One of the most popular topics of discussion around the subject of Islam is about women; their position, their rights, their roles. Such topics seem to be nearly always in the media, whether on the television or in the newspapers.

 

People wonder who are those women that cover their heads and sometimes even their faces, and when they hear about women who aren’t allowed to drive in Saudi and girls who can’t go to school in Afghanistan they wonder if women in Islam have any rights?

 

If we look at the history of Islam and the rights it brought for women then we can perhaps answer the question better.

 

History

 

When Islam came to Arabia women were seen as possessions and were very badly treated by the men in their society.  Some fathers even buried their daughters because they were ashamed it was a girl, women didn’t usually inherit property, they weren’t educated, involved in politics and many didn’t own any wealth of their own. A woman would normally have to depend on her father, husband or son to look after her. 

 

Childhood

 

One of the first things Islam did was to ban the tradition of burying daughters, and considered it a crime like any other murder. And instead of just saving the girl's life so that she can be treated in a horrible way in the future, the Prophet (p) said: ‘Whoever has a daughter and he does not bury her alive, does not insult her, and does not favour his son over her, God will enter him into Paradise.’ He did this to encourage the kind and just treatment of daughters for the rest of their lives.

 

Education

 

When it came to education the prophet taught that knowledge is important for every Muslim, male and female, so not only did he encourage girls to study but made it compulsory for them to.  In fact when the Prophet died men from all over the Muslim world came to learn from Aisha, the Prophet’s wife, who was one of the most well-known and respected scholars of her time. 

 

Along with the right to an education a woman could also work and keep her money.

 

Ownership

 

Before Islam and until the 1900’s in many parts of the world women wouldn’t normally inherit anything or own property. However Islam gave women the right to own her own property and along with that gave her the right to inherit.  Usually if a relative died the money or property would not be given to the woman it would always go to the next man in the family.  Islam outlawed this, as it was unfair to women.

 

Politics

 

Islam also gave women the right to vote, this was something that women in Britain had to fight for and only achieved in 1928, almost 1400 years later.  Women were given the right to vote in Islam simply because they are equal to men and their opinions and views are just as important.  Not only were they allowed to vote they could also become a judge and take up positions in the government.

 

Marriage

 

You may hear about forced marriages in the news, and this is something that some people, including a small number of Muslims practise, but that doesn’t mean it’s Islamic at all.  In fact it is forbidden in Islam to force someone – boy or girl – to marry someone they don’t want to.  The Qur’an says ‘And among His signs is this: That He created mates for you from yourselves that you may find rest, peace of mind in them, and He ordained between you love and mercy.’  However it is important to understand the difference between a forced and an arranged marriage; a forced marriage is when two people are told they have to say yes, whereas an arranged marriage is when their friends or family members introduce two people to each other and they can decide for themselves and say yes or no.

 

 

Modesty

 

Both men and women in Islam as expected to dress modestly.  Many Muslims believe that this means women should cover their heads when in public and some even believe that they should cover their face. Others believe that it is enough to just dress in a way that is not provocative. Women who dress modestly do so for lots of different reasons; they do it to please God as he is the one asking them to dress modestly or because they want to be appreciated for their minds and not for the way they look.  But the most important thing to remember is that as with everything in Islam it is for the woman to choose how she wants to dress, no one can or should force her to do anything she doesn’t want to.

 

Even though we know that stopping girls from going to school or to a mosque goes against the teachings of Islam, this doesn’t stop some people from taking away women’s rights. Some people are influenced by their culture, which may be quite disrespectful of women, than Islam, which honours women. What we need to remember is that when we hear about such stories it is usually because of people’s culture and how this has influenced their understanding of the religion.