The Muslim Woman

The Plight of Muslim Women

Muslim woman has become a subject to be studied due to their complex lifestyle and the myriad of traditions and detrimental compulsion which they have to face in their everyday life. One major variance between Islam and different religion is the application of polygamy, the Muslim males are allowed to marry up to 4 wives as long as he can easily aid and look after them.

Muslim women yet are not permitted to marry more than one man. The religion of Islam will not permit homosexuality. It enables the wedding of a Muslim man to some other Jewish or a Christian woman. Though the Islamic legislation permit’s the marriage of Christian or a Jewish female toward a Muslim male it doesn’t permit their situation to have the inheritance of their spouse unless it’s conferred by the Muslim man on their Jewish or Christian spouses. If you look closely, then you would not find any of the pictures of Muslim women without a veil, which is their traditional garment, much unlike the Scarlett Johansson pics that you’d find on the web in skimpy clothing.

Taha Barwary, Kurdistan Regional Government Minister for Sport and Youth, declared on 26th of last month that his ministry would give incentive to those who take a stand against women violence. He further said that the award would be given yearly to an organization or person in the Kurdistan Region or the Diaspora that effectively campaigned to end violence against women. He added that the Ministry for Sport and Youth (MOSY) would also support awareness-raising publications, films and documentaries. The forum was attended by spokespersons of women’s organizations, NGOs and other civil society groups. Image Read

Afghan police have seized six Taliban insurgents suspected of killing two women teachers along with three other relatives. Friday, that is eighth of December night’s atrocious killings brought to 20 the number of teachers killed in Taliban attacks this year. Shinkai Kharokhail, a lawmaker said, ‘Many villagers have stopped letting their girls go to school, fearing they will be targeted by the Taliban. That campaign has had a very negative impact on the people.’ President Hamid Karzai, in the meantime, burst into tears during an emotional press conference regarding the growing violence across Afghanistan. Read

The State of the World’s Children 2007 report looks at the discrimination and disempowerment faced by women throughout their lives, also it laid down few points that might become instrumental in eradicating gender discrimination and empowers women and girls. The United Nations Children’s Fund in Yemen initiated the program’s 2007 annual report in Sana’a in the presence of Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Amat Al-Razaq Hummad, and representatives from NGOs, the private sector and the media. The call for equal rights evolved into a quest for gender equality when a distinction was made between gender and sex. As the occasion was on its way, some Yemeni Artists presented the contemporary society through a skit. Where a 12-year-old girl was fighting for her right to study only with a single support of her mother since it was against her father’s will thus, the group encouraged audience to educate their girls and not let traditions stand in the way of women’s empowerment. Read

The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) announced on 13th of this month that it would back a Majlis-e-Tahaffuz-e-Hadood Allah (MTHA) rally against the Women’s Protection Act (WPA) in Karachi on December 22. However, it declared a program for anti-WPA rallies in Punjab and Sindh, but deferred the decision on rallies in Balochistan and the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). The meeting also decided that MMA activists would say azan (prayer call) across the country every Friday from December 15 as a protest against the WPA. MMA Deputy Secretary General Liaqat Baloch said that the aim of the protest is to seek natives help in stopping the ‘Un- Islamic’ legislation. And that MMA would hold rallies, against the WPA at district and provincial levels. Image Read

On 14th of this month, Dubai Press Club (DPC) hosted a forum on ‘Emarati Women towards the Parliament: Horizons and Challenges’ in collaboration with Arwa Magazine. The topic of the discussion was the first electoral experience for women in the UAE. Faten Azzam, Managing Editor of Arwa Magazine, moderated the seminar. Along with him, others who took part were Dr. Habib Al Mulla, Chairman, Dubai Financial Services Authority, Ayesha Sultan, Writer and Dr. Ibtisam Al Ketbi, Political Science Lecturer at Emirates University. Sulaiman Abou Zaki, Editor-in-Chief, Arwa magazine said that the government’s decision in women’s participation in Federal National Council elections is an achievement for women in the nation. Sixty-five women standing for election to the National Assembly demonstrate UAE women’s growing interest in the election process. The ratio of male candidates to female candidates is 85.75% to 14.25%. Read

Women in the southern Helmand province have complained that their brothers are not giving them inheritance right in father’s property. According to Shariat, women also have due share in father’s property, but now brothers are depriving them of their right. Makay, a resident of Tor Tang area of Lashkargah, said that ‘after father death, my brothers divided the land among themselves and deprived us of our due inheritance right.’ Similarly, Bibi Shafia, 50, a resident of Zarghon village said that ‘My brothers say we don’t give you right, because now you are no more a member of our family.’ However, there are some cases where the women have themselves submitted their right to brothers because of poor economic conditions. Fouzia Uloomi, head of the Women Affairs, said quite many women were registering complaint against her brothers in her office regularly. She further said that the problem is not limited to Helmand, but is engulfing the entire country. Nevertheless, Mohammad Jamil, a resident of Lashkargah and a shopkeeper, said after marriage, sisters became members of others family and no brother would want to hand over his property to someone else. Image Read

Lately, the Women’s Freedom Organization of Iraq has put forward an astounding report which projects the growing practice of public executions of women by Shiite militias. One such ghastly incident of lynching has come to the fore, where a young woman was dragged by a wire wound around her neck to a close by soccer field and hung from the goal post. Then they perforated her body with bullets. Her brother rushed to defend her but unfortunately he was shot dead too. According to the members of Organization of Women’s Freedom, nearly 30 women are put to death monthly for honor-related reasons. It further stated that in comparison with the present situation, Iraqi women are worse off than they were under the Baathist regime in a country where, the women enjoyed some freedom and rights, which were not destined to women of the Middle East. Lamenting before the scenario, they said that before the invasion of the US, the condition of native women were not so deplorable in fact, they were given certain privileges. However, the status of women changed after the incursion. The United States gave prominence to a new group of leaders, most of who were associated with ultraconservative Shiite clerics. Among the Sunni minority, Continue reading “Iraq: Growing practice of women executions by Shiite militias” »

NWFP Inspector General of Police Mohammad Raffat Pasha took cognizance of the cases of mistreatment of women in police stations and warned police officers of stern action under the Police Order if they violated the laws meant for protecting women. Mr. Pasha stated that there have been a number of grievances which held that while dealing with women the police staff didn’t discharge their responsibilities appropriately either due to lack of knowledge or simply out of habit. He added that, ‘all laws pertaining to women should be clearly displayed at police stations and the police should strictly follow the rules’. He emphasized that the Protection of Women Act should be imposed strictly and in case of complaints, officials concerned would be penalized. Image Read

In order, too seek advice on family planning and other related issues, Muslim women in huge numbers are gathering to India’s only all female hospital the Mission Hospital situated in the eastern city of Kolkata. The Conservative Muslim women are more comfortable discussing these issues in a female-only environment. Gouri Kumra, a senior gynecologist is of the view that, ‘some come secretly without telling their husbands, but almost all of them say they have two children and do not want more.’ Not only have the patients come from nearby Muslim dominated vicinity but poorer women from other communities too visit the fifty-bed hospital. According to the UN, nearly, 5.7 million people in India are living with HIV and amongst those, 40% are women. Recent study on the state of Muslims in India postulated that burqa clad Muslim women are subjected to face hostility at market place and is unable to get a suitable job. However, in the Mission Hospital, they shed their inhibition and openly discuss about their problems. Read