It is not uncommon that etched into
minds of many inhabitants of the western world lies a distorted image of the
Muslim woman—mistreated and oppressed by Islam. She is constantly portrayed in
the media as the victim of cruelty, left
in unmerciful hands of overly pious men. The non-Muslims viewing her
immediately are awestruck with both pity for her, and anger at her oppressors.
Broadcasters—merely in search of an intriguing story—seem to base their reports
mainly on negative events related to the treatment of women in Islam, knowing
that the religion is widely misunderstood in the west. They are are swift to
depict a woman covered from head to toe in a niqab who has been on the
receiving end of some form of abuse, causing viewers to associate Islam and the
veil with her oppression. Since the
public lacks access to much media coverage on those women having a
positive experience in the religion, many non-Muslims are led to believe that
Islam has no peaceful agenda, especially for women. Why are westerners so
concerned about misogyny in Islam? In the western world, Christianity and
Judaism are much more widely defined than Islam due to non-polysemic canonical
texts and more solidarity as far as organization. Also, most western societies
are democratic and even womens rights are promoted—so how do the misogynistic
themes of the Torah and the Bible manage to escape such public scrutiny? In
reality, the amount of misogyny rooted in the the latter two of the
aforementioned religions is not much different than that found in Islam. With
that said, are the Abrahamic faiths solely responsible for misogyny? The answer
is no. The unequal treatment of women predates any of these traditions and can
be seen around the world. For millennia, women have engaged in a constant
struggle to be restored to their original positions in society of honor and
reverence. So, then what is the source of misogyny? How did this phenomenon
begin? The fact is, misogyny is the result of a worldwide, political
agenda—patriarchy. Misogynistic practices in religion are merely tools used by
patriarchs to manipulate women in such a way as to control them, and their
resources. This system of male supremacy is designed to create a form of utopia
for men to reign freely, creating the rules of the world as they go along—since
they control resources, they control wealth. As long as the world continues to
blame religions—like Islam—for misogyny, gender inequality will continue on a
global scale, and women will continuously be victims of discrimination because
the root of the problem is being overlooked. To counter misogyny, women must
begin with a desire for change, and then educate themselves on their history.
Next, women must become aware of patriarchy, and understand how it has affected
them on a personal level. Finally, women must send a clear message to men that
says, 'It is not all about you!' to end this narcissistic fantasy that men have
created for themselves throughout the world. Only then will men accept that
they are not entitled to supremacy, or the use of other human beings simply to
gratify their own carnal desires. This essay will discuss some of the effects
of misogynist patriarchal values on women across the globe, especially how it
has influenced women in Islam.
It
is widely known that early civilization was both matrifocal and matrilineal in organization.
Matrifocal pertains to a family structure headed by the mother, and lacking a
father permanently or for extended periods of time. A matrilineal culture is
one in which inheriting and descent is takes place through the female
bloodline. Monica Sjoo and Barbara Mor describe the essence of original
matriarchies as, “...the experienced unity of psychic/productive/sexual/cosmic
power and activity in the egalitarian collective of women” (13-25). In her
discussion on early Mesopotamia in Women and Gender in Islam, Leila
Ahmed mentions that in the ancient Middle East, “...women were held in esteem
prior to the rise of urban societies and suffered a decline in status with the
emergence of urban centers...” (11). Ahmed goes further to explain that the
dominant position of women was so isolated to one area, but were widespread
throughout the Middle East. To show just how sacred women were to society,
Ahmed says, “Archaeological findings indicate that cultures throughout the
Middle East venerated the mother-goddess...into the second millennium B.C.E.”
(12) Seeking power and control, men began resisting matriarchal values to
establish social hierarchies and. The rise of patriarchy resulted in
dualism—dividing life into higher and lower categories. This dualism resulted
the binary opposition of male and female, as superior versus inferior. Speaking of the modern world, Patriarchy is
“a politics of transforming biological sex into politicised gender, which
prioritises the male while making the woman different (unequal), less than, or
the other” (Barlas 1). The patriarchal
ideal that God prefers men to women has given men the impression that they are
superior by nature, and should be managers and rulers of women. Asma Burlas
counters this assumption well in Quran and Patriarchy when stating,
“...As the Quran teaches, God is beyond sex/gender, not only is there no reason
to masculinize God, but there is also no reason to assume that God has any
particular relationship to, or affinity with, males” (9).Through imperialism
and evangelism of religious doctrine, male dominance spread, and various
religious and social institutions were established under their control. Major
religious institutions involved in this global transformation served helped to
propagate misogynist ideals, which gained popularity among the masses disguised
as hope for the lost. This is not exclusive to Islam, as Christianity and
Judaism carried out a patriarchal agenda in the same manner. In his discussion
of women in the Middle East, As'ad Abukhalil stated, “...Polygamy, the
stigmatization of menstruation, the requirement of wifely obedience to the
husband, and the inequality of inheritance and court appearances. All...have at
one point or another been part of the Christian and Jewish practices or
cultures” (par. 3). Because the Abrahamic faiths were founded on the patriarchal,
misogynist values that preceded their existence, many of the modern practices
of these religions still reflect the popular views held by society at the time
they were established. Accordingly, the idea of the inferiority of women is
found in every culture that these religions have touched around the world.
Nearly forgotten, matriarchal values are slowly being restored in western
culture today as people are introduced to the divine feminine aspects of
cosmology and consciousness. To counter the ill effects of thousands of years
of male domination, this process will take time.
Islam
is widely misunderstood in the western world because of the various
interpretation of religious doctrine in the Muslim world. Since not all Muslims
agree on a single interpretation of their religious principles, it is very
difficult for a non-Muslim to grasp a full understanding of the religion. The
Quran is not the only canon for Muslims; various hadiths have unevenly shaped
their religious practices. There have been so many hadiths published, and many
Muslims prioritize them above the Quran.
A
close look at the events that characterized the life of the Prophet reveals his
egalitarian view of the sexes. Fatima
Mernissi highlighted the gentle and fair manner in which the Prophet interacted
with his wives, willingly including them in most of his affairs. According to
the Quran, men and women were created equally, and viewed equally in the eyes
of Allah (Quran, 4.1, 3.195). Similarly, according to the first creation myth
in the Bible, “God created man in his own image...male and female he created
them.” There is no noted distinction between the sexes made in these verses,
and the word 'them' is used to describe the subjects of God's actions at all times,
obviously denoting equality (New International Version Bible, Gen. 1.27-31).
Interestingly, there is a second creation myth in the Bible that accounts for
Adam and Eve—neither of which were mentioned in the first. In this second myth,
God gave Eve to Adam as a “helper suitable for him.” Eve was made from the rib
of Adam, signifying a common biological link between the sexes (New
International Version Bible, Gen. 2.18-23). It is clearly seen that in neither
of the creation myths of the Bible is the male given superiority over the
woman. Only later is the woman blamed for the fall of mankind from the grace of
God, and the man given dominion over her. The Quran does not discriminate
between men or women in terms of who is considered a believer by Allah, but
various hadiths have been introduced in direct contrast to this truth (Quran,
33.35-36). Muslim leaders have justified unequal treatment of women based on
assumptions paired with interpretations of Quranic verses, and countless
misogynistic hadiths to support their own domineering political agendas. For
example, Abu Huraira recounted a hadith that has shaped a widely-held modern
Muslim opinion on the nature of a woman. He said, “The woman is like a rib, if
you try to straighten her, she will break. So if you want to get benefit from
her, do so while she still has some crookedness” (Khan, 7.62.113). This implies
that by nature, women—unlike men—are weak and flawed in a way that cannot be
perfected. Let it be noted that the Quran states that, “[Mankind] was created
weak,” which means every human being has imperfections—including men (Quran,
4.28). Secondly, Huraira is insisting that every woman has a breaking point,
and she should be used to benefit men prior to reaching it. This widely
accepted hadith serves only to give men a means to mask their superiority
complex, so that they can justify their insatiable lust for power and control
over resources. This patriarchal, misogynistic value that many men hold can be
seen on a global scale, regardless of religion. Mernissi explains how this
superiority complex has interfered with loyalty to the Islamic faith when she
says, “...The men professed Islam, but openly rejected it when it supported
equality between the sexes” (129). This brings into question whether misogynist
Muslim men are purposely using the religion as a persuasive tool to gain
political power, or truly devoted to the will of Allah with a poor
understanding of the Quran. Mernissi even noted two major motivators of Muslim
believers, “...booty, along with the promised life in paradise...” (134). Much can
be said when a man is willing to trade in that fate to avoid acknowledging the
equality of a woman.
The
belief in women as inferior beings is the driving force behind every form of
unfair treatment of women around the world. It is the fundamental component of
misogyny, as it is used to justify a less-acceptable form for treatment for
women, who are seen a nearly less than human. This can even be seen in the
Bible when the Apostle Peter refers to married women as the “weaker partner” in
his address to the Romans (New International Version Bible, 1Pet. 3.7). Also in
the Apostle Paul's letter to Timothy, his reason for instructing a woman not to
have authority over a man is because, “Adam was formed first, then Eve. [He]
was not the one deceived; it was [Eve] who was deceived and became a sinner”
(New International Version Bible, 1Tim. 2.12-14). As was the case with the
conflicting hadith mentioned before, these verses are in stark contrast to the
creation myth in the book of Genesis. A review of the third chapter of Genesis
will show that, “[Eve] gave some [forbidden fruit] to her husband, who was with
her, and he ate it.” Adam was not forced or coerced into sinning, but did so by
his own free will. This is a significant point because it results in women
being blamed for mankind's separation from God—even though men agree to their
participation. Blaming women for mankind's separation from God is not exclusive
to the Abrahamic faiths, this and can be seen in theodicies around the world.
Just as in the myth of Pandora's box, and the creation myth of the Ashanti
tribe of West Africa—the blame is placed on women for ushering evil and suffering
into human existence. So, the aforementioned hadith is only a tool used by men to
deceive women into thinking that their rightful existence is a position of
total dependence on men. Sadly, many women have bought into this
viewpoint—allowing men to dominate society—at the expense of many of their own
rights, and freedom of choice. What all of the listed examples have in common
is not religion, but a widespread, patriarchal attitude of male supremacy.
Sexuality
is a hot topic in the Muslim world because it is regarded as a natural part of
life. Due to the Christian influence, sex is often a taboo subject in western
civilization. However, on thing remains constant—male domination of female
sexuality. Due to patriarchy, many Muslim marriages are similar to a
property-ownership relationship. Huraira recounted a hadith that has given many
men an excuse to abuse their wives sexual freedom in saying, “If a man Invites his wife to sleep with him and she
refuses to come to him, then the angels send their curses on her till morning”
(Bukhari 7.62.121). This is a classic example of a man attempting to resolve
his sexual frustration by threatening the woman with hell fires. Another
attempt by men to control women's sexuality is the misinterpretation of Quranic
verses pertaining to women's modesty. “Tell your wives and daughters, and the
believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their
persons...that they should be known and not molested.” (Quran 33.59) Also, the
verse that states“...believing women...should lower their gaze and guard their
modesty...they should not display their ornaments except what must ordinarily
appear thereof...”(Quran 24.31), is used to justify veiling women—regardless of
whether they decide to or not. Granted, many Muslim women veil as a means of
cultural identity, not oppression. However, many Muslim women veil to avoid
being seen as a sexual object by lustful men. Even more surprising, many modern
Muslim women claim to wear the veil to avoid fitna—being a sexual
temptress to men in their surroundings. As for the women who proudly veil as a
form of identifying with Muslim culture, there is no issue. However, there is
an issue when women veil to avoid fitna because they are just
compensating for the failed responsibilities of men. Men do not seem to want to
take responsibility for controlling their sexual urges. Instead of disciplining
themselves not to act out on sexual urges toward women, they would rather make
women 'cover up.' Would it then be fair to mandate men keep their eyes closed
at all times to maintain purity, since women are such a distraction to them?
Absolutely not, that would be as absurd as regulating women's dress to maintain
men's sexual behavior in accordance with Allah's will. This is narcissism at
its finest—men find it easier to pull rank on women than to just worry about
themselves.
The
last example in this discussion on the narcissistic behavior of men is the
hadith by Huraira in Mernissi's The Veil and the Male Elite that states,
“The Prophet said that the dog, the ass, and woman interrupt prayer if they
pass in from of the believer, interposing themselves between him and the qibla”
(64). This hadith has had monumental effects on Muslim women, even in western
civilization. This has given men the means to justify excluding women from the masjid,
even though the Prophet built apartments for his wives in the masjid!
Even in the year 2012, though women are allowed into the masjid in many
places, they are often situated behind and separate from the praying area of
the men. This hadith in particular is one that denotes a less-than-human nature
of women, and that is why men view them as a distraction. First of all, when a
Muslim man travels to the masjid, he should be completely focused on his
purpose there, and his duties to Allah—not women. How is it possible that a man
with a mind set for prayer can be distracted by a women merely passing him?
Even further, do these men really think that women—who by the way are dressed
very modestly—came all the way to the masjid just to distract them?
Again, this is a classic example of the narcissistic attitude of men taken out
on women. In turn, men have interfered with women's experience at the masjid.
Women, who attend the masjid to pray, have the added burden of seclusion
and trying not to offset the men. It seems morally wrong for men to create such
interferences in Muslim womens' worship of Allah. This is just another ploy of
patriarchy—men blame the woman of their lack of self-discipline in the mosque.
This blame, over time, has actually convinced some of the women to agree with
the men that this is the best arrangement.
In
closing, the few examples cited in this discussion have shown how a few extreme
opinions can be far-reaching. Islam is a dynamic religion—offering peace and
prosperity to its followers—but patriarchs have gotten in the way of that
promise. Because of patriarchy, misogyny is a pandemic that had spread across
the world. Once women take a stand for
themselves—demanding that men take responsibility for their own actions and
cease playing the victim—the female will be restored to a position of power and
honor. However, the world lies in a disabling, patriarchal psychosis, which
leads to ignorance and subjection of the female. Women are not inferior. Women
are not a lesser species. Women are the nurturers of the world, who manifest dreams,
and give life. However, none of this will ever matter unless women reclaim
their rightful positions in society—beside, if not above men!
Works Cited
Abukhalil, As'ad. “Women In The Middle East.” Foreign Policy in Focus 5.30 (2000)
Ahmed, Leila. Women and
Gender In Islam. New Haven & London: Yale University Press:1992
The Holy Qur'an. Trans.
Abdullah Yusuf Ali. Ware, Hertfordshire: Wadsworth Editions LTD, 2001
Barlas, Asma. “The Qur'an and
Hermeneutics: reading the Qur'an's opposition to Patriarchy.” Journal of Qur'anic Studies 4.2 (2002):
15-38
Khan, M. Mushin. “Introduction
To Translation Sahih Bukhari.” Center
for Muslim-Jewish Engagement.
2007. University of Southern California. 2010. 3 Oct. <http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/hadith/bukhari/>
“Matrifocal.” Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc.
04 Oct. 2010
“Matrilineal.” Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc.
04 Oct. 2010
Mernissi, Fatima. The Veil
and the Make Elite: A Feminist Interpretation of Women's Right in Islam.
Great Britain: Basic Books, 1992.
Women of Faith Study Bible:
New International Version. Ed. Jean E. Syswerda.
Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001.
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