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.