By Hikmat
No
two Individuals are similar in all respects. Equality
means equality before law and equal opportunity to all
irrespective of gender, race, color, creed etc. Are Moslem
women really getting equal opportunity?
Being born and brought up in a traditional Moslem family
and faced all the disadvantages. We are not allowed to
study in a co-education schools and colleges and if
separate college for women is not available we have to
discontinue our studies. We are neither allowed to talk to
men (other than close relatives) nor allowed to
participate in social gatherings. Even when we go out
occasionally and we have to observe ‘PURDAH’ system
(Covering our entire body with special black dress). All
in the name of Islam and Allah.
Still, I could not understand the logic behind all this.
If it is a sin for a woman to talk to a man then it should
equally be a sin for a man to talk to a woman. But, there
seems no restriction for men. Why should a woman observe
purdah system (veil, hijab)? Is it to prevent men from
looking at her with evil intentions? If looking with evil
intention is a sin then the sinner should be punished not
the victim; or is it devised to save men from not
committing the sin? Then what prevents these men from
looking at non-Moslem women? If some men have evil
intentions, they will have it regardless of we wearing
purdah or not.
It would be more reasonable to declare that having ‘Evil
Intention’ is a Sin and if anyone commits it he should
be punished instead of asking women to wear purdah. If a
woman talks to a man (who is not a close relative) can’t
it be other than a physical relation? Isn’t it degrading
for women to be treated like a sexual object and not as a
person? Are Moslem women dedicated to their kitchens?
Can’t they work outside? Can’t they have their
careers? Why shouldn’t they mingle freely will
classmates, colleagues or for that matter any outsider.
Can’t Islam distinguish social gathering of men and
women from sexual relations? Then why is the prohibition
for social gathering of men and women?
Some Moslems confuse the absence of purdah with indecent
exposure. In fact both are totally different issues.
Islam cannot treat men or women equally on the basis that
women are less intelligent. Even if we agree that women
are less intelligent, for argument sake, why should this
make her ‘less equal’? Then it is discriminating
against intelligence (In the past, same argument was
extended to justify slavery stating that some races are
more intelligent that other races hence entitled for less
rights). As per Islam the testimonies of two women is
equal to one man (Even though the woman is a University
Professor or a Doctor still she is considered less
intelligent than an illiterate male!!). The criterion here
is not intelligence but gender.
See the thread of logic. First argument is ‘ Less legal
rights to less intelligent people’ Second argument is
‘Woman is less intelligent than man’ therefore she
should have fewer rights than man. Many Moslem
fundamentalists state that even ‘Scientifically’ an
average women is less intelligent than average man, so are
average person of a particular race is more intelligent
than average person of another race, average person of a
country is more intelligent than average person of another
country. The idea of average intelligence can be applied
to gender, race, color, country, region etc. to justify
any garbage.
The less we talk about polygamy the better. No sane person
considers this as an equal treatment to women. If many
Moslems think that social gatherings of men and women,
absence of purdah, equal legal status to men leads to wide
spread immorality and indiscriminate sexual relation,
nothing is more foolish than this. If these people talk of
morality, in what way ‘Temporary marriage’ of Islam is
different from prostitution.
Last but not the least where is the equality when a woman
is not allowed to go to the place of worship along with
her family even with the so-called purdah!!!
The ultimate pity is that the Moslem women are made to
accept all this in the name of Islam and Allah.
This
Article Was Originally Published in The Society
For Islamic Humanists
(Message# 1008)
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