Islam And The Question Of Gender Equality

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ISLAM AND THE QUESTION OF GENDER EQUALITY



Common sense dictates that there can be no "equal" rights Allah, our Supreme Creator, has granted each gender their rights; men their rights and women theirs - some of these rights are common to both genders; some special to men and some special to women. Allah has created both men and women to play their special role on earth. Some of the duties women are capable of doing is beyond the ability of men. While some of man's duties are beyond the ability of women. Men and women are not exactly equal and alike; this is why both have been created in the first
place as both have an important role to play. If this was not the case, Allah could have sufficed with creating just one of them. Every action of His is dictated by Divine Wisdom and Knowledge and it is not possible that Allah would create anything in this
universe in vain, with no purpose.When the point has been accepted that man and woman are not the same and that they have not been created for the same purpose, then common sense dictates that their rights cannot be the same or equal. There can be no "equality" of rights. Just as they are different in purpose of creation and duties, each gender should have their independent set of rights, some maybe common, others
may differ. This ought to have been a simple, straight-forward, logical fact of life, yet it has become one of the most confounded and complicated issue in the modern world where most people seem to be supporting the notion of "gender equality" or "equality
of rights between man and woman".

Serious Western thinkers doubt concept of "gender equality"These days some serious thinkers in the West are also beginning to accede to the fact that men and women are not totally equal; that this is more than clear and evident when viewed from every angle of their lives, whether the physiological, psychological, emotional or intellectual aspects of life, it is clear that men and women are distinctly different. When they are not exactly equal, it follows that they should not share rights that are completely equal.
To continue to insist on the "equality" of rights as is being done so vehemently in the West is to actually pursue an illogical ideology which is bound to have serious repercussions and is most likely to upset the delicate balance of nature and defeat the very purpose of "separate creation" of men and women. Islam which embodies
and cherishes logical and reasonable ideals does not and cannot support an illogical concept such as "gender equality".

Adverse propaganda cannot shake a true Muslim's understanding of womans' rights' issues.Because Islam has taken recognition of the distinct separation of duties and purpose of creation between the sexes, and hence the logical and sensible "separation of rights", rather than "equality" of rights, misguided persons have unjustly hurled
accusations of bias and prejudice against Islam on it's position towards womankind. So far has this issue been taken that it has even been alleged that Islam has in fact oppressed women or at least that Muslim men, by virtue of their Islamic values, oppress their women! Yet any person who has undertaken even a superficial study of Islam knows that the evidence is to the contrary. It is beyond the scope of this article to delve into a lengthy exposition of the rights that women enjoy under Islam, but
suffice it to say that it is a universally accepted fact that prior to Islam, the position of woman in society had indeed been pathetic. It is among the universally acclaimed accomplishments of Nabi Muhammad (Sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam), by friend and foe, that his religious order, Islam, had granted women such a status in society and such rights that no previous civilization had ever done before.

Since Muslims regard Nabi Muhammad (Sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) as the final Messenger and his religious order, Islam, as the last and most perfect way of life, it is simple for them to understand that no order, system, civilization or ism can ever better
the status or rights of women than what Islam has done. To believe otherwise, is to actually doubt the completeness and perfection of Islam, some thing no person who claims to adhere to or cherish Islam will ever do. If this simple and fundamental truth
is whole-heartedly embraced by the people of Islam, no amount of adverse propaganda will affect their understanding of the rights – and position - of woman in Islam.