Opression on Women in the Middle East; Is the Pressure Still on Today?

The Qur'an simply states, "And for women are rights over men similar to those of men over women." [2:226] According to the holy book Qur'an, women and men are equal, but is this the reality of the Middle East and groups such as Al-Qaeda? There are many opposing viewpoints that come along with this argument, both agreeing and disagreeing that oppression of women in the Muslim society still exists today. But last year several suicide bombings were preformed by women, who were part of the international terrorist organization called Al-Qaeda. So the question stands; Is sexism still a huge problem in the Muslim society, or is it slowly disappearing into the past?

In early Muslim communities and in the life of Muhammad, women played very important roles. Women fought in battles, and nursed the wounded during the time of the Prophet. They were consulted about who should succeed Muhammad after his death. Women also contributed to the collection and compilation of the Qu'ran and played an important role in the transmission of the numerous hadith (prophetic traditions). Women in early Muslim communities owned and sold property, engaged in commercial transactions, and were encouraged to seek and provide educational instruction. [Esposito] Though, during the Abbasid period, when Islam's foundations were developed, leading scholars and thinkers were exclusively male. They had no experience with revelation first hand, had not known the Prophet directly and were sometimes influenced by intellectual and moral cultures antithetical to Islam. They moved away from the Qu'ran's ethical codes for female autonomy to advocate instead women's subservience, silence, and seclusion. Women came to be discussed in law in the same terms as material objects and possessions. [Yuan] This is where Islamic women's journey begins.

Women in modern Muslim society have variant roles, rights and obligations depending on the particular society they live in. In many Muslim countries women have fewer rights than men with regard to marriage, divorce, civil rights, legal status, dress code, professional life, and education. ["Women in Muslim Society"] Most Muslims feel that these restrictions are mandated by the Qu'ran and sunnah ("the way of the prophet"). They argue that these laws are based on the divine understanding of the difference between the nature of men and women, and such are not subject to change. Other Muslims say that these restrictions sometimes go beyond what is mandated by sharia (Islamic Law) and are motivated by culture, not religion. Yet other Muslims believe that sharia is outdated and must be reinterpreted to fit the circumstances of modern life, and not during the times of Muhammad. [Women in Muslim Society] So, are women oppressed by the males in their own society, or is it the 'outdated' words of the Qu'ran that cause women to be pressured into second-class citizens? Ibn Warraq, raised as a Muslim, criticizes Muslim beliefs by saying:

Islam is deeply anti-woman. Islam is the fundamental cause of the repression of Muslim women and remains the major obstacle to the
evolution of their position. Islam has always considered women as creatures inferior in every way: physically, intellectually, and morally.
This negative vision is divinely sanctioned in the Qu'ran, corroborated by the hadiths (traditions or saying attributed to the prophet
Muhammad). [Hurley]

One of the most common and well known issues of repression on women in Muslim society is the clothing women are required to wear. The Qu'ran requires both men and women to dress modestly, saying:

And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their private parts and not to display their adornment except that which ordinarily appears thereof and to draw their headcovers over their chests and not to display their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands fathers, their sons. (24:31). [Women In Muslim Society]

Traditionally, this was interpreted to mean that women should cover all but their face and hands, while men are only required to cover themselves from knee to waiste. Some Islamic societies have set even more stricter dress codes for women, requiring women to wear chadors and burqas that hide all but their eyes. [Women in Muslim Society]
The veil is often seen as a symbol of women's inferior status in Islam. Critics of veiling, Muslim and non-Muslim, stress the importance of self-expression, which they associate with the distinctive way in which a woman dresses and wears her hair. They question those who say the veil is for women's protection and ask why not put the burden on the men to control themselves. [Esposito] Feminists view this aspect of traditional Islam as oppressive. They believe that is it completely dehumanizing. Clothing that covers the hair, the body, and the face denies women individuality. They argue that since men are not required to cover themselves, women should not be forced into uncomfortable clothing that makes them indistinguishable from one another. [Yuan]

Other varying roles women have are the right to work, their right as national

leaders, the right to vote, and their rights on domestic voilence. Many Muslims believe that a woman should work only if she can work without defying religious teachings. Often this means that she must not do work that offends her modesty and chasity. In many interpretations this also means that she must not work or interact with men who are not her relatives. [Women in Muslim Society] Regaurding women and their right to be leaders, some interpretations of Islamic law hold that women should not lead men, and are forbidden from working in the government. Many Muslim nations today allow their citizens to have some level of voting and control over their local government. And in 2005 Kuwait passed a ruling that will allow women to vote in 2007. [Women In Muslim Society] Another very important issue, domestic voilence. According to most interpretations of Sharia (Islamic law), authorization for the husband to physically beat disobiedent wives is provided only under certain conditions. The Qu'ran states in regaurds to physically beating a disobident wife:

"Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded; and (as to) those on whose part you fear nushûz, admonish them, and (then) leave them alone in the sleeping-places and (last) idribûhunna'(usually translated as "beat"); then if they obey you, do not

seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great." (Qur'an 4:34 English translation: MH Shakir) [Women in Muslim Society]

This is a perfect example of the way women can be repressed in their very own homes.

Although equality between men and women of Muslim societies seems slow going, women have recently begun to make a step forward. Al-Qaeda, the international Islamic fundamentalist organization, has recently recruited some new leading ladies.

Al-Qaeda means "the base", and is a campaign comprising independent and collaborative cells who aim to reduce outside influence upon Islamic affairs. ["Al-Qaeda"] Al-Qaeda's philisophical inspiration comes from the writings of Sayyid Qutb, promininent thinker from the Muslim Brotherhood, whose essays inspired most of the principal militant Islamist movements in the Middle East today. ["Al-Qaeda"] Al-Qaeda has, throughout its history, been strictly men who were members of this group, but up until last year, everything has changed.

Very little is known about the first woman to become a suicide bomber for Al-Qaeda, except that she dressed as a man. In September 2005 this young woman put on the long white robe checkered scarf the Arab men commonly wear. The clothes disguised her gender long enough for her to walk into a gathering of military recruits with no one taking much notice. The clothes also concealed the explosives strapped around her womb. [Dickey] Never before has any branch of Al-Qaeda sent a woman on a suicide mission. In October 2005, Al-Qaeda in Iraq claimed that a second female bomber killed herself attacking on American patrol in Mosul. And again in November 2005, a third, Muriel Degauque. On Nov. 9, she blew herself up attacking Iraqi police near the town of Baqubah. American troops gunned down her husband shortly after Muriel was killed. That same night, Nov. 9, bombers hit three hotels in the Jordanian capital, Amman. As scores of dead and wounded were still being counted, Al-Qaeda in Iraq announced that a woman had been among the suicide attackers there, too. [Dickey] There seems to be a common trend forming amongst the recent Al-Qaeda suicide bombings; women. Professor Mia Bloom, author of "Dying to Kill: The Allure of Suicide Terror" quotes: "The terrorists are quite aware of the profiles that exist, and they always change things just enough to throw them off." Is what Bloom saying true, or are women actually becoming more respected and less segregated? What has changed? The simplest answer is that AL-Qaeda's core organization in Afghanistan and Pakistan and its avant-garde in Iraq need more recruits. Jordanian researcher Hassan Abu Hanieh, who knew Zarqawi personally, says the terrorist leader is goading Muslim men. Before the attacks by women began, a Web site often linked to Zarqawi posted a message signed by him.

"Are there no men, so that we have to recruit women? Isn't it a shame for the sons of my own nation that our sisters ask to conduct martyrdom operations while men are preoccupied with life?" [Dickey]

Another step women are taking towards a better future is a little less violent; Islamic Feminism. Feminists hold that the so-called rights granted to women by traditional Islam in fact reflect a biased and unsound view of both women and men. The roles that traditional Islam assigns to women are seen as repressive barriers to freedom that keeps women in subjugation. They also argue that the traditional Islamic view that women are weak and intellectually inferior leads inevitably to their oppression. To end this oppression, feminists favor complete secularization of Islamic societies and equal legal rights for women. [Yuan] The term Islamic Feminist gained currency in the 1990's through scholars and activists, and it would clarify the perspective of a large number of women somewhere between Islamists (the female representatives of male authorities) and secular feminists. While they would not give up their allegiance to Islam as an essential part of self-determination and identity they did critique patriarchal control over the basic Islamic world-view. Islamic Feminism did not define these women, and many still reject the term. However, the term helped others to understand the distinction between them and the two dominant approaches to women's rights. Islamic Feminists aim for full equality of all Muslims, male and female, in private and public life. [Yuan] And though this is an uphill battle, these women, who call themselves Islamic Feminists, are standing up for what is right, and making a difference.

Oppression of women in the Muslim society is an issue that has been around for quite some time, and is slowly being dealt with. Al-Qaeda has started using women as suicide bombers. Women are standing up for what they believe in and making changes by doing so. Amina Wadud wrote an article in "Women in Islam" and ended the article with something that I think sums it up perfectly. She says: "Today more women are active in the discussion and reformation of identity than at any other time in human history. By going back to primary sources and interpreting them afresh, women scholars are endeavoring to remove the fetters imposed by centuries of patriarchal interpretation and practice. By questioning underlying presumptions and conclusions they are creating a space in which to think about gender. The long-term success of this project lies in the fact that it is all happening with Islam. And the rationale for change comes from the most trustworthy and reliable source of Islam itself-the Qu'ran."

"Al-Qaeda." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 15 Apr 2006.

< http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Al-Qaeda&oldid=49196948 >

Dickey, Christopher. "Women of Al-Qaeda." MSNBC.com. 12 Dec. 2005.

< http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10315095/site/newsweek/ >

Esposito, John L. What Everyone Needs To Know About Islam.

Oxford University Press. 2002

Hurley, Jennifer A. Islam: Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints Series.

Greenhaven Press, Inc. 2001.

"Women In Muslim Society." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 16 Apr 2006.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Women_In_Muslim_Society&oldid=49257 >