Women’s Role in Islam Through the Ages

Aisha, the “undisputed favorite” wife of the prophet Mohammed (as Leila Ahmed describes her in Women and Gender in Islam), is idolized by various Muslim women around the world for her great achievements in early Islamic society. Her lifestyle and essential role are the basis of the calling for gender equality in the modern Islamic societies of today. The short clips I viewed on www.veiledvoices.com clearly support this view and present evidence of gender equality in Shari’a Law, the legal principles that form the basis of Muslim way of life as Professor Heck explains in one instance.

There is an ongoing debate of whether Islam can be applicable as the global society enters an era of modernity, specifically in terms of female empowerment. For centuries, Muslim women have attained the highest degrees of education, and have become teachers of the most successful Islamic scholars. Their education was key to the expedited expansion of Islam to the farthest corners of the world, and yet is still disputed by various traditional societies. Unfortunately, female participation in society was slowly reduced with abrupt changes in state structure and in caliphate rule. Understanding of Shari’a Law was altered as a result, and misinterpretations grew to the extent that women were viewed as possessions that had to be isolated as the most efficient method of protecting them.

Towards the mid-20^th century however, with the establishment of nation states following the fall of the Ottoman Empire and imperial rule, government policies began implementing laws similar to those implemented in Western states. This generally meant a higher level of equality and a desire for economic growth and development. There was a great focus on feminist policies, and education was proclaimed as the main driving force towards development. Nations such as Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan quite easily attained nation-wide literacy. Women suffrage was introduced, and gradually female representation in governmental institutions increased. However, it must be realized that such improvement is greatly centralized in the major cities of such Muslim majority countries.

Sheik Ziad el Saheb of Lebanon states in one of the clips that “women must take their rights before asking for them,” a statement that I greatly admired. It is Muslim scholars like him who deliver the true potential of Shari’a Law. Another credible statement made by Riham Sheble gives great responsibility specifically to accredited female Muslim scholars who gained a voice from their studies. Sheble states that it is the message conveyed by these influential women outweighs their mere possession of a voice. Thus, as Professor Heck puts it, the door to women empowerment in Islam was opened centuries ago, and has been re-opened in recent years. However, it is the proper interpretation and transmission of Islamic academic material through accredited scholars that will keep it open in the long-term, giving Shari’a law the chance to be integrated into modern ideals of equality as it should be.

“Never Plead Ignorance Again”

Afghanistan remains to be a nation misunderstood. Few people know the reality of life. Afghanistan Unveiled presents Afghanistan in a fascinating way. During the reign of the Taliban, women were confined to their homes, ignorant of what was going on in their surroundings, with no televisions or radio stations to explain the happenings they saw outside their very windows. The film, for me was a journey, as it was for the Afghan journalists directing and producing it. They, themselves, had never left Kabul, and were practically light years away from the nightmares facing millions in their nation.

“We can never plead ignorance again.” That was the line that immediately stuck in my mind. The journalists showed great initiative to discover their nation, and unveil its history for themselves. They visited the poorest villages and areas of Afghanistan, particularly focusing on the Hazaras. The word Hazaras quickly reminded me of the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, in which he conveys the discrimination towards the Hazara and the impact of Taliban rule on Afghan society. Similarly in the documentary, Hazaras were ethnically cleansed out of major Afghan cities. Thousands were killed and those who survived created homes for themselves in mountains, with one goal: sustaining life. The filmmakers’ journey through the mountains and the desert showed the absence of infrastructure. Hazaras truly lived in the middle of nowhere. Interviewees described the Taliban as a plague and extermination force. As women described the events they stored in their memories, the journalists were brought to tears. The Hazaras’ stories were a black mark in Afghan history, a criminal case never opened, and hidden from not only the international community and Afghans alike.

While visiting other villages, I could somewhat relate to the journalists as they depicted the injustice that women had to endure due to a misinterpretation and extremist view of Islamic Shari’a Law. As a Muslim myself, I related to the journalists who practiced Islam in moderation, sticking to its key principles and morals. In villages they visited on the Eastern part of Afghanistan, there were no women in sight. Education was reserved for the men, if it was even available in the first place. Pure misery could be detected instantly. When finally gaining permission to get interviews with women, the journalists witnessed, for the first time, conditions that had to be endured by women. Women were forced to wear Chadris to hide their identity wholly, and due to societal pressure and fear live in isolation in their homes with no opportunities of progress or change. As for the millions of Nomads displaced due to many years of conflict, deserted villages or areas in the desert became home. Most of the women were widowed due to Taliban rule, and left to fend for themselves without oil, water, or electricity. There was no income, no routine, and a complete absence of basic human rights and necessities.

The Afghan journalists realized the opportunity they had, and used it not only to escape their own shell of ignorance, but to raise the voice of the silenced majority of Afghanistan, in hopes of one day helping the women of their nation realize equality, freedom, and justice. Despite the horrific misery depicted, Afghan culture was highlighted to symbolize this potential for change that many, even Afghans, label as impossible to attain.