Muslim women are respected -
The issue of
women in Islam is really important to be discussed here. There’s no doubt in my
mind Islamic religion respects women more than any other religions in the
whole wide world. As we aware the fact that today Western media spreads lopsided and
biased news about Muslim women, claiming Islam subjugates women and turning a blind
eye to how Western women are used as mere sexual objects.
Before the Islamic religion was revealed to Prophet Muhammad, the status of women was really appalling. In the pagan culture, it was the custom to bury girls alive and women were treated as possession. Islam abolished such that cruel practice and eradicated inequality. Therefore, Islamic law made the education of girls a sacred duty and gave women the right to own and inherit property. No religion except Islam has prohibited female infanticide. That manifests how Islam gives equality to all people regardless of their sex. Can you imagine today a lot of girls are killed after they are born in India? Has the media ever reported those repeated incidence committed on a purpose and accused Hinduism of infringing on girls’ rights to live? The answer is “NO”. Women in West had gained their right to vote or own property just recently. In the United States, Susan B. Anthony was arrested and fined after she cast a vote in the presidential election of 1872. She didn’t do anything wrong other than voting. I want to show you facts about casting ballots in the west here. For example, the 19th US Constitutional Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, was ratified on August 18, 1920, when the 36th state, Tennessee, voted to ratify the amendment. The ratification was certified on August 26, 1920. In Britain it was in 1928 Monday 02 July 1950. In Canada women won the right to vote in 1918- When all women had the right to vote, it was 1960. This is a very important historical event (especially for women) Islam gave economical rights to the women 1,500 years before the West. In 1870, it was the first time in England, that the West recognized the rights of the married woman, where she was allowed to own or dispose any of her property without consultation. Islamic women used to take part in decision making during the life of prophet Mohamed (PBUH) as companions consulted women in all matter regarding the life. Muslim women took part in battles like men did without any sexual molestation and abuse as well. In USA women were not allowed to join the battle but they were allowed to dress wounds as nurses, because the law didn’t permit to do so. Report published on the 23rd of April by the Defense Department of America states that American women sexually assaulted in the war zone by their peers. 83 out of 117 women soldiers were raped.* So do the law respect women or not? United States of America has one of the highest rates of rape in any country in the world. Almost 1,700 girls and women are sexually molested and assaulted in every day. Such those incidences don’t take place in the Islamic world at all. A man went to seek advice from the prophet of Allah sallallahu alayhi wasallam and said, 'I intend to go on Jihaad and have come to seek your advice.' The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam asked him, 'Is your mother alive?' 'Yes' he replied. 'Then stay with her and look after her needs. Your Heaven lies under her feet' said the Prophet. In another hadeeth a man asked the prophet (saw) who should you respect the most. The man asked three times and each time the prophet (saw) responded "your mother" on the fourth time asking the prophet (saw) responded "your father" No religion except Islam states the importance of obedience to mothers in such that clear cut language. I don’t understand why the Western women have the right to wear skimpy outfits in public while our Muslim sisters don’t have the right to wear Hijab to hide their body with from men. One of the biggest misconceptions that non Muslim people say about the hijab is that young women are forced to wear it by their parents or by men. Unfortunately, they don't know women have chosen to have them on with their own free will because of modesty, morality and piety and to protect themselves from today's crazy world. In US and some other Western countries a lot of Muslim women are teased and name called just because of wearing their scarves on. For example, a reporter for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer who had a veil on to see for herself how Muslim women were being treated was pushed into the path of a truck. Another British non Muslim woman who wore Hijab just to see how she would be treated. So the secret camera showed how people verbally and physically abused and harassed her. That can show us how Western people disrespect Muslim women. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reference 1. Baker, Jean H. Sisters: The Lives of America's Suffragists. Hill and Wang, New York, 2005 |