Mariza Lobo, Madison Moeller, Sabryna McMillan

REL3150

Presentation Date: 11/30/17

December 7, 2017

The Emergence of Women’s Voices in Islam

Towards the end of our Anthology, McAuliffe introduces a section that revolves around

women in Islam. Throughout this part of the book, labeled “The Emergence of Women’s Voices

in Islam”, McAuliffe highlights the history of women’s roles in Islam by comparing society’s

perception of women with how they’re truly valued in Islamic law, etc. We get this comparison

through the many subjects he focuses on such us women’s rights in Islam, polygamy, Muslim

Law, and a few others. He also offers the perspectives and ideas of many Muslim authors and

activists featured in his book.

The first feature we read in this section is a journal by Saayid Ahmad Khan. Khan is a

social activist and one of the founders of the Islamic modernism movement, which according to

Oxford, is “the reform of Islamic tradition through emphasis on the Quran and Sunnah to meet

the needs of modern society” (“Modernism.”). After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Khan tried to

defend Indian Muslims while simultaneously dispelling misunderstandings between them and

the British. Khan accomplished this by publishing several pamphlets such as Reasons for the

Indian Rebellion and An Account of the Loyal Mahomedans of India. At this point in time, is

when Khan began to fully understand and embrace the modernist thought. In May of 1869, he

had ventured to England and was dumbfounded by the advancement of the English technology

and education systems. He had planned for a “Muslim Cambridge” and had set up a committee

to help him fund such institution (“Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan.”). He then founded the journal The

Refinement of Character in an attempt to modernize the Muslims of India. Khan contrasts the

role of women in England and those in Muslim Societies to show the disillusion of the Islamic
law concerning the status of women. He emphasizes that even though the Islamic law elevates

the status of women above those in developed countries, Muslim societies failed to respect the

Islamic law and treated women so badly that “all the nations laugh at the condition of Muslim

women” (McAuliffe).

In the developed world, surrounding muslim societies, there are proclamations of equal

rights between the sexes. This however, is not replicated in the society, and women are

continually treated as lesser beings. According to McAuliffe, “no developed country has given

women equal rights or power to that of men that have been given to them through the religion of

Islam” (McAuliffe). England states that they favor the freedom of their women, yet their laws

reflect that women are considered to be “insignificant, unintelligent, and valueless” (McAuliffe).

In English law, when a woman marries she has lost her separate existence and her distinctive

personality is absorbed into her husband’s. Personal wealth, property, and assets then belong

to her husband. For example, a dowry “serves as a form of protection for the wife against the

very real possibility of ill treatment by her husband and family” (“Dowry.”). A dowry is supposed

to be restored to the women if there is abuse, divorce, or grave offense, yet this is never what

happens. The dowry ends up become the man’s property and the women is left with nothing.

The English law of marriage made it so that anything a woman earned or made herself, or

anything she received from her husband, was lost to her after his death. This illustrates how one

of the most developed nations that claims to treat men and women equally, does not.

Muslim law concerning women is very equal and gives respect to women. In muslim law,

women’s rights and authority are equal to that of men, which is the basis of equality. Before

adulthood, men and women are disallowed from entering into official agreements; however,

after reaching adulthood, a woman receives the same authority as a man and can enter official

arguments. Muslim law concerning marriage states that a marriage cannot take place without a

woman’s consent. Following are some of the most basic laws concerning women in Muslim

societies: A woman is the owner of any property that may have come into her possession before
or after her marriage and they can also file suits or be sued. A woman can purchase anything

she wants or needs with her wealth and sell anything she wishes. A woman can gain anything

that a man can and she receives the same rewards and punishments as men on judgement

day. There is no special treatment placed on a woman that is not placed on men. Based off this

evidence, no religion or nation’s laws have women equal to men as the religion of Islam does,

yet the condition of women in developed countries is much better than that of muslim women in

muslim countries. Khan argues that we should look at woman as “comrades and companions

rather than servants, and treat them with good fellowship, courtesy, and respect” (McAuliffe).

There is evidence that developed countries are making great progress on this, yet there is not

progress happening in Muslim countries. This lack of progress should not be attested to Islam,

as it is a failure to observe the regulations of Islam fully. If the principles of Islam were to be

brought fully into practice, the mistreatment of women would be eradicated.

Muhammad ‘Abduh lived from 1849 to 1905, and is considered to be one of the most

important figures in the history of modern-day Muslim reform movements. Abduh worked

tirelessly to reverse the decline of muslim institutions and society. His best-known work is the

Al-Manar Commentary, which is based off his institutional lectures and is transcribed by his

student (McAuliffe). When asked by a student about Islam’s permission of polygamy,

Muhammad Abduh responded that when one looks at the text, polygamy is only allowed with

the strictest of restrictions. Originally in the beginnings of Islam, polygamy had its benefits, such

as tightening the tribal bond between the community, but the early period of Islam did not lead

the same harm that it does today. However; in today’s society, every additional wife carries

extra harm and baggage, which then transfers over to her children. Now, polygamy is more

harmful than beneficial as it puts the whole family in danger. According to ‘Abduh, “if women

had the benefit of a ‘proper’ religious education so that religion had the highest power over her

heart, then the modern-day corruption of polygamy would not occur” (McAuliffe). Overall,
Muhammad ‘Abduh was one of the key founding figures of Islamic modernism, and always

pushed for reform in the best of ways.

From 1933 to 1977, Ali Shari’ati, the Iranian activist and intellectual, was active in

several organizations opposed to the Iranian monarchy. Due to his strong political resistance

throughout his life, he spent 6 months in jail in Tehran. Shari’ati always sought a way to

articulate a way of being modern, whilst being religious, that rejected Shah’s equation of

modernization with Westernization. In Shari’ati’s book, Fatima is Fatima, he criticizes the

religious and cultural roles assigned to women, as well as, the new Westernized roles advanced

by some segments of the Iranian population. Shari’ati presents Fatima, Muhammad's daughter,

as the ideal role model for all muslim women.

In Shari’ati’s book, Fatima is Fatima, he paints Fatima, daughter of the Prophet

Mohammed, as the perfect model for Muslim women. ‘Ali explores the many problems faced by

women in this day and religion, then explains why these issues only further highlight the need

for someone to look up to like Fatima. However, before we get into those problems, it’s better to

first explain why he chose Fatima as this representative. In part of his book, Shari’ati describes

Fatima as the true symbol for all of the various dimensions of womanhood. She was the one

real companion of the Prophet whom she was loving and devoted to. He describes that love as

one that goes beyond the love between a father and a daughter; she accompanied him in times

of loneliness, bore his troubles, and stayed by his side through all religious obstacles. Even

though Fatima’s mother wasn’t the Prophet’s only wife or even his favorite, she was still devoted

enough to both of them to be by her bedridden mother’s side as well as continue to stay with her

father through death. Her love and faith made her pure and strong but more importantly, as ‘Ali

describes, it makes her a source of inspiration for those who desire their rights, and seek

justice, resist oppression, cruelty, crime, and discrimination.

Now that we can clearly see why Fatima is chosen as the model of Islamic women, we

must contemplate why she is needed in the first place. The first struggle of women that is
analyzed by Shari’ati is their identity. He explains to us how society, especially within Islam, has

created a system that bombards women with expectations and traditional values from a young

age. After being told over and over that a woman must become these things to be valued, they

develop this mask put on by society. The best way Shari’ati describes the masks pushed on

these women is through his “three faces” analogy. Each face symbolizes a different woman and

one even relates to Fatima. One is the face is the traditional Muslim woman. The second is that

of the modern woman, new and European like. The third is the face of Fatima which has no

resemblance ethnically to that of a Muslim woman. The face of an ethnically Muslim woman, in

society’s mind, is as far away from the face of Fatima as Fatima is from the modern woman.

This shows the different progressions of women around the world and how they all still have a

long way to go to be like Fatima, who is free and decides her own fate.

However, this is the issue that these masks give; women lose their identity through this

societal tyranny. Instead of being true to one’s self, she soon becomes a product of what men

want. ‘Ali takes this analysis even further and shows how this has been the same since the

beginning of time. As the world changes, society progresses, and beliefs change, one of the

only constants is this expectation of women to retain the characteristics that her husband

inscribed in her. But the change that is needed is a burden of women. We expect any change

that is to come for women must be done by women. They’re obliged to change their world

whether that be within their home or in society’s minds. But even with this burden to change

everything around them, ‘Ali shows that women who choose modern characteristics and break

old traditions are the women who can deny man’s expectations and form their own selves,

rather than having men force them to reflect their husband’s/father’s/etc.’s expected role. Fatima

can hopefully be that inspiration to guide women to be free of all expectations.

As we move forward in the Anthology, McAuliffe brings us the real-life version of a

modern Fatima. Fatima Mernissi, an internationally recognized Muslim feminist, was named

after the daughter of the Prophet (another sign of her influence of Islamic culture). She is
currently recognized for her numerous groundbreaking publications regarding women’s issues.

One of her most infamous works, Beyond the Veil, introduced feminist readings to Islamic texts

and Muslim history. She argued that Islamic texts see women as threatening because of their

sexuality, and attempts to contain this threat through veiling and keeping the sexes separate.

Another work by Mernissi is The Veil and The Male Elite, which focuses on the role of women

during pre-Islamic Arabia times when they were expected to encourage men in battle. It shows

how many generations of Islamic beliefs and texts claim that women aren’t equal because

women did not go to war. Even more so, women were excluded from inheritance because of

that same reason. A point brought up in this book was as follows: “Men make war, and we do

not have the right to do it but we do have the right to inheritance” (anthology).

Another woman featured in this section of the Anthology is Amina Wadud, scholar,

activist, and author. Her works examined the role of women in Islam and how they’re displayed

holistically in the Qur’an. She criticizes any interpretations that only look at specific verses that

pertained to that specific time and situation rather than looking at the big picture. She was so

influential that she made headlines by leading a mixed congregation of men and women in ritual

prayer in a church in NYC. Her most influential work was Qur’an and Women which discussed

issues of women and how they play an important role in the Muslim goal of modernity. She

highlights the fact that because we continue to compare women to men, we reinforce the idea

that men are the standard which undermines the real equality. She begs us to consider the

limitations of the language based on the time it was written and the situations surrounding it.

She also believes the Qur’anic ethos of equity, justice, and human dignity need to be used to

contribute to the reform of the idea of the modern woman.

Within this part of the Anthology, it is extremely crucial to the book as it focuses solely on

women in Islam and through various authors, activists, and ideas, McAuliffe effectively

demonstrates the true issues of inequality and highlights the way we should be progressing. It’s

also important to note that as we moved through this section, we moved through history and
because of this, we were able to see a shift from male authors to women. This wouldn’t be

possible without the feminist movements that McAuliffe talks about. Overall, Islam couldn’t be

what it truly is without women which is exactly what we hear about in this section of the

Anthology.

Works Cited

Ikram, S.M. “Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc.,

16 Oct. 2012, www.britannica.com/biography/Sayyid-Ahmad-Khan.

McAuliffe, Jane Dammen. NORTON ANTHOLOGY OF WORLD RELIGIONS: Islam. W W

NORTON, 2017.

“Modernism.” Oxford Islamic Studies Online,

www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e1537.

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Dowry.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia

Britannica, Inc., 16 June 2015, www.britannica.com/topic/dowry.