Voice of British Muslim Women

Rimsha Masood, Walsall

The western media continues to present Muslim women  as victims at the hands of their men, oppressed either in marriage or under their fathers, and the biggest example they choose to validate their argument is the wearing of the hijab. The so-called modern, developed world, has and continues to perpetually regard Muslim women as regressive, feeble beings in a male-dominated world. As a young, hijab-wearing, Muslim woman in education, I can confirm that this is furthest from the truth. The fact of the matter is that Islam has given women rights over 1400 years ago that the western world failed to give until a few decades ago.

To elaborate, it is important that we look at the facts here. It was only in the 1857 when here in the UK the Matrimonial Causes Act (1857) allowed ordinary citizens to petition for divorce. Whereas, before then, divorce was only open to men and had to be granted by an act of Parliament. Granted, the act allowed women to petition for divorce, yet it did not hold men and women’s grounds for divorce equally. Nonetheless, it was only in 1918 when women got the right to vote when the Representation of the People Act 1918 was passed.

Therefore, the allegation that often is put forward in opposition of Islam, that the religion is backwards is completely void of any logical argument as we look at some of the rights that Islam gave to women centuries ago. Islam does not differentiate between the rights given to men compared to women. Though, there are different obligations, for the betterment of the genders. For example, Islam stresses the importance of education equally for men and women. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be on him) said:

“It is the duty of every Muslim man and every Muslim woman to acquire knowledge” (Ibne Majah)

And:

“A person who brings up his daughter up well and gives her a good training and education, thereby earns paradise.”

Furthermore, we see that Islam also entitles women to own property, and other assets. The Holy Qur’an states:

“Men shall have their share of that which they have earned, and women a share of that which they have earned…” (Chapter 4, Verse 33)

It is obligatory for a man to give dower called mahr to the wife upon marriage, which then becomes her exclusive property; the man has no right on that money nor on how she chooses to use it. We also see from this verse that Islam allows women to work for financial gain, something that was not seen in the western world until a few decades ago. She also has no obligation to contribute her finances in the household expenses.

The Qur’an also sheds light on the issue of inheritance. It was common practice for inheritance to only be passed on to sons in the Arab culture at the time, but the following verse give women the right to inheritance too.

“For men is a share that which parents and near relations leave; and for women is a share of that which parents and near relations leave, whether it be little or much- a determined share.” (Ch.4: V.8)

British law did not allow women to own their own property until 1882 and any property that she had would automatically become her husbands, and a widow did not have a right to inherit her husband’s property until 1890. Islam gave these rights to women over 14 centuries ago. Islam made it compulsory for a woman to have a say in choosing her husband, then the right to divorce. In fact, Islam says that if a woman wishes to divorce her husband, she can. Islam has always safe-guarded a women’s rights and has set the standard of her rights at the highest level that we find in no other religious book or law.

Therefore, we can see Islam has built a set of rules and obligation for men and women that ensure the flourishment of human society and protect us from any form of hardship. Islam is not a religion that is backwards, rather it was more ‘with the times’ way before the western world was.