Gender roles in Islam
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In Islam, both sexes are considered equal before God. At the same time, Islamic law and practice recognize differences between sexes, resulting in different rights and obligations.
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[edit] Historical Background
In pre-Islamic Arabia the roles of the genders was never explicitly defined, and varied widely among the numerous tribes. For example, in the prosperous southern region of the Arabian Peninsula the religious edicts of Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism held sway among the Sabians and Himyarites, whereas in cities such as Makkah, the city where the prophet of Islam, Muhammad, was born, a tribal set of rights was in place, in particular amongst the Bedouin, which varied from tribe to tribe. Thus there was no single definition of the roles played, and rights held, by women prior to the advent of Islam.
There were instances where women held high positions of power and authority; there were also patterns of homicidal abuse of women, including instances of men killing female infants considered to be a liability. In his book Infanticide: Comparative and Evolutionary Perspectives, Glenn Hausfater details how Qais Bin Assem, a leader of the Tamim tribe, killed every daughter he had for fear of their capture (and his disgrace) in the inter-tribal wars that dominated Arabian society at that time. During times of famine, especially, poorer families were likely to kill a daughter, regarding her as a burden on a starving family.
It is often claimed by some Muslim writers and some scholars of Middle Eastern history that in pre-Islamic Arabia, women could not inherit land or wealth; holdings were usually considered the property of the tribe she was born or married in to. Islam changed the very structure of the society and to a large degree unified the people, reforming and standardizing gender roles throughout the region.
The Islamic scholar William Montgomery Watt states:
- It is true that Islam is still, in many ways, a man’s religion. But I think I’ve found evidence in some of the early sources that seems to show that Muhammad made things better for women. It appears that in some parts of Arabia, notably in Mecca, a matrilineal system was in the process of being replaced by a patrilineal one at the time of Muhammad. Growing prosperity caused by a shifting of trade routes was accompanied by a growth in individualism. Men were amassing considerable personal wealth and wanted to be sure that this would be inherited by their own actual sons, and not simply by an extended family of their sisters’ sons. This led to a deterioration in the rights of women. At the time Islam began, the conditions of women were terrible - they had no right to own property, were supposed to be the property of the man, and if the man died everything went to his sons. Muhammad improved things quite a lot. By instituting rights of property ownership, inheritance, education and divorce, he gave women certain basic safeguards. Set in such historical context the Prophet can be seen as a figure who testified on behalf of women’s rights. [1]
However there is little evidence that this applied to all women in Arabia.[citation needed] The Prophet Muhammed's first wife Khadija ran her own business, successfully and profitably trading as far as Syria. She was a wealthy woman in her own right and married Muhammed over the objections of her male relatives.
[edit] Family
In Islam, great importance is placed on the family unit. Indeed, the Muslim Prophet Muhammad is believed to have stated that "Marriage is half of faith." Several hadith also maintain that the "beautiful conduct to parents" is second in importance only to prayer and worship.
On this subject, the Qur'an states: "Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, And that you be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in your life, Say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, But address them in terms of honor. And out of kindness, Lower to them the wing of humility, and say: 'My Lord! bestow on them Your Mercy as they Cherished me in childhood'" (Qur'an 17:23-24)
The high status of mothers in Islam has been eloquently described by Muhammad in both of the major Hadith Collections (Bukhari and Muslim). One famous account is: "A man asked the Prophet: 'Whom should I honor most?' The Prophet replied: 'Your mother'. 'And who comes next?' asked the man. The Prophet replied: 'Your mother'. 'And who comes next?' asked the man. The Prophet replied: 'Your mother!'. 'And who comes next?' asked the man. The Prophet replied: 'Your father'"
One must understand the importance of family roles in Islam, and in particular the extraordinary role of the mother, to understand its use of gender roles.
When a couple are to be married a man must pay a type of dowry called a mahr to his bride. This can take any form and the amount is at the discretion of the woman. In many Muslim societies the mahr is paid in silver or jewels which the wife will then wear at the marriage (Nikah or Nikah Mut'ah) ceremony and celebrations.
Islam obligates a married couple to try and have children. The theological understanding and reasons for this are varied, but this essentially means that a spouse is encouraged, religiously, to have sex with their partner on request. However, it is considered forbidden (Haram) for a woman to have sex during her period. This encouragement is on both partners, and while neither partner can force the other to comply, constant refusal to have sex (with a view to conceiving a child) has been recorded as a reason why many women choose to divorce their husband.
Also, while Islam does not teach the Catholic doctrine sometimes caricatured as "every sperm is sacred", it does consider that the consumption of sperm to be haram. As such many scholars consider orally stimulating the male sexual organ to be Haram or unlawful, whereas most see doing so to the female organ as acceptable.
(Some Fatwas in this regard: IslamOnline.net: [2][3][4][5][6][7] sistani.org: [8])
The primary role played by women is to be mothers, and mothers are considered the most important part of the family. A well known Hadith of the prophet says "I asked the Prophet who has the greatest right over a man, and he said, "His mother"". However, while a woman is considered the most important member of the family, she is still expected to obey the command of her husband, unless it goes against her religion.
The Qur'an states, "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 desertion, admonish them, and leave them alone in the sleeping-places and beat them; then if they obey you, do not seek a way against them; surely Allah is High, Great."(Surah An-Nisaa; verse 34) The apparent authorisation of domestic abuse has been controversial, and not just in modern times. One hadith of the prophet Muhammad was asked why such a thing was in the Qur'an, and he replied that he had no control over such things.
There's a Hadith from Al-Buchari, which includes another famous quote from the prophet regarding the treatment of woman: "The most perfect believer in faith is one who is the best of them in good conduct. The best of you is one who treats best with his wife among you."[9]
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- See also: Talaq
There are many applications of this hadith throughout the varying spectrum of Islamic thought. Some take the verse as a literal endorser of domestic abuse. This is not a view widely held, others, such as the earliest hafiz, Ibn Abbas, view that the act is symbolic, and perform it lightly with a toothbrush [10], others see it as only to be carried out if the wife has become deranged, others still ignore it completely when it comes to performing talaq (divorce). Thus, in some Muslim countries, such as Pakistan[11] and Saudi Arabia[12], domestic violence is not prohibited and reports indicate it is quite widespread, whereas in other Muslim countries, such as Indonesia and Tunisia[13], while incidents of domestic abuse do occur (as in almost all societies), it is illegal, and there is official help to protect the victims.
Nonetheless, men are obligated to provide for their families. Women are not barred from working outside the home, but are not expected to. The traditional Muslim family will see the man go to work while the woman will stay and maintain the home. However, as the cost of living in many nations increases, these roles are changing. In Saudi Arabia the female population in employment has reached 23%, while in Indonesia the rate is 51%[14].
A Muslim is required to pray (salat) at least five times a day. On Fridays many will pray in congregation, where the men, women, and children are segregated into separate groups. However, every other day in the home they will all pray together. The man will lead the prayers, as he is considered the head of the household. His wife and children will stand behind him as they pray. The man, as the leader of the prayers, also has the obligation to look after the family's copy of the Qur'an: it is he who will take it from its place of rest, uncover it and place it on its reading stand, and then back again.
Because girls will grow up to become mothers, it is considered an obligation to educate them. This is because they will in turn be the teachers of their children. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, for example, 60% of college graduates are women. It is also considered a good thing to educate boys.
[edit] Mosque
The Mosque, or Masjid, is another area in Islamic societies where gender differences take a role. At the time of Muhammad, the women praying were at the rear of the building while the men were at the front, however they would have been within earshot of the imam, and any men entering would have had to pass them. A saying attributed to Muhammad says "Do not forbid the mosques of Allah to the women of Allah"[15]. Also, on Hajj, men and women pray side by side. In most modern mosques, however, women and men are completely segregated into separate sections, where they perform ablutions (Wuzu) and prayers (Salat). Any women's groups or classes will normally be held here too. Usually there are separate doors for each gender, with the children entering with their mothers before being led to Madrassa.
Traditionally, women cannot lead (as an imam) men in prayer, however, there have been some attempts to change this ruling and allow women as imams. Women have for the most part been allowed to lead prayers in female-only congregations. These prayer leaders do not stand on a minbar, but in the middle of the front row of worshippers. In China, there are Mosques created solely for women, in which women serve as imams. There have been attempts to make similar Mosques in India'.
[edit] Clothing
The most visible sign of difference between Muslim men and women is the clothing. The stated reason for the traditional dress codes was Hijab (modesty). The Qur'an states: "And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women, or the (female) slaves whom their right hands possess, or old male servants who lack vigour, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex; and that they should not strike their feet in order to draw attention to their hidden ornaments. And O ye Believers! turn ye all together towards God, that ye may attain Bliss."
This verse, among others promoting modesty, led to a series of rules on what women and men were allowed to wear in public. Both genders are told to lower their gaze and not to stare at each other in public. Despite the same qur'anic obligations being issued for men and women, it is the dress code of women that covers more. These rules developed so that men were obliged to cover from their navels to their knees, whereas a woman was to cover all her body except what was essential, that is, her hands and face. These rules are still adhered to in large parts of the Muslim world. In more secular Muslim nations, such as Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt, many women are choosing to wear the Hijab, Burqa, Niqab, etc. as an act of defiance against the secularisation of society, but also because of the widespread growth of the Islamic revival in those areas. Similarly, increasing numbers of men are abandoning the Western dress of jeans and t-shirts, that dominated places like Egypt 20 to 30 years ago, in favour of more traditional Islamic clothing such as the Galabiyya.
In Iran many women, especially younger ones, have taken to wearing transparent Hijabs instead of Chadors to protest but keep within the law of the state.
The colors of this clothing varies. It is mostly black, but in many African countries women wear cloths of many different colours depending on their tribe, area, or family. In Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India, a lot of Muslim women wear bright orange and red garments which look similar to the Hindu Sari. In Turkey and Indonesia, the majority of women do not wear any kind of veil, except when they attend Friday Salat, while in many of the western Nations, where the majority of Muslims are from immigrant backgrounds, the majority of women choose to wear the veil as a way of keeping in touch with their heritage.
(Some fatwas in this regard: [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25])
