| Chapter 15 |
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| Chapter 15
Women in Christianity and Islam
Whenever the topic of Islam is
brought up among Westerners, it has been my experience that the first
objection that immediately springs into their minds is: "But women
are so extremely oppressed in Islam." And, "But women are
second class citizens in Islam." For example, they see that Muslim
women usually observe modest standards in their clothing and they
automatically equate their modesty with oppression. They appear to feel
that freedom is in some way directly proportional to how little clothing
one wears, and that oppression is directly proportional to the degree of
modesty one exhibits in their clothing. Although this topic does not
directly relate to the main topic of this book, still it seems
inevitable to touch on this subject even if only very briefly due to
it's importance. The problem is twofold: First of all, those people who
make such objections usually only have a very superficial knowledge of
what the true teachings of Islam, and secondly, they do not realize what
The Bible requires of all believing women. I was once passing through Canada with my parent's in
law and their family. As we walked down the street a Canadian Christian
girl (in her late teens to early twenties) passed by us with a group of
her friends. She looked at my mother in law who was dressed in modest
clothing and had a large scarf wrapped around her head such that only
her face was showing. She then stopped my mother in law and said words
to the effect of: "Why do you allow your men to oppress you?. Why
do you wear these clothes?." Now, my mother in law is a university graduate, a
straight A student, highly respected by her peers, and gainfully
employed as an inspector of the public educational system back in my
home country. My mother in law has also distinguished herself in her
study of the English language and it's grammatical structure. However,
she did not have an extensive working knowledge of American and Canadian
pronunciation and slang, and thus, she missed the tone with which this
question was delivered to her. I decided to move a reasonable distance away and let
her handle this situation herself. My mother in law was very happy to
answer this girl's question and went on to explain to her about our
religion and customs and how we prefer to dress modestly, and that Allah
Almighty requires us to do this. However, this was not the answer this
girl was looking for so she retorted: "Thanks for sharing!,"
then spun around and stormed off. Now, in my home country, our elders are quite used to
being highly respected by those who are younger than them and being
served by them. For this reason, it did not even occur to my mother in
law that this question could have been anything more than a young girl
respectfully asking an innocent question of a trusted elder, and I hated
to tell her otherwise. I would have hated for her to leave Canada
thinking that all Canadians or all Christians speak this way to their
elders since I know that this is not the true case. However, this
episode did indeed sadden me. Many non-Muslims feel sorry for any Muslim women they
see adorned in their modest clothing. They feel that they are deprived
the freedom to roam around in more scant and revealing clothing. Anyone
who lives in a manner other that which they have become accustomed to is
seen by them to be oppressed and forced to live in this manner. There
are certain tribes in the Amazon jungle, in Australia, and in Africa
which have become accustomed to walking around in a simple g-string
around their waist. What would the people of the West say if these
people were to condemn the Western habit of "forcing" their
women to wear "excessive amounts of clothing" and to demand
that all women in the west immediately stop wearing anything but the
simplest g-string around their waist? What if they were to say that the
Western society should immediately stop unjustly persecuting their women
and preventing them from freely roaming the streets wearing only a pair
of socks? They would say that the people making these demands have no
morals or shame. Philosophers would have a field day with such a
question. What if someone were to claim that it was immoral,
discriminatory, and unjust to separate men and women in different public
bathrooms just as it is not just to do so with blacks and whites. What
if this person were to then call (in the interest of equality, fairness,
and constitutional freedom of course) for a merging of men and women's
bathrooms into one "unisex" or "equal-opportunity"
bathrooms for both men and women? Once again, the philosophers would
have a field day. Anyone who follows the news will see that this may
indeed be where the USA is now headed. In the New York Post (31
Aug. 1994 or a little before) it was reported that women have now won
the right to appear topless in the New York subway system. Where will
the USA be a few years from now? That is anyone's guess. Who has the power to determine what is decent and
modest clothing? Who is to determine what is decent and modest behavior?
Muslims assign this right to God alone. This is the essence of
"Islam." "Islam" means "The submission to the
will of God." What God commands, a Muslim does. They do not demand
that God justify his commands before they accept them. Once they have
verified that a command is indeed from God then they abide by it without
hesitation. We can indeed find this lesson in the story of Adam
. In the Islamic version of the story of Adam (slightly different than
that of Judaism/Christianity), Adam and Eve
were created by God, educated, clothed, and then allowed to inhabit
heaven. They were told by God that they could have anything their hearts
desired except they must not eat from the tree. Out of envy, the devil
encouraged them to eat from the tree and told them that it's fruit would
make them angles or immortal. They ate from the tree and immediately,
their bodies were revealed to one another, so they took to scooping up
the leaves off the trees in order to cover themselves. This is when
Allah sent them down to earth. What mankind learned from this lesson is
that just because a person does not know the wisdom behind a command of
God, and others tell him to disobey it, then if they do not abide by it,
by the time the reason for the command is made apparent to them it may
be too late.
Fig. 15 Example of dress worn by a Christian nun. Compare it with how Muslim women dress today Well then, what is the Biblical view on these matters?
Actually, even in this day and age there still remains traces in
Christianity of the common ancestry with Islam with regard to the
accepted norms of modest dress for Christian women as ordained by her
Creator. In the above figure we have an example of the sort of dress
codes observed by Christian nuns. We are strangely amazed to find that
it is almost the striking similarity it bears to the sort of outfit
which most Muslim women wear. Why is that? Well, although there are
quite a number of very pronounced differences between Biblical and
Qur'anic laws in this regard, let us start with the Biblical view: What the New Testament has to say: 1 Timothy 2:11-14 "Let the woman learn in
silence with all subjection
. But I suffer not a woman to teach
, nor to usurp authority
over the man, but to be in silence
. For Adam
was first formed, then Eve
. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the
transgression." 1 Corinthians 14:34 "Let your women keep
silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but
they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if
they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it
is a shame for women to speak in the church." 1 Corinthians 11:5-10: "But every woman that
prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered
dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a
shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. For a man
indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and
glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is not
of the woman: but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for
the woman; but the woman for the man. For this cause ought the woman to
have power on her head because of the angels." 1 Corinthians 11:13: "Judge in yourselves: is
it comely that a woman pray unto God (with her head) uncovered?" What the Old Testament has to say: Genesis 3:12-16 "And the man (Adam
) said, The woman (Eve
) whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did
eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast
done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And
the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou
art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon
thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy
life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy
seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his
heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy
conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire
shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." Leviticus 12:2-5 "Speak unto the children of
Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a MALE child:
then she shall be unclean SEVEN DAYS; according to the days of the
separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. And in the eighth day
the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. And she shall then
continue in the blood of her purifying THIRTY THREE days; she shall
touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of
her purifying be fulfilled. But if she bear a FEMALE child
, then she shall be unclean TWO WEEKS, as in her separation: and she
shall continue in the blood of her purifying SIXTY SIX days." Ecclesiastics 7:26-28 "And I find more bitter
than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose
hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the
sinner she will ensnare....while I was still searching but not finding,
I found one upright man among a thousand but not one upright woman among
them all". Leviticus 15:19-30 "And if a woman have an
issue (her period/menses), [and] her issue in her flesh be blood, she
shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be
unclean until the even. And every thing that she lieth upon in her
separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon
shall be unclean. And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes,
and bathe [himself] in water, and be unclean until the even. And
whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall wash his clothes,
and bathe [himself] in water, and be unclean until the even. And if it
[be] on [her] bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth
it, he shall be unclean until the even. And if any man lie with her at
all, and her flowers be upon him, he shall be unclean seven days; and
all the bed whereon he lieth shall be unclean. And if a woman have an
issue of her blood many days out of the time of her separation, or if it
run beyond the time of her separation; all the days of the issue of her
uncleanness shall be as the days of her separation: she [shall be]
unclean. Every bed whereon she lieth all the days of her issue shall be
unto her as the bed of her separation: and whatsoever she sitteth upon
shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her separation. And whosoever
toucheth those things shall be unclean, and shall wash his clothes, and
bathe [himself] in water, and be unclean until the even. But if she be
cleansed of her issue, then she shall number to herself seven days, and
after that she shall be clean. And on the eighth day she shall take unto
her two turtles, or two young pigeons, and bring them unto the priest,
to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And the priest shall
offer the one [for] a sin offering, and the other [for] a burnt
offering; and the priest shall make an atonement for her before the LORD
for the issue of her uncleanness." In other words, the Bible teaches us that:
What the canonized saints of Christianity said about women: "Woman is a daughter of falsehood, a sentinel of
Hell, the enemy of peace; through her Adam
lost paradise" (St. John Demascene) "Woman is the instrument which the devil uses to
gain possession of our souls" (St. Cyprian) "Woman is the fountain of the arm of the devil,
her voice is the hissing of the serpent" (St. Anthony) "Woman has the poison of an asp, the malice of a
dragon" (St. Gregory) St. Tertullian
, while he was talking to his 'best beloved sisters' in the faith, he
said, "Do you not know that you are each an Eve
? The sentence of God on this sex of yours lives in this age: the guilt
must of necessity live too. You are the Devil's gateway: You are the
unsealer of the forbidden tree: You are the first deserter of the divine
law: You are she who persuaded him whom the devil wasn't valiant enough
to attack. You destroyed so easily God's image, man." Once again,
St. Augustine
wrote to a friend, "What is the difference whether it is in a wife
or a mother, it is still Eve the temptress that we must beware of in any
woman." Centuries later, St. Thomas Aquinas still considered women
as defective, "As regards the individual nature, woman is defective
and misbegotten, for the active force in the male seed tends to the
production of a perfect
likeness in the masculine sex; while the production of woman comes from
a defect in the active force or from some material indisposition, or
even from some external influence." (all these quotations can be
found in Karen Armstrong's book, The Gospel According to Woman,
London: Elm Tree Books, 1986, pp. 52-62. See also Nancy van Vuuren, The
Subversion of Women as Practiced by Churches, Witch-Hunters, and Other
Sexists Philadelphia: Westminster Press pp.28-30.) Orthodox Jewish men in their daily morning prayer
recite "Blessed be God King of the universe
that Thou has not made me a woman." The women, on the other hand,
thank God every morning for "making me according to Thy will"
(Thena Kendath, "Memories of an Orthodox youth" in Susannah
Heschel, ed. On being a Jewish Feminist, New York: Schocken Books, 1983,
pp. 96-97) According to the Jewish Talmud
, "women are exempt from the study of the Torah." In the first
century C.E., Rabbi Eliezer said: "If any man teaches his daughter
Torah it is as though he taught her lechery" (Leonard J. Swidler,
Women in Judaism: the Status of Women in Formative Judaism, Metuchen,
N.J: Scarecrow Press, 1976, pp. 83-93) According to Rabbi Dr. Menachem M. Brayer (Professor
of Biblical Literature at Yeshiva University) in his book 'The Jewish
woman in Rabbinic literature', it was the custom of Jewish women to go
out in public with a head covering which, sometimes, even covered the
whole face leaving one eye free (Psychosocial Perspective, Hoboken, N.J:
Ktav Publishing House, 1986, p. 239). He quotes some famous ancient
Rabbis saying, "It is not like the daughters of Israel to walk out
with heads uncovered" and "Cursed be the man who lets the hair
of his wife be seen....a woman who exposes her hair for self-adornment
brings poverty." Rabbinic law forbids the recitation of blessings
or prayers in the presence of a bareheaded married woman since
uncovering the woman's hair is considered "nudity" (Ibid., pp.
316-317. Also see Swidler, op. cit., pp. 121-123). Dr. Brayer also
mentions that "During the Tannaitic period the Jewish woman's
failure to cover her head was considered an affront to her modesty. When
her head was uncovered she might be fined four hundred zuzim for this
offense." Dr. Brayer also explains that veil of the Jewish woman
wasn't always considered a sign of modesty. Sometimes, the veil
symbolized a state of distinction and luxury rather than modesty. The
veil personified the dignity and superiority of noble women. It, also,
represented a woman's inaccessibility as a sanctified possession of her
husband (24. Ibid., p. 139). It is clear in the Old Testament that
uncovering a woman's head was a great disgrace and that's why the priest
had to uncover the suspected adulteress in her trial by ordeal (Numbers
5:16-18). St. Tertullian
in his famous treatise 'On The Veiling Of Virgins' wrote, "Young
women, you wear your veils out on the streets, so you should wear them
in the church, you wear them when you are among strangers, then wear
them among your brothers..." Among the Canon laws of the Catholic
church today, there is a law that require women to cover their heads in
church (Clara M. Henning, " Cannon Law and the Battle of the
Sexes" in Rosemary R. Ruether, ed., Religion and Sexism: Images of
Woman in the Jewish and Christian Traditions, New York: Simon and
Schuster, 1974, p. 272.). Some Christian denominations, such as the Amish and
the Mennonites for example, keep their women veiled to the present day.
The reason for the veil, as offered by their Church leaders, is
"The head covering is a symbol of woman's subjection to the man and
to God" : The same logic introduced by St. Paul in the New
Testament (Donald B. Kraybill, The riddle of the Amish Culture,
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1989, p. 56.) Russian Orthodox women are expected to wear a head
covering when in the church. Most don't outside of it in America, but
many in Russia and many other eastern Orthodox women all over eastern
Europe, Greece, and the middle east do wear scarves on their heads all
the time when in public These are only a small sampling. For many more similar
quotations please obtain a copy of the 70 page book "Women in Islam
Versus Women in the Judaeo-Christian Tradition: The Myth & The
Reality," By Dr. Sherif Abdel Azeem, World Assembly of Muslim
Youth. Continuing, according to the Old Testament, a
childless widow must marry her husband's brother, even if he is already
married and regardless of her consent, so that she might bear a child
from him (Genesis 38). Further, according to the Bible: "If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay the girl's father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives" Deuteronomy 22:28-30 One must ask a simple question here, who is really
punished, the man who raped the woman or the woman who was raped? What
is to prevent someone from finding the best looking woman in town,
raping her, telling everyone about it, and then having the courts force
her to be his wife for the rest of her life? According to Numbers 27:1-11, widows and sisters don't
inherit at all. Daughters can inherit only if their deceased father had
no sons. So what is the standpoint of the Qur'an with regard to
women? Women are indeed commanded by Allah to cover their heads and wear
modest clothing, however, in Islam this is not a sign of denigration or
subjugation to men, rather, it is a sign of chastity, modesty, and the
fear of God. It also designates this woman to all men who might deal
with her that she is to be dealt with respect. This could be compared to
the situation in the West when one meets a nun or priest, how the nun's
habit and the priest's robes signal those who meet them that this person
does not condone vulgarity of speech or evil actions. This is made
apparent in the Qur'an in Al-Ahzab: "… that is closer to their being recognized
so that they shall not be abused, and Allah is ever Forgiving,
Merciful" Al-Ahzab(33):59 (also see Noor(24):31) What about the rights of women in Islam? Are they
indeed, as the popular propaganda would have us believe, "second
class citizens"? Let us read the Qur'an: "And they (women) have rights similar to those of men over them in a just manner" The noble Qur'an, Al-Baqarah(2):228 "And their Lord has heard them (and He says): Verily! I suffer not the work of any worker, male or female, to be lost. You proceed one from another. So those who fled and were driven forth from their homes and suffered damage for My cause, and fought and were slain, verily I shall remit their evil deeds from them and verily I shall bring them into Gardens underneath which rivers flow. A reward from Allah. And with Allah is the fairest of rewards." The noble Qur'an, A'al-Umran(3):195. "And covet not the thing in which Allah has made some of you excel others. Unto men a fortune from that which they have earned, and unto women a fortune from that which they have earned. (Envy not one another) but ask Allah of His bounty. Verily! Allah is Knower of all things." The noble Qur'an, Al-Nissa(4):32. "Unto the men (of a family) belongs a share of that which parents and near kindred leave, and unto the women a share of that which parents and near kindred leave, whether it be little or much, a legal share." The noble Qur'an, Al-Nissa(4):77. "And whoso does good works, whether of male or female, and he (or she) is a believer, such will enter paradise and they will not be wronged the dint in a date stone." The noble Qur'an, Al-Nissa(4):124. "And the believers, men and women, are protecting friends one of another; they enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and they establish worship and they pay the poor-due, and they obey Allah and His messenger. As for these, Allah will have mercy on them. Lo! Allah is Mighty, Wise." The noble Qur'an, Al-Tauba(9):71 "Whosoever does right, whether male or female, and is a believer, him verily We shall quicken with good life, and We shall pay them a recompense in proportion to the best of what they used to do." The noble Qur'an, Al-Nahil(16):97. "And of His signs is this: He created for you spouses from yourselves that you might find tranquillity in them, and He ordained between you love and mercy. Lo, herein indeed are signs for folk who reflect." The noble Qur'an, Al-Room(30):21 "Whoso does an ill deed, he will be repaid the like thereof, while whoso does right, whether male or female, and is a believer, (all) such will enter the Garden, where they will be nourished without stint." The noble Qur'an, Mumin(40):40. In the Qur'an, both Adam
and Eve
share the blame for eating from the tree. This can be seen
in the Qur'an in such verses as Al-Baqarah(2):36, Al-A'araf(7):22-24.
They were also both forgiven by God Almighty for this sin. Actually, in
one verse of the Qur'an (Taha(20):121), Adam is specifically blamed. Islam encourages spouses to take each other's council
and to seek mutual agreement in matters which affect them, for example,
in the Qur'an, Al-Bakarah(2):233 we read: "Mothers shall suckle their children for two
whole years; (that is) for those who wish to complete the suckling. The
duty of feeding and clothing nursing mothers in a seemly manner is upon
the father of the child. No one should be charged beyond their capacity.
A mother should not be made to suffer because of her child, nor should
he to whom the child is born (be made to suffer) because of his child.
And on the (father's) heir is incumbent the like of that (which was
incumbent on the father). If they desire to wean the child by mutual
consent and (after) consultation, it is no sin for them; and if you wish
to give your children out to nurse, it is no sin for you, provided that
you pay what is due from you in kindness. Observe your duty to Allah,
and know that Allah is Seer of what you do." Husbands are commanded to treat their wives with kindness and respect. In Al-Nissa(4)-19 we read "..But consort with them in kindness, for if
you hate them it may happen that you hate a thing wherein Allah has
placed much good." The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "The best believers are the best in conduct,
and the best of you are those who are best to their wives." When Muhammad (pbuh) first became the prophet of
Islam, the Pagans of Arabia had inherited a similar disregard for woman
as had been passed down among their Jewish and Christian neighbors. So
disgraceful was it considered among them to be blessed with a female
child that they would go so far as to bury this baby alive in order to
avoid the disgrace associated with female children. Through the teachings of Islam, Muhammad (pbuh) put a
swift and resounding end to this evil practice. Not only did he severely
discourage and condemn this act but he also used to teach them to
respect and cherish their daughters and mothers as partners and sources
of salvation for the men of their family: AbuSa'id al-Khudri narrated: "The Prophet (pbuh) said: If anyone cares for three daughters, disciplines them, marries them, and does good by them, he will enter Paradise." (Narrated by Abu-Dawood) Abdullah the son of Abbas narrated: "The Prophet (pbuh) said: If anyone has a female child, and does not bury her alive, or slight her, or prefer his male children over her, Allah will bring him into Paradise." (Narrated by Abu-Dawood) Muhammad (pbuh) is also sited in "Sahih Muslim" as saying: "Whoever maintains two girls till they attain
maturity, he and I will come on the Day of Resurrection like this; and
he joined his fingers". In other words, if one loves the messenger of Allah
and wishes to be with him on the day of resurrection in heaven, then
they should do good by their daughters. To learn more about the rights of women in Islam, the
issue of modest dress codes, the issue of polygamy, and many other
issues which can not be covered here, I highly recommend the following
books:
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