Celebration of International
Women's Day and
Muslim Societies
Dr. Mozammel Haque
Introduction
The
world was celebrating International Women's Day on 8th of March
throughout the world to remember the social and political
rights of women, their long struggle to obtain those rights, and their
strength. The history of 8th of March becoming International Women’s
Day dates back to the 1800s. According to some sources, a group of women
working in factories staged a protest against poor working conditions and pay
on 8 March, 1857, in New York. Follow-up demonstrations seeking fair conditions
for female workers and equal rights for women took place in different parts of
the world. So every year on 8 March, women worldwide commemorate those who
started this valuable struggle.
On
the occasion of International Women’s Day, there were many conferences,
seminars, meetings on women in London. There was a meeting on the Future for
Women in Saudi Arabia at Chatham House, London on 20th of February,
2017. Then there was another seminar on Islam & Women, organised by the
Islamic Cultural Centre, London, on 23rd of February, 2017. There
was a Lecture event in the London School of Economics (LSE) on Rights for Women
in the Islamic World at the Sheikh Zayed Institute, LSE, on 25th of
February, 2017. Another meeting took place at Chatham House, on the Future for
Women in the Gulf Countries on 7th of March 2017. A conference on
the International Women’s Day was held at the Committee Room in the British
Parliament on 22nd of March, 2017.
In
order to understand the present situation of Muslim women in the Muslim
countries, I think it is better to start with the Status of Women in Islam
before I discuss, narrate and elaborate about the position of Muslim women in
the Muslim societies.
Status of Women in Islam
With
Islam, the status of women improved considerably. There is no iota of doubt how
women were treated in Islam, how their status were raised and how they were
given equal rights in Islam as early as 1400 years ago. “The Qur'an and the Sunnah emphasized the spiritual equality
of all Muslims. Islamic law recognized a woman's right to choose her own
marriage partner, and it set limits on the practice of polygyny. A man could
have as many as four wives, if he could provide for and treat them equally.
Islamic regulations also defined marriage as a contract between a man and a
woman or a man and a woman's legal guardian (wali). They also required
the groom to pay the dowry directly to the bride. In addition, the Qur'an and Sunnah
specified that women are entitled to inherit wealth and that married women
should be able to control their own money and property. These sources further
stated that husbands must support their wives financially during marriage and
for a certain period after a divorce.” (Women, Oxford Centre for Islamic
Studies (OXCIS), Oxford University)
Islam
honours women as daughters, and encourages raising them well and educating
them. Islam states that raising daughters will bring a great reward. For
example, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever
takes care of two girls until they reach adulthood, he and I will come like
this on the Day of Resurrection,” and he held his fingers together. (Muslim)
Dr.
M. I. H. Farooqi said, “Islam brought about liberation of women from bondage
and gave her equal rights and recognized her individuality as a human being.
Islam improved the status of women by instituting rights of property ownership,
inheritance, education, marriage (as a contract) and divorce.” (Dr. M. I.H.
Farooqi, Status of Muslim Women in Islamic Societies: Past and Present,
2011)
Women in Muslim Societies
during the golden era
Criticism
was directed at the status of women in Islam on the basis of how women are
treated in the Muslim countries or in the Muslim world. Again, they were seen
in the light of modern days, in the light of 19th and 20th
centuries. Muslim women in the Islamic world played greater role and
contributed to the societies during the glorious period of Islam, from the 7th
to the 12th and 13th centuries. During those periods,
Muslim women were very active in every field, whether in education, charities
and governance. In this respect, it may be mentioned about the role of Ummehatul
Mumenin (Mother of the Believers) Khadija and A'ishah during the life time
of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
“It
is said and recorded in history that Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him)’s first wife, Khadija, was his chief adviser as well as his first and
foremost supporter. His third and youngest wife, A'ishah, was a well-known
authority in medicine, history, and rhetoric. At Muhammad's (pbuh)
death, the distinguished women of the community were consulted about the choice
of his successor. Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab (ruled 634 – 644 ) appointed women
to serve as officials in the market of Medina.”
Dr.
Farooqi mentioned, “The women of the Prophet's time enjoyed the full range of
rights and freedoms that Allah and the Prophet allowed them. There were many
prominent Muslim women in that generation who were outspoken and contributed to
building the Islamic society. Their names have been recorded. Quran is
insistent on the full participation of women in society and in the religious
practices.”
The
history of Muslims is rich with women of great achievements in all walks of
life from as early as the seventh century. Since the beginning of Islam, Muslim
women have made strong contributions in the development of Islamic Societies.
During
the Abbasid period, the wife of Harun al-Rashid, Queen Zubaida bint Jafar
al-Mansur, built the great canal from Baghdad to Makkah for the service of
pilgrims which is still in existence. Similarly, there were devoted and
dedicated Muslim women in India who contributed to the educational development
of women in India, such as Rokeya Begum, Begum Shakhawat and others. In the
governance, who will forget the reign of Razia Sultana, the first Muslim female
ruler of Delhi during 1236-1240.
The
decline of the Muslims started after the fall of the Ottoman rule when
education went at the backseat.
Muslim women in modern Muslim countries
Several
factors limited the progress of Muslim women in some Muslim countries in the
present era. More traditional Muslims regarded social and political changes as
anti-Islamic and a threat to the cultural value of male superiority. Concerns
about a lack of employment opportunities among men fuelled arguments that women
should stay at home in their traditional roles of wives and mothers. Islamic
states tried to balance the conflicting demands of women and traditional
Muslims by making cautious reforms.
Dr.
Farooqi wrote, “After fifteenth century AD things started changing against the
interest of women. Harsh restrictions on women and general violation of human
rights began. Culture and patriarchal constraints played instrumental roles in
restricting Muslim women's educational and economic participation. This was the
period of Decline (Fall) of the Islamic World. The situation has gone so bad
that many people believe that Muslim women are oppressed in Islamic Societies.
They are denied education and other basic rights. These are not baseless
accusations. But one must understand that these oppressive practices do not
come from Islam. These are part of local cultural traditions in various
countries. Western observers portray Islam as uniquely patriarchal and
incompatible with women's equality.”
Some
other Muslim Intellectuals, in recent past, have condemned attitude of Muslim
societies for their anti-Islamic treatment of womenfolk. Few examples are
stated below:
Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of the Islamic Republic of
Pakistan, said, “No
nation can rise to the height of glory unless your women are side by side with
you. We are victims of evil customs. It is a crime against humanity that our
women are shut up within the four walls of the houses as prisoners. There is no
sanction anywhere for the deplorable condition in which our women have to
live”. (March 10, 1944, AMU, Aligarh), “I have always maintained that no nation
can ever be worthy of its existence that cannot take its women along with the
men. No struggle can ever succeed without women participating side by side with
men.” (March 25, 1940).
Dr.
Hassan Abdullah Al Turabi, the Islamic scholar and influential political
leader of Sudan, said: “Present Muslim Society has become unduly conservative
for fear that freedom of thought would lead astray and divide the community;
and that freedom of women would degenerate into licentious promiscuity - so
much that the basic religious rights and duties of women have been forsaken and
the fundamentals of equality and fairness in the structure of Muslim Society,
as enshrined in the Sharia, have been completely overlooked. In the fallen
society of Muslims, women have little freedom. All sorts of subterfuges are
employed to deny her inheritance. In the domain of public life, she is not
allowed to make any original contribution to the promotion of the quality of life.
A revolution against the condition of women in the traditional Muslim societies
is inevitable. The teachings of their own religion call upon Islamists to be
the right-guided leaders for the salvation of men and women.”
OIC’s Plan to Empower Women
in Muslim Societies
“All
over the Muslim world, women are taking up leadership roles, advancing in their
careers and creating impact through initiatives in business, civil society and
innovation. They have shattered the glass ceiling in politics and have taken on
the role of presidents, prime ministers and parliamentary representatives. They
have reached the highest echelons in finance, academia and science and have
been recognized internationally in the arts, literature and media sectors,”
said Maha Akeel, Director of the Public Information and Communication
Department at the Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) but
also added, “Nevertheless, women in the Muslim world still have soaring
illiteracy rates while poverty and maternal mortality remain a problem. They
still suffer from discrimination, violence, marginalization, negative cultural
traditions — such as forced marriage, honor killings and female genital
mutilation (FGM) — and the denial of some of their basic rights.” (Maha Akeel, Arab
News, 8 March, 2017)
“Recognizing
this dichotomy in the status of women in its member states, the Organization of
Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the second largest intergovernmental organization
after the UN with 57 member states, has adopted resolutions and launched
programs and projects to empower women and address their issues and concerns.
Its various institutions — such as the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), the
Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), the Islamic
Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (ICCIA) and others — have also
launched their own programs for women,” Maha Akeel mentioned.
At the 11th OIC information ministers’ conference held in
Jeddah in December 2016, ministers agreed to empower women in and through the
media.
Maha Akeel also said, “The OIC’s Ten-Year Plan of Action
(2005-2015), the new OIC 2025 Program of Action and the landmark OIC Plan of
Action for the Advancement of Women (OPAAW) have set a number of important
goals to be achieved for the benefit of families, women and children in the
Muslim world.”
“Empowering women remains a key priority
for the organization, not only to ensure their human rights but as an enabler
and transformative force for sustainable development, peace and security,” Maha
Akeel mentioned and said, “In order
to promote the role of women in the media, they also need to be adequately
represented across the media spectrum by taking on roles in different areas and
in different capacities, including decision-making positions. Thus, the OIC has
initiated steps to establish a Women Media Observatory within its Public
Information Department, based on the information ministers’ resolution to
monitor the progress of women in the media.”
Seminars
and Conferences in London
As I
mentioned earlier, there were meetings, seminars and conferences on role of
women in different countries such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Gulf countries as
well as in the Islamic world in general. I am going to report briefly on these
events. First of all, there was a Seminar on Islam & Women at the Islamic
Cultural Centre, London, on 23rd of February, 2017. I interviewed
Dr. Ahmad al-Dubayan Director General of the Centre.
Islam & Women at the
Islamic Cultural Centre, London
This event entitled 'Women - Gender, Justice and
Islam', organised by the Islamic Cultural Centre, London, in collaboration with
the Home Office, was held at Conference Library Hall of the Islamic Cultural
Centre (ICC), London, on Thursday, 23rd of February, 2017. It was a
symposium on the role of women. The purpose of the Symposium was to have an
informed discussion around the rights and roles of women in Islam, break down
myths, consider differences and overlap between culture and religion, discuss
cases of successful Muslim women in leadership roles and consider how Muslim
women can become more active in society and influence the democratic process.
After
the recitation from the verses of the Holy Qur’an, Dr. Ahmad al-Dubayan, the
Director General of the Islamic Cultural Centre, welcomed the dignitaries,
guests and other attendees.
An interview with Dr. Ahmad al-Dubayan
In
an interview with me about his address, Dr. al-Dubayan said, “It was a
symposium on the role of women. The purpose of that symposium was casting some
light on the Muslim women in the UK first of all and also about some of the
social changes around and the role of the women in Islam itself. And try to
improve the knowledge about it and also thinking about the role of women.”
In
the beginning of his speech, Dr. Al-Dubayan started with role of women during
the Islamic civilization. He mentioned, “Actually in my speech I talked about
the role of women in the Islamic civilizations and about the role of women in
the early days of Islam. Ummehatul Mumeneen (the Mother of the
Believers) Khadija played a major role in the faith in the history of Islam.
Unfortunately, today in many cases in Islamic societies and communities it is
seen that they do not realize the role of Khadija. Today, the role of women as well as the
Muslim organizations, for example, are sometimes limited to education and also
within the family itself.”
“Women
are the mothers and the most powerful persons who have influence on children.
So we need to take advantage of this powerful woman to take their education. It
is important also to remind the younger generation at home about the role and
achievements of the Muslim women,” said Dr. Al-Dubayan.
Dr.
Al-Dubayan also mentioned, “The contributions and role of the women scholars in
the history of Islam in the field of Shari’ah, the Qur’an and the Hadiths, the
Traditions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). How much we have
indebted to them and how much we have received from those scholars - really we
are so proud of them.”
In
this connection, the ICC Director General said about one Imam who mentioned
about 18 of the Muslim women scholars. He also mentioned about Sheikh Imam ibn
Taymiyyah who had mentioned about eight or nine female scholars; we also
received Hadiths and other information from them.
Dr.
al-Dubayan also said, “We should not forget the great mosques like Kairauine
Mosque in Fes, Morocco; Al-Zaytuna Mosque in Tunisia, the Madrasah Sawlatiyya
(Sawlatiyah Islamic School) in Makkah al-Mukarramah and the Shah Jahan Mosque,
in Woking, UK, funded by Sultan Shah Jahan, Begum of Bhopal and others. All
these endowments were made by female, by women.”
Elaborating
about Sawlatiyyah School, Dr. al-Dubayan mentioned, “There was one woman, named
Begum Sawlatunnisa, the descendants of the Muslim Ruler of Mysore, Tipu Sultan,
who came from India. When she completed
her Hajj in the 19th century she wanted to do Waqf Islamic endowment
in Makkah. Somebody named Rahmatullah indeed told her that it is better to
establish school and she founded the school from her own expenses and others
and others have big history.”
“Especially
the women in Islam made a major important role,” said Dr. Al-Dubayan and
lamented, “Unfortunately, some young generation do not study this and we do
really need to bring this back to light, to educate and to bring more to young
female generations who do not know about all that.”
Speaking
about the present time, the ICC chief said, “In the modern times also, now, of
course, women have very important role as employees, as workers, as
researchers, as academic, office staff and whatever; and it is important to
give more power and more rights to them. Actually, the United Nations selected
one day for international women. They wanted to highlight this some countries
around the world.”
“In
the Islamic communities in the UK, we
have really different programmes, talking about the empowerment of women; talking about the role of women in the
society, women education; how women really can play an influential role even in
fighting terror, radicalisation. I think women can play a big role as teacher,
as mother etc,” said Dr. Al-Dubayan.
In
reply to my queries, Dr. Dubayan said, “Actually the human rights issue, the
women rights issue we should not forget; the issue of extremism itself, or terror
itself, sometimes I will say, used for political purposes. No one say actually
women have hundred percent complete rights or the things what we want. If you go to the United States, for example,
or in Europe, you will find women complaining about the media made women the
like something to be consumed; like to be offered or to be on sale. At the same
time they are always complaining about rape.”
“This
is the case debates are always continuing. We don’t say that the status of
women is ideal in Islam. They have problems in Muslim countries; but there are
also exaggerations. I think in a country like Saudi Arabia which is on the way
of advancing day by day rather better than before,” said Dr. Al-Dubayan and
added, “We have to remember, in Asia and Africa, either they are too
conservative you cannot come to them and one day they will shift the society
and change.”
Dr.
al-Dubayan thinks that things are changing; and it will change gradually little
by little. He said, “We have to take little by little; people must be educated
first; even about democracy, people must be educated about it first, then
implement; it will be like a battle. I think there is a big progress going on;
going on in all countries and they believe, in course of time, it will be
better; but no one can say, it is the best situation - the status of women is
perfect in any country.”
Future for Women in Saudi Arabia
At Chatham House
There was an event on The Future for Women in Saudi
Arabia in the Chatham House, renowned International Think Tank, on 20th
of February, 2017. There was an excellent panel of speakers, such as Najah
Al-Osaimi, London-based Saudi researcher and journalist, covering the Gulf
region. Ahad al-Kamel is an actress and filmmaker and Caroline Montagu, writer
and journalist, Saudi Arabia, who has spent more than 30 years in Saudi Arabia.
This event was chaired by Peter Salisbury, senior Research Fellow, Middle East
and North Africa Programme, Chatham House. .
Najah al-Osaimi said, “In the last ten years the Kingdom
made a move to develop the situation of women. And the status of women in Saudi
Arabia has been advanced by a number of policies and initiatives which aim at
empowering women. As a result of such a move the gender gap has been reduced
and the number of Saudi women participating in the workforce has been
increased. Now Saudi women composed 20 per cent of the Saudi labour force;
still very low but if you compare that number to the number of 2000 the
participation of women in the labour force was only 7 per cent. So it is a
remarkable achievement.”
Speaking about the Saudi women education, Najah mentioned,
“young Saudi women in the Universities thousands of women in the national
education. More than 70,000 women have completed their education and half of
that number was educated in the United States. Additionally, the educational
programme of Saudi Arabia has strengthened the capacity of Saudi women
entrepreneurial opportunities.”
Talking about the Saudi female entrepreneur, Najah
mentioned, “Now the number of female entrepreneur in Saudi Arabia is in
thousands. In eastern province alone, there are 4,000 entrepreneurs.”
Speaking about political participation of Saudi women,
Najah mentioned, Saudi women “have political representation. We have now 217
female councillors in our municipal councils. I can see Saudi women in Saudi
Shoura Councils. The Shoura Council is just like parliament. So you can see
there is a potential; there have been democratic environment; have been
prepared for a big change.”
Speaking
about educated Saudi women, Najah mentioned, “Saudi Arabia has now many highly
educated women. A generation of highly educated women and they are aware of
their human rights, they are exposed to equality, they are exposed to freedom
and they think they are completely equal to men.”
Najah
spoke about Vision 2030. She said, “We need the government to think about it as
a potential; empowerment of women is for the social and economic development of
the country.”
Talking
about leadership, Najah praised Deputy Crown Prince. She said, “We have now new
leadership. We have now especially Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin
Salman. He is very powerful about
change.”
Ahd Kamel Actress and Filmmaker
Ahd
Kamel is a Saudi film actress and filmmaker. She talked about Vision 2030. She
said it “is all amazing; and interesting; it is a great ideas; and that’s the
spirit.”
“Let’s
treat each other as human being and that’s the first teaching of Islam. It
teaches equality; it does not matter where you come from. And that is something
I think that to be addressed globally. It is not something which is
specifically to Saudi Arabia; Saudi might be an extreme case. But globally
women are still oppressed; still under shadows; lack of equal rights,” Ahd
said.
She
also talked about living together as human being in general. Ahd said, “it is
about living together as one; men women, British, Saudi; I don’t know black
white wherever it is we are all one and in fact, not just one but we are human
being.”
Caroline Montagu
Writer and Journalist
Caroline
Montagu, writer and journalist think there is a sense of change in Saudi Arabia
in the last 20 years at different atmosphere.
Speaking
about Saudi women, Caroline said, “Saudi women are absolutely wonderful; they
are witty; they are clever and they are very powerful in the private sphere.”
She
also mentioned, “now women are absolutely developed under the economy and in
the development of society I could have been said there are more women
entrepreneurial than few years ago.”
She
also mentioned about the achievement of Saudi women. She said, “Some Saudi
women Somayya Jabarti, Editor in Chief of Saudi Gazette, Woman has
become head of the stock exchange. She also said, “I think many Saudi women are
much happier and more content than the message we get here lot of times because
those who are content and happier.”
Celebration of International Women Day
In Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is scrutinized more than almost any other
country in the world on issues of female empowerment. So it came as a shock to most
media pundits and analysts when three young Saudi women took the most senior,
competitive financial positions in both the private and public sectors within
days of each other in February, 2017, with almost no controversy. It is
reported in Arab News: “Three young Saudi women took the most senior,
competitive financial positions in both the private and public sectors within
days of each other in February, with almost no controversy. Reem Nashar became
the first female CEO of a Saudi Bank, Samba; Sahar Al-Suhaimi became head of
the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul); and Latifa Al-Sabhan became CFO of the Arab
National Bank (ANB). The world can now see what we have always known, that
Saudi women can attain the leadership positions they deserve. (Arab News,
8 March, 2017)
It would be also shocking for many to learn that Saudi
Arabia celebrated its own Women’s Day for the first time in its history, with a
three-day gathering at King Fahd Cultural Centre in Riyadh.
