Women in Islam

This post contains my contributions to a discussion sparked by a recent mass mail “Joys of Muslim Women” by Nonie Darwish. In it, she accuses the Muslim faith of being the source for infant marriage, sexual slavery, forced weddings and no woman-initiated divorce, defenselessness against rape, honor killing, wife beating, polygamy, etc.

Aside from publicizing an author and her books and lectures, this looks like mere anti-Islamic propaganda, as unjust as gathering the worst examples of the way men treat women throughout the Christian world, and claiming that they reliably represent what Jesus and Christianity stand for. Obviously, the only true authority on what any revealed religion teaches is its holy book, which in the case of the Koran says "Treat your women well and be kind to them, for they are your partners and committed helpers."

True, this may not be the way women are treated in some Moslem households, as there are many men who call themselves Muslims but do not treat women as Muhammad taught, just as there are many men who call themselves Christians but do not treat women as Christ taught. Think of all the child molestation, incest, rape, wife-battering, fornication, infidelity, divorce, adultery, and other injustices that occur on a daily basis in the Christian world, and are even the norm in some Christian populations. Is Jesus and His Teachings the cause for this? No more than Muhammad and His Teachings are the cause of those things in the Islamic world.

If any of you are truly interested in what Muhammad taught about women, as opposed to how some who claim to be Muslims behave, there are many good sites on the Internet. One is http://www.uga.edu/islam/Islamwomen.html, a good academic source from the University of Georgia, which starts out by saying quite rightly:

“The issue of women in Islam is highly controversial. Any materials on this subject, whether in print or online, should be used with caution because of the lack of objectivity. While it is generally agreed that the rights granted to women in the Qur'an and by the prophet Muhammad were a vast improvement in comparison to the situation of women in Arabia prior to the advent of Islam, after the Prophet's death the condition of women in Islam began to decline and revert back to pre-Islamic norms.”

Examples of Moslem-operated sites are http://www.islamfortoday.com/women.htm and http://www.womeninislam.org/. These are just three of the interesting links I found by typing “Women in Islam” in Google. But beware! There are also many anti-Islamic sites whose only purpose is to misrepresent other people’s religion and thereby gain more support for their own world view.

Personally, I have found that Muhammad’s teachings about women and men’s treatment of them are much more progressive in relation to the customs prevailing in the wider society during His lifetime than Christ’s teachings on women were in relation to the customs prevailing during His. I have also found that many quotes from both are taken out of context to prove questionable points, and others ignored entirely when not supporting people’s preferred ideas.

For example, if the New Testament were followed to the letter, women would have to wear scarves on their heads, obey their husbands without questioning, never seek a divorce under any circumstances, and refrain from speaking in public meetings (according to Paul, at least). Christ, as you know, says very little directly about the matter, according to Biblical cannon. Some of the Bible quotes supporting this are below, from the King James Version:

WOMAN SUBMIT TO MAN: “...the head of the woman is the man… forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman; but the woman is of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man” (Corinthians 11:3,7-9). “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church; and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.” (Ephesians 5:22-24). “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.” (Colossians 3:18). “Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands… Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord…” (1 Peter 3:1,6).

NO DIVORCE: “The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them……they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery; and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” (Mathew 19:3-9)

WOMEN KEEP SILENT: “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any them, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.” (Corinthians 14:34-35). “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. …I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” (1 Timothy 2:11-14).

WEAR VEIL OR SHAVE HEAD: “...every woman that prayeth or prophesieth [teaches] with her head uncovered dishonoreth her head; for that is even as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn; but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered... ” (Cor. 11:5-6)

For centuries, quotes such as these were interpreted in such a way as to keep women under complete subjugation by Christian men, and even to justify acts of violence against them. My point is that just as some Muslims have interpreted the Koran to suit their fancy, some Christians have done the same with the Bible. It’s a pot and kettle situation, a mote and beam dilemma. Unjust practices against women are no more Christian than they are Muslim. In both cases, they are merely the outcome of our human ability to distort and twist God’s teachings into compliance with our petty wills, instead of molding and disciplining our individual and collective lives into compliance with His will.

I have shared these Bible quotes, not to say that Jesus actually meant His followers to act in this way, but to show how they have been taken out of context over the centuries to justify all kinds of abuses against women by the Christian world, addressing one aspect of a teaching while ignoring the rest.