Question for Muslims: Why does your religion oppress women?

Question

Before you answer that 'it doesn't', let me say that I have read passages in the Koran, had extensive exposure to the Syariah system, and had in depth discussions with Muslim well educated women who couldn't answer this question.

One example. To the women who have said they're not oppressed, let me ask you a question: how do your rights compare in the Syariah system compared to men? Answer: Very poorly.

This is a joke. The Syariah system I was involved with is in Singapore, a MUCH more progressive country than Saudi. The bottom line (and you know it) is this...Men hold the cards and have the absolute upper hand in Islam over woman. Examples can be found in Saudi, Singapore, Malaysia, Afganistan, Africa, and on and on and on.........

A couple of decent answers, but mostly rationalizing, in-denial crap. Based on this I guess it's never going to change - and hey, if I was a Muslim man, why would I want it to, huh???

TS...you don't know what you're talking about. Syariah in S'pore has absolutely nothing to do with their civil law. The Chinese majority is scared to death to touch that system for fear of upsetting their carefully balanced racial harmony in that country. If you honestly think that women in that Syariah system, as well as others, have even 1/100th the rights of men, you are either seriously misinformed, deluded, or both.

It's spelled Syariah in the Singapore system. Look it up. So I mean Syariah.

Here's a classic from a believer: "Men having more rights than women isn't oppression" Uh OK...whatever you say.

" Look at how many Muslims are disapproving you" Ah...what an asinine statement. Of course they are. People can lie and rationalize about anything they desire. If they admit this is true, it i means their belief system is screwed up. If I was a woman willingly involved in Islam, why would I admit that I was a second class citizen? Too painful. Better to be defensive and blissfully ignorant.

Here's a simple one for you Islamists...

Why can a man divorce a woman by saying "I divorce you" three times while a woman cannot? In fact, if a woman desires a divorce and the man doesn't agree, she's stuck. Not oppressive? Hmmmmmmm.

While it's "possible" for a woman to divorce her husband in Islam, to do so is EXTREMELY difficult especially if her husband doesn't agree (as opposed to the excellent 3x "I divorce you" deal that her husband gets). You know this, I know this, everyone who cares to have a half *** understanding of the religion as it pertains to marriage and divorce knows this so it's amazingly disingenuous for you to pretend that it's something else.

Interesting. I reread your comment and note that you say that divorce is "disliked". Agreed...the Imams and Muslim men really dislike it when women want to divorce their husband. Sorry, but your religion's a joke.

Answer 1

SSSShhhhhhhh, they don't know they are oppressed.

Answer 2

Not Muslim, but lived in a Muslim country.

Here's what I think - that our ideas of oppression are just different from theirs. A lot of Muslim women I know are fully educated and aware of the passages in the Qur'an that you and I believe to be oppressive, and yet they don't agree.

Sharia (or Syariah) is not from the Qur'an - it's from hadith, which a lot of Muslims I know reject, in part or in whole.

If we take just the Qur'an, I personally find certain things offensive and oppressive. A woman who has been raised that way her entire life may not agree - because it's a different perspective. You or I might see it as brainwashing.

As someone else said, however, I find that Muslim women in some societies have more of an upper hand inside the house than Western women traditionally have (say, in the 1950s).

Regardless, I'm somewhat just playing devil's advocate here, as I too find Islam oppressive, but it's just my two cents, and I like answering your questions!

Answer 3

Islam doesn't oppress women, but many of the cultures that are predominately Muslim do. If one takes the Quran from a purely historical perspective, Muhammed, through the Quran, granted women rights that they did not enjoy before in Arabia. Before Islam the predominant rule of law was that women became the property of a man upon marriage, and no woman could refuse a match by her father. Spousal abuse was rampant, with little or no recourse to any quarter for help. Upon the death of her husband, a woman could be inherited by her son and made her son's wife. Female infanticide in which newborn baby girls were buried alive in the sand was quite common in a society that considered surplus females a burden. The Quranic messages laid down laws that refuted these traditions and customs, and in fact gave women living under Islamic law more rights (property and marriage) than women living in Christian Europe enjoyed. The Quran enshrined a new status for women and gave them rights they could have only dreamed of before in Arabia... so why the seeming disparity between what was and what now appears to be? The answer lies in the deterioration of basic Islamic education over the centuries, and that many of the cultures that have risen to be viewed as purely Islamic can be more characterized by customs and local cultural leanings than by genuine Islamic values.
I'm not defending those passages that make women seem less than equal to men, but I think if one looks at the New Testament, the Old Testament, and the Quran one is able to find enough examples of women being relegated to secondary status to keep any garden variety misogynist chuckling happily "I told you so...". The real issue is why have predominately Christian societies moved beyond these verses, and why do a majority of Islamic cultures seem unable to move past them? I think it is not so much the religion to blame , but the culture. You would be hard-pressed to find any culture in the world that didn't repress women until very recently. The stifling of women's rights is not just an Islamic issue, though some may try to use religious text to justify their skewed views. The issue is one that is worldwide. Religion is just a crutch used to justify behavior that, I believe, the message of the Quran does not justify. I don’t think there are any Suras devoted to how best to oppress a woman, and Muhammed’s message in general was one of reason, compassion, and respect. There will always be fundamentalists who take religious text and twist to fit their view of the world, and this phenomenon can be seen culturally, as well. There are many customs and traditions attributed to specific religions all over the world, that upon closer examination represent only the society and culture, and not the religious message involved.

Answer 4

If you are convinced that Islam is a bunch of crap and oppresses women, then so be it. Muslim women cannot answer your question to your satisfaction, no matter what they say. You only want them to say what you want to hear, not what you should or need to hear. Big difference.

I have been a devout, practicing Muslim woman for 33 years. No apologies. No regrets.

Bottom line: Islam does not oppress women, regardless of the "proof" you have that it does.

There are men in all faiths, cultures, etc. who oppress women. Targeting Muslim men is not correct.

Answer 5

Well since you have so much knoweldge of the religion.... had so much exposure to our islamic system and had in depth exposure to to these so called educated women and you still couldnt find an answer then perhaps you have been looking in the wrong places... you didnt fully understand the Quran... you mayb didnt read the whole context of the sura. and women even in america are still opressed too ... in some form.... so dont go picking on muslim women .... especially when you dont fully understand the religion..... and exactly what is you defintion of a muslim woman being oppressed. lets not throw stones if u live in a glass house too. cuz we muslim women can point out some reasons how christian women and westen women are opressed also.... girlfriend!!!!!!!! Any man can opress the women that he comes in contact with if he wants and if he is allowed too.. not all muslim women allow the men to do this.... muslim women stand up and fight for their rights just like any other woman around the world....Peace

Answer 6

Question for you : -Why ask questions based on biased information?
If there is a specific point that you find as "oppressive", lets just say the whole topic of hijab for example, please ask about it specifically. There is reasoning behind each "ruling" concerning women.
If you mean that women are discriminated against in the cultures where Islam is the main religion, then you are right. That is often the case.
I don´t mean you haven´t done any research. But too often, the "facts" aren´t factual.
I´d be happy to try to answer specific questions you may have, as are many other women. Just send an email.
Take care.

Answer 7

If women are so oppressed in Islam, then why are so many women coming to Islam. The question you should be asking yourself nappy head is why are you worried about us muslim women who chose to be what we are. Why don't you ask women in this American society and abroadwhere they are degraded why they are so oppressed. Maybe your efforts will be more worth while. Maybe you should ask yourself, oh free women, why am I so concerned. Are you trying to convince yourself that what you have is freedom and not oppression. They wish to put out the light of Allah...but they will never be able to do it...

Answer 8

Praise be to Allah, the best of creator, the most magnificant.

Man and woman are EQUAL in Islam, so both do have a hijab ( islamic dress ) which they should follow. Some people ask why dont men cover their faces and the answer to that is Allah has created women more beautiful than men and has made the mind of man to get attracted to a Woman. So therefore Women must cover their face. As i always say " A ROSE PROTECTS ITS BEAUTY WITH ITS THORN, WHILE A WOMAN COVERS HER BEAUTY WITH A VEIL".

According to Islam the woman was created from the ribs of the man. Why not the bones of the feet? because she is not inferior to the man. Why not the bones of the skull? because she is not superior to the man. Why the Rib. Because she is equal to Man. Well if you ever noticed the y say so many muslim men rape the muslim women which is not true. According to statistics, america is the said to be the country with the most number of rapes in the world. Dont you think if the american women start covering their faces this would drop down by atleast 1%. Allah says in the Quran-

"O Prophet! say to your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers that they let down upon them their over-garments; this will be more proper, that they may be known, and thus they will not be given trouble; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (33:59)"

DONT JUDGE A NATION BY ITS PEOPLE.

Here is a poem about the believing muslim sisters----

You look at me and call me oppressed,
Simply because of the way I’m dressed,
You know me not for what’s inside,
You judge the clothing I wear with pride,

My body is not for your eyes to hold,
You must speak to my mind, not my feminine mould,

I’m an individual, I’m no mans slave,
It’s Allah’s pleasure that I only crave,

I have a voice so I will be heard,
For in my heart I carry His word,

“O ye women, wrap close your cloak, so you won’t be bothered by ignorant folk”,

Man doesn’t tell me to dress this way,
It’s a law from God that I obey,

Oppressed is something I’m truly NOT,
For liberation is what I’ve got,

It was given to me many years ago,
With the right to prosper, the right to grow,

I can climb mountains or cross the seas,
Expand my mind in all degrees,

For God Himself gave us LIB-ER-TY,
When He sent Islãm,
To You and Me!

Answer 9

Women aren't oppressed in Islam...oppression is forbidden in Islam. Men having more rights than women isn't oppression. The problem that we see around the world deals with culture, not Islam. People are too lazy to learn this religion, or too biased on what they already know. That goes for muslims and non-muslims alike. There is no place on this earth that I can think of where women are the same as men ( in everything). Please name a them for me if you know of any. Insha Allah read through the links I provided to see exactly what Islam's stance on women is.

Answer 10

I am a Muslim woman, and I know that Islam does not oppress women, neither does it teach oppression of women. I am not oppressed and have never been oppressed under Islam.

This does not mean that Muslim women are not oppressed. It's true, there are a large number of Muslim women being oppressed, but the reason for this is not the religion itself, but rather peoples misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the religion.

So it is unfair to blame the religion itself simply because people do not apply the Shari'ah correctly. Those who oppress women will have to answer to Allah, and this goes for all oppressors whether they be Muslim or non-Muslim.

Answer 11

Whats Syariah? You mean Shariah?

If you really think it oppresses women then why don't you look at other religions' teachings in their holy book like the Jews and Christians and tell me if they don't have 'oppression' as well. OK, forget religion, look around you in your home, on your street, on tv and in the papers, are your women oppressed? Deny it and you are blind to reality. The reality is that Islam gives women rights they could only have dreamt-of if they lived without a religion. Islam respects the role of women and does not insult their nature, and it allows them live upright and respectable lives. What is forbidden to the women is forbidden to the men in most cases, and the punishments are the same. Islam is not oppressive, it is empowering to women. Open your eyes.