In the last decade post 9/11, with every aspect of Islam being under criticism and scrutiny, the debate of how women are oppressed in Islam has been a subject of regular sensationalist newspaper headlines. It may come as particular surprise therefore, that in such a climate, it has been young British women who have in their droves, come to adopt Islam as their chosen way of life.
Multi-faith group Faith Matters recently revealed that the numbers of converts to Islam in Britain has reached 100,000, and furthermore within the last twelve months, the average convert to Islam in Britain has been a 27 year old white woman. Therefore the question begs, in this decadent society, where every desire can be met, why is Islam what women really want?
Capitalism has certainly claimed that it has given the woman the status that she deserves in the modern world. As well as giving the woman certain rights the society and state had not granted them a century ago, such as the right to vote, education and own wealth; secular liberal society has provided her further with the ‘freedom’ to behave, and be whoever she wishes.
Although women may feel this is the utopia our gender has been seeking from the historical experiences we have faced across the globe, characterising subjugation to men, cultures and different systems; we must be wise in understanding, this subjugation has not ended with Capitalism and secularism. The 3466 British women from the last twelve months will testify, the reality under the secular way of life, is far from liberating as it claims it to be. Instead it is clear to see, women today have been forced to fit another mould.
It is the value of ‘freedom’, arising from the secular way of life, which drives multi-national companies to make revenue in whatever way they can regardless of how woman are treated or viewed. Thus the multi-billion dollar pornography industry makes its money out of viewing namely women, for their sexual appeal. The multi-million pound beauty industry in the UK makes its money by making women feel that they must buy the latest beauty cream or skin-radiating foundation, in order to feel accepted in society. The effect of this upon women is clear - The 2004 Dove report revealed that of the women they surveyed, only 18% of women feel their ‘beauty’ is above average, and 79% wished women could be considered beautiful even if they were not ‘physically perfect.’ This highlights the new enslavement of women, where they are now subjugated to fulfilling an unattainable body beautiful image in order to be accepted, as a result of ‘freedom’.
Similarly men, who too live under this banner of freedom, also now exercise their freedoms in the way they view and have relationships with women, doing as they please and often just having fun. So instead of the commitment and responsibility of marriage sweeping across British society, it has been casual sexual behaviour and teenage pregnancies which are doing so, where the characteristic problem of people not sticking to relationships has arisen, leaving behind the most amount of single mothers we have ever witnessed. Similarly sexual crimes, where men feel they are free to treat the women however they want, are as rampant as ever. The Home Office study in 2002 relates how 1 in 20 women surveyed in the UK, had been raped since the age of 16, and 1 in 10 women said they had faced some form of sexual victimisation since the age of 16.
Over a century ago, in Britain a woman may have been completely subject to the commands of her husband, unable to participate in public life. However today, what we can clearly see is this subjugation has been transferred to the hand of ‘freedom.’ Women may be free to nominally do what they please, but of what value is this if her honour and status has been taken away in society? Is it worth it to have a society that can let a woman have a relationship with whoever she pleases, but can then guarantee her no value or protection when the same society allows the man to exert his freedom?
As a woman ask yourself this question – Is this what women really want? Indeed not. Islam is what the women of today are rushing to, as it is indeed a way of life which claims to liberate the women, and in its values and laws definitely does so.
The Prophet Mohammad (SAW) said: ‘The world and all things in it are precious, but the most precious thing is a virtuous woman.’
This evidence, alongside many others, shapes a specific view in the individual and in society towards the woman – that she be valued immensely in society, and moreover that her value is attached to her as a person, not the commodity she can be. Thus there is no room in an Islamic society for people or multi-national companies to exercise their freedom in how they view her, according to how it benefits them, be this for her sexual appeal or how much money she can make.
The father and husband have been given the guardianship of the wife or the daughter in Islam, being responsible for her financial needs as well as for her protection. As men are accountable to Allah SWT (God Almighty) in how they fulfil these roles, this develops a commitment and responsibility within them. Ibn 'Umar reported that the Prophet (SAW) said, ‘All of you are shepherds and each of you is responsible for his flock. A man is the shepherd of the people of his house and he is responsible...’ They are not free to treat the woman however they want, as is the case in the free secular society.
The system of Islam then helps maintain this view of respecting and protecting the woman, where rules such as hijab, segregation of the sexes, forbidding the woman to take up positions of work which exploit her femininity, all work towards ensuring in public life, the woman is only valued for her contribution to society and not for the way she looks, or money she could make.
Therefore truly, Islam is the only way of life which can ensure the value of the woman in its rightful manner. It is no wonder then that scores of British women who have experienced the anarchy of secular liberal law at first-hand, are turning to Islam for liberation.
1) http://rds.homeoffice0.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/r159.pdf
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