Independent Study AS406 Essay: The Status of Women in Islam

This essay examines the evolving status of women in Islam, exploring the freedoms and challenges they face in the modern world. It discusses the varying experiences of women across different societies and sects, highlighting the impact of religious laws and societal expectations on their lives. The essay analyzes how Muslim women are increasingly embracing progressive ideas and utilizing online platforms to express themselves, while also acknowledging the persistent struggles for identity, respect, and equal rights, particularly in regions with extremist rule. It delves into issues such as marriage, divorce, and the debate surrounding religious attire, emphasizing the importance of empowering Muslim women through genuine freedom of choice and respect for their diverse perspectives. The essay concludes that while progress has been made, women in Islam are yet to achieve complete sovereignty and continue to navigate complex challenges in their pursuit of equality and self-determination.

Running head: WOMEN IN ISLAM
WOMEN IN ISLAM
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Women in Islam
Introduction
Islam is the second largest religion in the world after Christianity and the number has
increased in the past few decades with more than 2 billion followers all over the world. Despite
these amazing figures, Islam has often been marred because of the dogmas associated with it.
Particular mention could be made about the women in Islam who are believed to exercise limited
powers in the society. They are made to stay within some boundaries set by the holy text of
Islam – Quran. One example of this is the wearing the ‘hijab’ or the ‘burqa’. However, the
experiences might vary between societies, between the two sects – Shi’a and Sunni – and
between different eras. The current paper aims to highlight the women in Islam in the present
era and argue whether their status has changed. The main argument however is to state that
women in Islam are yet to experience complete freedom.
Discussion
Muslim women are more progressive than women in other religion are but religious laws
restrict them. In an article published in Forbes, author Mohd Muslimin (2019) states that Muslim
women, especially the Southeast Asian Muslim women are “more cosmopolitan and global yet
more religiously observant”. The study finds that there has been a visible shift in the outlook of
these women in the Southeast Asian region. The study included around 1000 Asian women
mostly belonging to Malaysia and Indonesia amongst which, one third of women expressed that
Islam is vital to them. They also expressed that as opposed to the past, women in Islam now have
more opportunities. However, many women in the survey stated that more freedom should be

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given to women not only in their communities but also in local and national spheres. Badran
(2016) however argues that Muslim women have still a long way to go to make their progressive
ideas or thinking being acknowledge by the community and the larger society. The authors cite
examples of the recent revolutions that have taken place in many Islamic countries including
Egypt. According to the authors, “a revolution in Egypt capable of realizing a truly democratic
state and society must include a full-fledged feminist revolution in order to dismantle patriarchal
structures and practices inimical to the creation of an egalitarian state and society”. In simpler
terms, the women in Islam have started to realize their potential and the world has started to
appreciate their progressive attitude but the religious shackles are still hard to break.
Muslim women now have a better platform to express their opinions than they had in the
past. Beta (2014), talks about the modern Indonesian Muslims and their realization of a “more
personal Islam that they consider rational and pluralistic”. The author further talks about the
popularity of the cyber world amongst the Islamic youngsters especially the women. Urban
Muslim women in Indonesia have an online platform known as ‘Hijabers’ where the veiled
women are allowed to express their colorful and fun taken on Islam. This change vouches for the
argument that women in Islam now have a better platform to express and portray their true self.
Waltorp (2015) on the other hand, focuses on the use of smart phones and social media platforms
by young Muslim women that allow them to lead a free life. the author provides the real example
of a Muslim women residing in Copenhagen who formed a relationship online with an Iranian
Muslim man over Facebook. The woman sends pictures without veil to her boyfriend with the
fear that he might judge her as being ‘not cool’ if she sent pictures wearing the veil despite living
in a European country. Nonetheless, the Muslim woman controls the relationship in the virtual
world without having to be compliant with religious norms that require women to veil and stay in

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limit. This shows that women in Islam today have largely taken control of their lives even if it
means virtually.
Many women in Islam are still there who have to struggle for their identity and respect.
Khurshid (2015) claims that women today have more access to education and employment that
was never possible in the past. In a study conducted on the Muslim women in Pakistan, the
authors found that educated women are now more aware about their roles in the society and their
responsibility towards other women and girls who struggle to find their identity. to these women,
the “primary purpose of education is to instill mannerisms associated with the middle class such
as polite and confident speech, conversing in English, dressing like city women, speaking
confidently with strangers, establishing eye contact during interactions and resolving conflicts
without engaging in verbal or physical fights”. It can be argued as being a clear indication that
women in Islam are realizing the value of education and the need to find their respectful place in
the society. Davis (2016) however argued in their work that women in Islam especially in
countries with extremist rule face everyday threat to their existence, identity and integrity. The
authors provide instance from Iraq where the Islamic State terrorists have held captive thousands
of Yazidi women. These women have been tortured, raped and murdered apart from being
publicly shamed for not covering their bodies fully or not abiding by the sectarian laws issued by
the ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and Levant) clerics. These severe human rights violations against
the Muslim women reveal that the women in Islam are yet to find their respect and identity.
Women in Islam have limited rights compared to men when it comes to choosing their
life partner or giving divorce. Marriage and divorce in Islam is performed as per the Sharia law
that governs all aspects of their lives. In an article published in the Muslim Women’s League,
author Lekovic Ezzeldine (2019) talks about the double standards prevalent in the Islamic

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community regarding the marriage age of men and women. The author states there are many
Muslim women who are successful lawyers, professors, doctors and journalists who are not
married because they preferred focusing on career and education. These women are often blamed
for not being religious whereas the men of the same age are not even questioned. Everett et al.
(2015) on the other hand talks about the unequal divorce laws in Islam. The husband has the
right to repudiate (give talaq) his wife just by announcing it thrice without requiring any
approval from the court of law. In many Islamic countries, the practice of instant divorce has
been banned with India being the recent inclusion. While many women in Islam have welcomed
this decision, there are many who are against it. They are of the view that triple talaq or instant
divorce is their religious matter and the governments must not interfere. However, those who are
against this instant divorce law state that this law has ripped them off their right to deserve an
equal life. This shows that women in Islam still have not been able to realize their rights
regarding marriage and divorce.
The policymakers and governments must understand that empowering Muslim women
does not mean just banning ‘hijab’ and allowing them to wear anything, they want. Recent
instances from France and other European and western countries where the governments have
banned ‘hijab’ and ‘burqa’ demonstrate the forceful impressing of freedom and empowerment to
women. As O'Neill et al. (2015) explains, “Wearing a ‘hijab’ or ‘niqab’ is a women’s free
choice, a matter of freedom of religion and a visible symbol of women’s oppression”. The
authors examined the perspectives of non-Muslim women towards the banning of headscarves
and face veils by several countries and found that majority of non-Muslim women were against
the ban. This demonstrates that women of any religion understand the true meaning of freedom
and women empowerment, which is not limited to headscarves. Many feminist organizations

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were asked about their views and they stated that wearing or not wearing the face veil or
headscarf is solely their own choice and the governments should respect it. Chen et al. (2014)
however argue that many countries have seen a rise in the ‘hijab’ fashion, which indicates that
governments in many countries have realized the need to empower women in Islam in the true
sense. The authors undertook a study in the rise of ‘hijab’ fashion in America, which they found
to be an indicator redefining the Muslim symbol. They conducted interviews with Muslim
women about this trend and found that most Muslim women associate this rise in ‘hijab’ fashion
as a symbol of diversity, women’s rights and market power amongst other things.
Conclusion
To conclude, it could be reiterated that women in Islam although have found better
platforms to express raise their voices and experience freedom, they are yet to realize complete
sovereignty. As found in the discussion, many women in Islam in different countries are
subjected to different forms of subjugation. One of the most glaring examples is the torture
experienced by the Muslim Yazidi women in Iraq. The discussion also found that empowerment
of Muslim women is not just limited to allowing them to wear clothes of their own choice but to
respect them without forcing them to go against their religion.

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References:
Badran, M. (2016). Creative Disobedience: Feminism, Islam, and Revolution in Egypt.
In Women’s Movements in Post-“Arab Spring” North Africa (pp. 45-60). Palgrave
Macmillan, New York.
Beta, A. R. (2014). Hijabers: How young urban muslim women redefine themselves in
Indonesia. International Communication Gazette, 76(4-5), 377-389.
Chen, L., Akat, H. D., Xin, C., & Song, S. W. (2014). Rethinking hijab: Multiple themes in
Muslim women’s perception of the hijab fashion. In Proceedings. Presented at the
International Conference on Communication, Media, Technology and Design, Istambul,
Turkey (pp. 208-214).
Davis, L. (2016). Iraqi Women Confronting ISIL: Protecting Women's Rights in the Context of
Conflict. Sw. J. Int'l L., 22, 27.
Everett, J. A., Schellhaas, F. M., Earp, B. D., Ando, V., Memarzia, J., Parise, C. V., ... &
Hewstone, M. (2015). Covered in stigma? The impact of differing levels of I slamic
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Social Psychology, 45(2), 90-104.
Khurshid, A. (2015). Islamic traditions of modernity: Gender, class, and Islam in a transnational
women’s education project. Gender & Society, 29(1), 98-121.
Lekovic Ezzeldine, M. (2019). How Hard Can It Be. Retrieved from
https://www.mwlusa.org/topics/marriage&divorce/marriage%20challenge.htm

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Mohd Muslimin, A. (2019). Young Southeast Asian Muslim Women Are More Religious Yet
More Progressive, Study Finds. Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/anismuslimin/2017/11/27/study-finds-young-southeast-
asian-muslim-women-more-religious-yet-more-progressive/#6e6eb9951eb3
O'Neill, B., Gidengil, E., Côté, C., & Young, L. (2015). Freedom of religion, women's agency
and banning the face veil: the role of feminist beliefs in shaping women's opinion. Ethnic
and Racial Studies, 38(11), 1886-1901.
Waltorp, K. (2015). Keeping cool, staying virtuous: social media and the composite habitus of
young Muslim women in Copenhagen. MedieKultur: Journal of media and
communication research, 31(58), 49-67.