CONCLUSION

Islam forbids the onethingthat modern men and women have excelled in: a laissez-faire society. Incontrast, Islam commends chastity, marriage, reproduction andupbringingof children, all of which the “modern, liberated women” has beenencouragedto abandon, at her peril.Sex, in Islam, ispermittedonly within wedlock, a measure which protects women from being used andabused. This also puts sex into its proper place in relation to otherhumanneeds such as social comfort, security and companionship. In Islam, sexis not the be all and end-all of life, but it is an importantingredientfor a harmonious, caring and mutually supportive relationship between amarried couple. It is a means of deepening love, affection andconsiderationtowards one another.The prominentfeminist philosopherSimone de Beauvoir considered the roles of wife and mother to be ahindranceto women’s freedom, and believed that women could only escape the trapof femininity by assuming the role of a professional career women. Butit turns out that even the career woman cannot escape the cage offemininity,indeed she has it much worse because she faces pressure to appear andactfeminine as well as to succeed in her chosen career.Many feminists seekto steerwomen away from marriage and childbearing, as if women were unable tofindhappiness in these. It is a sign of arrogance on the part of feministsto make such assumptions. Even worse, they contend that those women whohave found happiness and security in marriage are only foolingthemselves.Although in theearly partof the twentieth century, feminist efforts focused on the campaign forwomen’s suffrage and its consequences, a much greater impact on women’slives came from changes that had less to do directly with the women’smovement,and everything to do with a loosening of morals and manners. After theFirst World War, there was an increase in literature on femalesexualityand premarital sex, which had an effect on society. Whereas it hadpreviouslybeen the males who were immoral, women now- instead of demanding moralbehaviour from the males – began to follow the male lead in immorality,to the delight of many men. The feminist movement, which supposedlyliberatedwomen, gave men the greatest pleasure. Not only has feminism allowedmento satisfy themselves sexually, but they are now in a position todemandthat women look the way they want them to, based on the fantasypicturesspewed out by the media. The effect of sexual liberation has far fromliberatedwomen. Rather it has become a snare into which women are led for thegreaterbenefit of men’s sexual gratification and irresponsibility.Islam, incontrast, commandshumans to marry, which is first and foremost an act of piety. Marriagefurther brings benefits of emotional and sexual gratification, cohesionbetween families, and social stability. And among His Signs is this,thatHe created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell intranquillitywith them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verilyin that are Signs for those who reflect.[al-Rum30:21]It is He Whocreated youfrom a single person, and made his mate of like nature, in order thathemight dwell with her (in love)…[al-A’raf7189] And Allah has madefor youmates (and companions) of your own nature, and made for you, out ofthem,sons and daughters and grandchildren, and provided for you sustenanceofthe best: will they then believe in vain things, and be ungrateful forAllah’s favours?[al-Nahl16: 72](Seealso al’Baqarah2:187; al-Shura 42:11; al-Nisa ‘4:1)There are feministswho advocateand eagerly anticipate technological advances that will replace thewoman’srole in childbearing. No doubt their wait will be in vain, because evenif such technology were to be developed, it would surely be in thehandsof men. Instead of becoming liberated, women would be rendered uselessand be placed at the mercy of males.The feminists seethe maincauses of women’s oppression as lying in the political and legalsystem,especially English common law which has its roots in Christianity(religionin general); marriage, childbearing and the family. Islam’s response tothese concerns may be summed up as follows:1. Therise of feminismin the West was due to the high level of social, legal, political andeconomicsuppression of women. The first suffragette movement in Britain wasestablishedto address the political and economic inequality suffered by women,especiallythose who were married. Throughout the twentieth century, women havefoughtin the home, the workplace and the street for equal legal and politicalstatus. Women in Islam, unlike their Western counterparts, did not needto embark upon any such campaign. Every individual in Islam, male orfemale,is considered to be an independent person who is responsible andaccountablefor his or her own actions and is answerable only to Allah. A Muslimwomanhas equal status in business; if she commits a crime, her punishment isno more or less than that of a man. If compensation is due to her, sheis dealt with on equal terms with a man in a similar case. Marriagedoesnot affect her legal status, her property or earnings, or even hername.Thus the demands of the Western women, which have been only partiallywonafter much bitter struggle, were handed on a plate, as it were, to theMuslim women, fourteen hundred years ago.2. Feministfearssurrounding marriage, childbearing and family as a means of oppressionhave been discussed in the previous chapter. The following points maybenoted by way of summary:a) Marriage inIslam is ameans of obtaining contentment, but if a union is not successful, thenthe marriage can and should be dissolved. The Qur’an commends marriagein several places (see al-Nisa ‘4:1; al-Nur 32-33; al-Rum 30:21). Fora Muslim who has freely accepted Islam and is a sincere believer,marriageentails rights and responsibilities, but is not seen as restrictive.Individualswho enter wedlock must comply with Qur’anic injunctions; any failure todo so brings the threat of divine punishment in the Hereafter.ProfessorLois Lamya’ al-Faroqi listed the purpose and benefits of marriage asfollows:!

• • • For anindividual who has freelysubmitted to Islam, marriage is an act of piety.

• • • Marriage is amechanism forthe moral and mutual benefit of controlling sexual behaviour andprocreation.

• • • Marriageprovides a stable atmospherefor the rearing of children.

• • • Marriage ensurescrucial economicbenefits for women during their childrearing years.

• • • Marriageprovides emotionalgratification for both men and women.

• • • Marriage acts asa protectionfrom sin and as an interdependent institution.

b) In Islam, childrenareseen as a bounty from Allah, and their birth is a joyous occasion.Accordingto the sunnah, the newborn infant should be given a good nameonthe seventh day; his or her head should be shaved and the weight of thehair in gold or silver should be given in charity as a sign ofgratitudeto Allah. It is also recommended to sacrifice a lamb and distribute itsmeat among the poor. The Qur’an explicitly states that children shouldnot be seen as reducing wealth or curtailing one’s freedom, and anyactssuch as abortion or infanticide are strongly condemned. (Seeal-an’am6:140, 150; al-Isra’ 17:31).Children are considered tobethe apple of our eyes. However, the Qur’an also warns against becomingunduly proud and investing vanity and false hopes of security in one’schildren (see Al ‘Imran 3:14; al-Anfal 8:28;al-Tawbah9:69; al-Kahf 18:46; al-Mu’minun 23:55; Saba’ 34:35; al-Hadid 57:20; alTaghabun 64:15; al-Qalam 68:14)c) According to theIslamicview, the family extends beyond the “nuclear” circle of father, motherand children to include grandparents, uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews,andall their offspring. Rather than being a burden and crushing a woman’sindependence, the extended family should act as a support and means ofbuilding confidence. The Qur’an repeatedly enjoins kind treatment ofkinsfolkand orphans (see al-Baqarah 2:177; al-Anfal8:41;al-Nahl 16:90; al-Isra’ 17:26).In the light of Islamicteaching,some of the advantages of the extended family may be outlined asfollows:)

• Family membersprovidediversecompany and intellectual stimulation, which fosters a broadly basedenvironmentin which children and adults may grow and develop.

 

• • • Family membersare there toprovide support, sympathy and advice at times of trouble.

• • • Quarrels may bequickly resolvedas family members act as mediators and provide counsel.

• • • Parentingproblems are reducedas different family members assist in childrearing.

• • • The extendedfamily can assistin matchmaking, thus eliminating any perceived need for “singles clubs”or marriage agencies.

• • • Working parentsneed not feelguilty about leaving their children, as they will be cared for byfamilymembers; this provides ideal support for working women.

• • • Tragedies suchas divorce willnot be quite so devastating because the peer group within the extendedfamily will cushion the blow somewhat.

• • • Detrimentalbehaviour towardsoneself or one’s marriage will be less likely because the peer groupwithinthe extended family will oppose it.

• • • Far from being aburden to women,as the feminists fear, the family is in fact a great asset for themodernwoman.

3. Western women whoseereligion as the cause of their oppression are diametrically opposed toMuslim women who have seen the teachings of Islam and the way of theProphetas the greatest means of emancipation and attainment of equal statuswithmen. Islam has given the Muslim woman a status which is far above thatto which Western women aspire. So Islam has become a haven for today’seducated, thinking women. Muslim women consider their religion to betheirgreatest friend, not the enemy as their counterparts in other societiessee it.At this point, thepracticalsituation of some women in Muslim societies today needs to beaddressed.It is an unfortunate and shameful fact that many rights, which havebeenafforded to Muslim women by Allah, have been denied to them by men.Thisis largely due to the fact that many Muslim men have embraced Westernculture,extracted what suits them, and used this to oppress women. Many girlsaredenied the opportunity of an education and career, their marriagerightsare ignored, their inheritance dues are consumed and their fate in theevent of a divorce is deplorable. If we are to restore social order -andfor the Muslim that means Allah’s order – then Muslim men, with the aidof competent, sincere Muslim scholars, need to implement the whole shari’ahandapply it equally to both males and females. Modesty and the dress code,along with a thorough education about all the issues involved, need tobe implemented and applied to both men and women.However, even with theshortcomingsthat exist today, what Islam has to offer women is far better than anyother options open to them. The comments made by Western women whoembraceIslam are very interesting. A British researcher, Harfiyah Ball,intervieweda number of new Muslims and reported the following comments:

• ” [Before IacceptedIslam]I had no feeling of purpose, no sense of direction, proportion,perspective.My life was unsettled, no guidance, no certainty, no proper aim,pointlessand empty”.

 

• • • “Islam has givenme all theanswers to my questions. I am at home with the universe. I am at peaceand content. I have my guiding light to follow Allah. I seek no morethanto continue to be guided by Allah and to surrender wholly to His will. Thishas the effect of ushering one above pomp, idols and intermediaries.Youonly do what pleases Allah and that frees you from worldly demands”. (Italicsmine).

• • • “No one seemedto care aboutthe family, friends or strangers. Friendship with people was not close.Emotions were superficial, e.g. relationships with women formed onlybetweenboyfriends. I felt pressure from society to leave home and liveindependently”.

• • • “I was lonely”.

• “My girlfriends werealwayslooking for boyfriends; all I wanted was friends”.

Although there have beenmanyimprovements in the situation of Western women and the model of Westernliberated women has been promoted worldwide, many Western women haveexpresseddissatisfaction about attitudes towards women in their own societies.Womenfeel that they are expected to fend for themselves, to compete fortheirsurvival with men. Their society expects them to be self sufficient aswell as glamorous and domesticated. Many other pressures in Westernsocietyhave seen the feminist bandwagon grind to a halt as women come torealiseits impracticality and the restrictions it places on women’s freedomandhappiness. Young intellectual women have found that feminism has failedthem, and they are now looking towards more prudent, sustainableteachings,such as Islam. In “The new Victorians: a young woman’s challenge to theold feminist order”, the author Denfeld states: “Feminism is boggeddownin an extremist moral and spiritual crusade that has little to do withwomen’s lives and it has climbed out on an academic limb that is allbutinaccessible”. Her sentiments are not surprising since surveys in theUSAhave shown that whereas in 1986, 56% of American women consideredthemselvesto be feminists, by 1992, only 29% described themselves as such.As the feigned concernsofthe feminist are becoming apparent. The thinking women are waking upandsearching for a more prudent ethos to conduct their way of life. It isgreatly regrettably that after one hundred years of feminist dictates,women are as worst off in real terms as a century ago. Poverty isincreasinglya women’s problem. Women are made to fend for themselves and theirfamilies.In certain areas of Britain a woman heads one in three families’ on herown (compared with one in two hundred headed by men alone). AlthoughEnglishwomen represent 50% of undergraduates only a negligible few ever reachthe top of their career. Western women suffering from mental illnessanddepression is higher than their male counterparts. The woman in thewesthas been demeaned so much that her body is considered a public objectavailablefor man’s gratification by casually ‘watching girl’s go by’ to sale inpornography, or as a sensual object for advertisers to use in promotingmerchandise and prostitution. The consequences of all these is that thewoman in the west is portrayed as an object of entertainment, valuedforher beauty and a work horse stippling the male with sensualgratificationand the capitalist system with surplus profit. The Western woman hasbeenshortchanged of her integrity, intellect and personality.If the feminists aregenuinelyinterested in the emancipation of women, they need to challenge thepresentWestern system by uniting women and men of all races under the umbrellaof a logical and sustainable ideology that can be applied equallyacrossthe East/West and North/South divides and address the universal humanconcernsof child-care, equal opportunities, pregnancy rights, protection andeducation.One need look no further than the principles and teachings of Islam,whichoffer security, legal and financial freedom, emancipation from sexualandphysical harassment, and equality of status. Islam has been portrayedasa misogynist villain in the West, because it threatens the existingsocialorder of bourgeoisie, monetary ideology, sexual deviancy andoppression.Islam faces the opposition from parties with vested interests who havea stake in denying women express their true identity. The greatesttragedyof Western women especially those in the feminist movement, is theirlackof aspiration: they have aspired only to be like men, instead of reevaluatingand reclaiming what women are best at. Western men and capitalistsocietyhave devalued the heritage of women. It is up to women to look to theprinciplesand way of life that credits them for their being. This can only befoundin Islam.