and decides her own fate.
However, this is the issue that these masks give; women lose their identity through this
societal tyranny. Instead of being true to one’s self, she soon becomes a product of what men
want. ‘Ali takes this analysis even further and shows how this has been the same since the
beginning of time. As the world changes, society progresses, and beliefs change, one of the
only constants is this expectation of women to retain the characteristics that her husband
inscribed in her. But the change that is needed is a burden of women. We expect any change
that is to come for women must be done by women. They’re obliged to change their world
whether that be within their home or in society’s minds. But even with this burden to change
everything around them, ‘Ali shows that women who choose modern characteristics and break
old traditions are the women who can deny man’s expectations and form their own selves,
rather than having men force them to reflect their husband’s/father’s/etc.’s expected role. Fatima
modern Fatima. Fatima Mernissi, an internationally recognized Muslim feminist, was named
after the daughter of the Prophet (another sign of her influence of Islamic culture). She is
currently recognized for her numerous groundbreaking publications regarding women’s issues.
One of her most infamous works, Beyond the Veil, introduced feminist readings to Islamic texts
and Muslim history. She argued that Islamic texts see women as threatening because of their
sexuality, and attempts to contain this threat through veiling and keeping the sexes separate.
Another work by Mernissi is The Veil and The Male Elite, which focuses on the role of women
during pre-Islamic Arabia times when they were expected to encourage men in battle. It shows
how many generations of Islamic beliefs and texts claim that women aren’t equal because
women did not go to war. Even more so, women were excluded from inheritance because of
that same reason. A point brought up in this book was as follows: “Men make war, and we do
not have the right to do it but we do have the right to inheritance” (anthology).
Another woman featured in this section of the Anthology is Amina Wadud, scholar,
activist, and author. Her works examined the role of women in Islam and how they’re displayed
holistically in the Qur’an. She criticizes any interpretations that only look at specific verses that
pertained to that specific time and situation rather than looking at the big picture. She was so
influential that she made headlines by leading a mixed congregation of men and women in ritual
prayer in a church in NYC. Her most influential work was Qur’an and Women which discussed
issues of women and how they play an important role in the Muslim goal of modernity. She
highlights the fact that because we continue to compare women to men, we reinforce the idea
that men are the standard which undermines the real equality. She begs us to consider the
limitations of the language based on the time it was written and the situations surrounding it.
She also believes the Qur’anic ethos of equity, justice, and human dignity need to be used to
Within this part of the Anthology, it is extremely crucial to the book as it focuses solely on
women in Islam and through various authors, activists, and ideas, McAuliffe effectively
demonstrates the true issues of inequality and highlights the way we should be progressing. It’s
also important to note that as we moved through this section, we moved through history and
because of this, we were able to see a shift from male authors to women. This wouldn’t be
possible without the feminist movements that McAuliffe talks about. Overall, Islam couldn’t be
what it truly is without women which is exactly what we hear about in this section of the
Anthology.
Works Cited
Ikram, S.M. “Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc.,
NORTON, 2017.
www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e1537.