Long-standing controversy surrounds the place of women in Islam. Muslims have frequently been seen as oppressed and inferior by non-Muslims. Additionally, while most practicing Muslim women appeared secure in their clearly defined responsibilities of being engaged and showing perfect obedience, rearing morally upright children, and caring for the family, other Muslim women wished for a different strategy. They are battling for bodily autonomy, equal rights, and the right to dress however they like. They are making their voices heard clearly and loudly because they are no longer willing to be dismissed.
My initial research found that because it greatly depends on perception and cultural context, the role of Muslim women is frequently contested and without a definitive resolution. The Islamic holy book, the Quran, occasionally gives unclear instructions, and various cultural contexts will interpret the meaning differently (Rahimi, 2013). Because Islam does not recognize a single governing body, this is further left unresolved. Iranian protesters recently chanted “women, life, and liberty” after a 22-year-old woman died while being held by the moral police for not donning a head scarf (Tajali, 2022). I will make the upbeat claim that modern Muslim women must rebel against outdated systems and regulations to enjoy equal rights.
A woman’s place in the Middle East was first compromised before even the seventh century since there were many narratives about them. Shahnameh (The Handbook of Kings), a lyrical narrative of Iran’s prehistory, tells the mythological and, to some degree, real stories of the Persian Empire from the beginning of time to the Islamic conquest of that government in the seventh century (Rahimi, 2013). The One Thousand and One Nights collection includes legends and actual occurrences gathered between the eighth and thirteenth centuries from various locales that correlate today to Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, and Syria (Tajali, 2022). Some of these stories have roots in folklore from the historical and medieval times of Persian, Arabic, Indian, Greek, Jewish, and Turkish.
The topic that caught my interest in both books, among many other intriguing themes, was the position of women and their comparatively great social and political authority at the time these volumes were first published (before and after Islam’s entrance and control in the region) (Rahimi, 2013). Women in Shahnameh are vibrant characters with compassion, boldness, intelligence, and a certain level of independence (Rahimi, 2013). There are stories of women serving as generals, advisors to monarchs, traders who traveled to distant lands, citizens of their infants, and many other positions.
Even among the general public, this position was held by women. Such depictions of women’s institutional authority are at odds with the often propagated and acceptable stereotypes of ladies in the Middle East (Taijul, 2022). For instance, modern women frequently lack similar rights as males when it comes to making decisions, pursuing a career, traveling, getting married or divorced, running a household, inheriting property, or having access to income. Countries retain the least female involvement in the labor force in the world, as well as the most significant gender gap worldwide in entrepreneurship despite the larger pool of highly trained ladies.
The position of women varies enormously in the Middle East, and it is inappropriate to venture against the norms in Saudi Arabia, which is one of the most sexist and despotic Middle East countries because the Middle East is a transcontinental region (Rodriguez & Ridgway, 2018). For instance, Rodriguez and Ridgway (2018) found that many women in the Middle East are not allowed to drive. It is geographically vast and culturally diverse, making it impossible to value the role of Muslim women in society due to many other countries in the region. It is highlighted that despite a shared theology throughout the area, Islamic ideals and practices have taken on remarkably varied shapes in the nations where Muslims make up the majority of the population. Here, more concentration was on Iran’s women to avoid orientalism and be precise. Even though Muslim women are distinct from the broader society, they should not be singled out. They must keep wearing their headscarves to signify equality and a connection to their culture. The Los Angeles Times report claims that People often made fun of Muslim women (PBS, 2019). Muslim women are entitled to hold steadfast to their religious convictions. It is a problem for equal liberation as well as Muslims, as highlighted in the Los Angeles Times story. In my opinion, Muslim women should be able to leave their homes early without fear of societal mockery.
This essay uses Zuhur’s description of women empowerment, a condition wherein women pursue academic, lawful, and political freedoms equal to or approximately equivalent to adult males. Cherif’s framework for women’s fundamental rights, which states that “ladies’ workforce participation, as well as schooling, serve as basic components of core rights for the advancement of other women’s rights,” fits well with this conception (Kharroub, 2015). Cherif has also argued that culture and international norms are essential in advancing or repressing women’s rights (“New Women Foundation,” n.d.). This calls for a change of culture and society’s perceived norms to give women a fair opportunity in the community.
Many observers have suggested that women’s disparity in these Islamic nations comes entirely from Islam when analyzing women’s rights in the region of the Middle East and Iran in particular. For instance, PBS (2019) argued that gender inequality is more acute and evident in cultures where Islam is the predominant religion. Some have argued that Islam and the Quran, like the other Abrahamic books, contain sexist sections based on several Islamic regulations, such as those about women’s inheritance and the requirement to wear the hijab. On the other hand, some have interpreted the Quran as a sacred text that offers people of both sexes equal rights without making any distinctions between them (“New Women Foundation,” n.d.). These experts have also argued that Islam’s equality ethos may serve as a model for Muslim women in their attempts to improve their rights to education and ownership when looking at women’s rights in Middle Eastern nations generally.
Some scholars have claimed that the often-quoted verses used in such arguments should be viewed as metaphors in reaction to accusations of the Quran’s content as sexist or inciting sexism. For instance, in chapter 4, verse 34, the Quran states that men are the maintainers of men (Dina El Omari et al., 2019). Thus this implies that women should not Muslim women should not contribute to the family but depend on their husbands for everything. These academics claim the primary sources of justification for the limitations on Muslim women’s rights are patriarchal misinterpretations of scriptures and putting passages out of context (Rahimi, 2013). Muslims prefer to think that the legal status of those norms and principles originates from their religious authority, and the phrase “Islamic Law” is typically used to refer to the legal elements of Shari’a (which is based on jurists’ readings of the Quran and other sources). Therefore, it has been demonstrated to be challenging, if not impossible, to persuade many believing Muslims that Sharia regulations can alter without harming the essence of the Quran.
The biggest obstacle to gender equality in Muslim-majority nations is not religious views but rather patriarchal customs. This is consistent with claims that call for limiting women’s rights based on a misinterpretation of the Quran (“New Women Foundation,” n.d.). They have argued that despite Muslim-majority country leaders being required by Islamic beliefs to support women’s rights, such as the freedom to own and manage the property, those rights have not consistently been expanded or upheld (Bendebka, 2021). For instance, most governments in the nations they surveyed tended to discriminate against women in inheritance laws (allowing women to inherit just half as much as men) (“New Women Foundation,” n.d.). However, the situation was more varied regarding intellectual property, where Islamic belief expressly calls for equality.
Even if one agrees with the claim that, in Muslim nations, culture both supports and surpasses religion when the two are at odds, one can still wonder when the initial seeds of patriarchal structures and ideas were sown in Iran and the MENA area. According to Widiasih and Nelson (2018), during the long Greek colonization of Persian territory from 312 BC to 63 BC, the status of Persian women among men started to decline since, in Greece, women were not granted equal rights to men. When Zoroastrianism was recognized as the nation’s official religion during the Sasanian era, which lasted from 224 to 651 AD, Iranian women were once again granted advantages and rights (Widiasih & Nelson, 2018). Both religion and culture go synonymously, and this is especially true in Muslim-majority nations. Religious ideology might have contributed to the strong preference for men over women. However, the introduction of neoliberalism and social stratification by imperialist nations also contributed to its acceptance (Widiasih & Nelson, 2018). Islam must fight against the tearing effects of foreign powers, whose influence in many economic, social, and cultural guises is still in force.
When attempting to comprehend the shift in women’s standing in society following the Islamic golden period, during which the One Thousand and One Nights stories were written, historical interpretations, as well as an appreciation of the contributions of outside cultural influences, are equally relevant. Some experts have connected the rise of nation-states that supported the role of warfare in society, which led to members of the typically physically superior sexual identity presuming more power, to the negative shift in women’s power and the development of misogynistic cultures throughout the MENA region (“New Women Foundation,” n.d.). In particular, the Ottoman, British, and French empires were significant architects of systemic Arab misogyny (Bendebka, 2021). Throughout the decades they ruled the Middle East, the colonizers molded those cultures to fit their authority. Fisher claims that colonial rulers provided male control over women as a form of payment in exchange for their consent to rule (Bendebka, 2021). Despite the dynamics and structure of its social transmission, this implicit bargain undoubtedly encouraged sexist notions among Arab males who could otherwise have embraced (or retained) very diverse beliefs and practices.
There are several internal and external forces that have harmed Muslim women in the Middle East’s power throughout history. They must be submissive to their husband while being discriminated against in various aspects of life, including the workplace and at the decision table. Although uneven, modern Muslim women have made progress in education, business, and politics, inspiring those who continue to fight for their full civil and human rights.
References
“New Women Foundation.” (n.d.). The Diverse roles and aspirations of Middle Eastern women. Web.
Bendebka, R. (2021). Regional dynamics and governance in the Modern Middle East: From the Ottoman Empire to the Cold War. Journal of Religion and Civilizational Studies, 4(1), 29-59.
Dina El Omari, Hammer, J., & Mouhanad Khorchide. (2019). Muslim Women and Gender Justice. Routledge.
Kharroub, T. (2015). Five things you need to know about women in Islam: Implications for advancing women’s rights in the Middle East. Arab Center Washington DC. Web.
PBS. (2019). Global connections. Roles of Women | PBS. Pbs.org. Web.
Rahimi, D. A. (2013). Islam and women: Surveying the Academic Debate. Public Discourse. Web.
Rodriguez, J. K., & Ridgway, M. (2018). Contextualizing privilege and disadvantage: Lessons from women expatriates in the Middle East. Organization, 26(3), 391–409. Web.
Tajali, M. (2022). Analysis | Iranian women have been protesting mandatory hijab for decades. Washington Post. Web.
Widiasih, R., & Nelson, K. (2018). Muslim husbands’ roles in women’s health and cancer: The perspectives of Muslim women in Indonesia. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 19(6), 1703–1709. Web.