mh52+@andrew.cmu.edu (Mohamed Adzlee Harun) (01/15/91)
Muslim Women to be kept only 'pure' but not educated.
The success and the fall of societies depend a lot on women.
In Islam, this point is reminded again and again. If a Muslim woman
is corrupted and uneducated, the whole society will be corrupted and
backward, but if the woman is pure and educated, the society will
flourish materially and spiritually.
In many Muslim societies, only one of these aspects is stressed.
Some Muslim men strive to make their wives, mothers, sisters and
daughters so pure that they prohibit the women to go out of the house.
They think by keeping women in the house, Muslim women will become pure
and be good mothers, wives and daughters. They ordered women to wear
hijab and observe other Islamic laws without educating them the reasons
behind those orders and laws. They tell the women it is their Islamic
duty to follow their husbands', fathers' and brothers' orders without
ever mentioning that they should only follow orders that are consistent
with Allah's orders. Moreover, women are prohibited by their
husbands, fathers and brothers to talk to anybody or involve in Islamic
social activities. In some countries, they are even prohibited women
from looking out of the window. They are not encouraged to acquire high
education in universities or in some countries, they are encouraged not
to go to school at all. All these prohibitions are done in the name of
Islam and keeping the women 'pure'.
If we look at the statistics, the bulk of the illiterate in the
Muslim World are WOMEN. How can we expect Muslim countries to improve
their material and spiritual condition if this ignorance continues? How
can we expect to produce an educated, enlightened and revolutionary
generation of Muslims if they are to be raised by uneducated,
unenlightened and weak spirited mothers. How can we expect to produce
real Muslim men who can protect the interests of Muslim women if they
had the examples only of women surrendering to subjugation,
discrimination and abuse?
When Muslim women are protected and provided with means for her to
flourish as enlightened, educated and conscious Muslim women, that will
mean true SUCCESS for all Muslim men,. Why? Because that would have
mean they have done what Rasulullah(SAW) had reminded them to do. In
his last sermon, Rasulullah had reminded Muslims about many things and
one of them is a caution to Muslim men, not to abuse women, instead
take care of women as he had taken care of them
But as women we cannot depend totally on men to change us. We must
help ourselves and other women. We must encourage each other to educate
ourselves with true teachings of Islam so that nobody can take advantage
of us - be they are Muslims or non-Muslims. We must make sure we know
why we do the things we do and why we follow the orders we follow. We
must learn to be independent in our thoughts and actions because in the
end we will be responsible for ourselves in front of Allah.
We should know more than cooking, sewing and raising children in
the traditional way. We should learn to do everything in the Islamic
way. We should learn about principles of hygiene, nutrition and
building an Islamic environment in our homes and in our community. We
also should strive to learn knowledge in various fields that can enrich
and benefit humankind such as medicine, the arts, communications,
economics, etc. However we would not be able to do all these if we do
not start learning , exchanging ideas with the people around us,
keeping up to date with current issues and involving ourselves in the
mosques or Islamic centers in our community.
"Allah hath granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight
with their goods and persons than to those who sit(at home).(Unto all in
faith Hath Allah promised good) But those who strive and fight Hath He
distinguished above those who sit(at home) by a special reward."
(16: 71)
All that is good comes from Allah and the bad from myself. I beg
from Allah for my mistakes.
- Sr Farizah Shaheedah
from Malaysia.