How can women intentionally follow Islam?

Question

I am in school to become an anthropologist, and I have to ask this question out of wonder, not disrespect. It is hard for me to grasp a faith that overtly demeans its followers. What are the ideologies that are taught to little girls?
Do you (presumably a Muslim moderate) value death more than life?

Answer 1

The image of the typical Muslim woman wearing the veil and forced to
stay home and forbidden to drive is all too common in most peoples
thoughts. Although some Muslim countries may have laws that oppress
women, this should not be seen as coming from Islam. Many of these
countries do not rule by any kind of Shari'ah (Islamic law) and
introduce their own cultural standpoints on the issue of gender
equity.

Islam on the other hand gives men and women different roles and equity
between the two is laid down in the Quran and the example of the
Prophet (peace be upon him). Islam sees a woman, whether single or
married, as an individual in her own right, with the right to own and
dispose of her property and earnings. A marriage gift is given by
the groom to the bride for her own personal use, and she keeps her
own family name rather than taking her husband's. Both men and women
are expected to dress in a way that is modest and dignified. The
Messenger of God (peace be upon him) said: "The most perfect in faith
amongst believers is he who is best in manner and kindest to his
wife."

Violence of any kind towards women and forcing them against their
will for anything is not allowed. A Muslim marriage is a simple, legal
agreement in which either partner is free to include conditions.
Marriage customs thus vary widely from country to country. Divorce is
not common, although it is acceptable as a last resort. According to
Islam, a Muslim girl cannot be forced to marry against her will: her
parents simply suggest young men they think may be suitable.

Answer 2

This question gets asked frequently here .I am a convert.I came to Islam a long time ago.I was also a Pastors wife at one point in my life.Islam is a very beautiful religion if followed correctly.I wouldnt have stayed if it were otherwise.I do not feel belittled or demeaned.Its strange how people can twist a religion to suit themselves though,and this is something that we see alot of lately.I know that churches disagree at times on certain Doctrins that are used in some churches.Like baptism or Jesus only churches.Pentecostals disagree with Baptist,Catholics disagree with Lutherans and so on.I believe that God is Love and Only approves of the good we do and the faith we have.If human beings are doing bad things in the name of God ,It will never be right or good in Gods eyes.And it does not matter what denomination you belong to.Wrong is Wrong.I have four Girls and they are very good Girls.I love them dearly as any mother would.I have never forced anything on my children .It wouldnt be real to them if it were something they were forced into.I believe that we lead by example.You cannot fool a child.So far ,Three of my four girls have embraced their faith and are wearing a scarf and dressing modestly.Praying five times aday and observing the other tenets of their faith and I am proud of them.The fourth daughter is only eleven years old and I see her probably following in her sisters footsteps,But that is her decision if she does.I am their guide I am here for support But nothing is ever forced on my children.We as parents have only tried to be examples to them.I do not value death more than Life.I am a human being and I have the same fears about death that any rational person would have.Philisophically speaking,As Muslims we are taught to treat this Life and this world as if we are a traveller on a journey.We are not staying here forever ,Just passing through.Hopefully on our way to a better Place. Just to let you know ,alot of the human rights abuses that occur in other countrie against women are not Islamic at all.These practices are ancient cultural practices that unfortunately have hung on.Example;Just because a man is a good Christian does not mean he is a good husband or father.He may lead an exlemplary life outside in the world but he may not have the skills to be a good husband or father if he learned how from his own abusive and neglectful father. Dont blame Islam for the evil things that men can do.

Answer 3

For a future anthropolgist, you have a looooong way to go to understand not only history, religion and cultures, but also how people think and reason. Right now, you don't understand Islam because you have barely a clue as to what it is. You may hear things on t.v. or from peers, or perhaps from a pastor or two, however once you learn about something from its source, it really opens your eyes to how people will believe anything they hear about things they don't have any real knowledge about.

I converted to Islam because, obviously, of the teachings within Islam and the sense that it made to me. When a person from a non-Muslim culture discovers and embraces Islam, they learn about the core of Islam, the real Islam absent of any cultural infusions. We get a clear picture of what Islam is. Why do you think so many women, from all different cultures, all different classes, all different upbringings and all different levels of self-esteem (including those with very high levels) accept Islam if it really does demean them?
Answer: it doesn't.

Just a tip for the future; focus on your world religions classes, your cultural classes, and your psychology classes. These three are extremely important if you want to succeed as an anthropologist. And from my heart: good luck with that!

Answer 4

just a little point to the person who was mentioning how can people follow shariah law and cover their heads, islam is the religion that was brought as the middle way, i dont know if u r christian or not, but if u r, before judging shariah law, look in ur own bible where it says that "If a woman does not cover her hair, she should have it shaved off", 1 Corinthians 11:6, so if u think shariah law is harsh then the law of the bible is even harsher, woman in islam are told to cover their heads, in christianity if u dont cover ur head it says the hair shoulld be shaved off, and even in the jewish scriptures it tells women to cover their hair, y do u think all these jewish woman are wearing wigs, because they try and play games with god, they shave their real hair and put on wig, so technically they are covering "their" hair. this is just 1 example, i cud dispel majprity of ur myths bout islam, using your own scriptures because muhammed, jesus and moses all came with the same message, "to worship 1 god"

Answer 5

as u've said it intentionnaly....its all in ur mind n heart...
i value death more than life..cuz the day after judgement is forever than life(a person may hardly live upto 100 yrs maximum) wats nxt???
lead a good life ud have a wonderful ending :)

Answer 6

You are under a lot of misconceptions. women aren't demeaned, we are protected, cherished, and taken care of. We have rights, muslim women were 'liberated' centuries ago to own property, and have the same freedoms and rights as men, while others in the world still kept women in iron chastity belts.
Muslim girls are taught to respect themselves, act and dress modestly and be respectful. Life is important to muslims, but the afterlife, which is eternal life, is more important. That doesn't mean we are going to blow ourselves up to get there faster. The huge majority is moderate, you only hear about the radicals in the news, because who wants to read that a muslim went to prayer, gave in charity, and was kind to a neighbor?
Please read up before making misinformed assumptions.
I would also like to point out it isn't the faith that demeans it's followers, it's a few misguided followers, same as in any religion. Ever heard of Fred Phelps, and how he treated his family? I don't consider him as a true representative of christianity.....

Answer 7

i think there is something fundamentally flawed with women who subject themselves to shariah law, or even moderate islamic law which overtly restrains women. i honestly cannot think of any other reason. if a black woman in america could have the emotional and intellectual guts to stand up for her rights, i can't understand how no muslim woman can unambiguously reject not only sharia law but also the basics like covering her head, not socializing with men...it's ridiculous.

they also have this stupid belief that they're more respected than women are in other religions. i don't know WHERE or HOW this myth got started.

Answer 8

I think that if these women don't stay out of fear of what their husbands or families may do to them, its because they have been brainwashed to believe that this is the way things should be.

I'm sure that not all Muslim people are like that. I just can't respect any religion or person who thinks that women are lower than dogs. If it weren't for women, they wouldn't frikkin be here.

Answer 9

People feel that way because it was all they know. Everything over there is censored, they don't know that there are women out there that live like we do. All they know is the fear of the men in their lives, and they are taught to be respectful and obediant. Think about the religion you follow (or not) why is that what you believe. It's because it's what you were taught from an early age.

Answer 10

MUSLIM countries have elected FEMALE PRESIDENTS, but Y NOT in USA. What is wrong with American women?