Maaham Ahmad, South Wimbledon
The pursuit of education is a human right that is crucial to the future advancement of our society. While many of us may take our easy access to education for granted, there are millions of children in our world fighting for their right to simply attend school and acquire the knowledge they need in order to build the future of the world. Some governments and political groups around the world have especially made it difficult for girls and young women to attain the education that would give them the opportunity to be able to not only stand on their own two feet, but to go forth and educate future generations.
It is shocking to think, that in the modern day, education is still not accessible to all, especially to women. Many people feel that there is an advantage to living in the west, after all, women here are able to attain high levels of education without any problem. While this is an achievement, it feels necessary to point out that American and European women did not receive the rights to pursue education without discrimination until the mid to late 20th century.
For a faith that is constantly criticised by its opponents for being ignorant and backwards, nearly 1400 years ago, Islam was actually a torchbearer in providing both men and women an equal right to acquiring an education. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said: “It is the duty of every Muslim man and Muslim woman to acquire knowledge.” He has even said that Muslim men and Muslim women should “seek knowledge even if you need to go to China,”[1] so that even if one needs to travel far distances to acquire a higher level of education, then they should absolutely do so. This has always and will always apply to both men and women. There are no obstacles set by the teachings of Islam stopping women from reaching the same level of knowledge as their male counterparts, in fact the same amount of emphasis is laid on the attainment of education for both men and women.
In the eyes of those who choose to criticise Islam rather than try to understand it, Muslim women are oppressed and kept ignorant to the world as well as to the true teachings of their faith. This view they so stubbornly hold on to is actually so far off from the reality that Muslim women are in fact pursuing higher education all over the world where it is accessible. There are multitudes of women excelling in medicine, education, technology, law, and many other fields of expertise. Women are not just encouraged to attain secular knowledge but religious knowledge as well. After all, it is important for all to fully understand the teachings of the faith they follow. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), would say that half the religion of Islam should be learnt from ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), his wife. She was known for having such knowledge about the teachings of Islam that she would even lecture from behind a curtain and share her knowledge on religious topics in gatherings which were also attended by men.[2] Now for the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to be telling his followers to gain knowledge of Islam from his wife says a great deal about his and Islam’s stance on the education of women. This makes it clear to us that knowledge of the faith is not kept from women in Islam to keep them ignorant but in actuality, is made accessible for them just as it is for men.
The fact that Islam, a religion which was revealed centuries ago, brought with it the concept of equal access to education for all should serve as a wake-up call to those who persist in using their power and baseless reasons to deprive men, women, and children from their right to an education. In addition, those who themselves are ignorant to the truth and choose to create false ideas about women in Islam should first try and look at the actual teachings which starkly contrast their claims.
[1] https://www.alislam.org/book/pathway-to-paradise/womens-issues/
[2] https://www.alislam.org/articles/address-at-waqf-e-nau-ijtema-2015-girls/
Voice of British Muslim Women 
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