With all due respect, after reading the Ayatollah's comment, I could not help but wonder at how an Islamic leader could come up with such a ridiculous and demeaning statement regarding women. But what was more frustrating was the fact, that even though Islam exerts its influence over every aspect of a Muslim's life, from diet to his lifestyle, it has failed in fourteen centuries of existence, to eradicate injustices to half of its followers-women.
Imagine a country where a woman who is raped must produce four witnesses to the crime or else be locked up in jail as an adulteress. Worse still, imagine a country where a woman is locked up in jail to be raped.
No, this is not just Pakistan I am talking about; this is any given country of almost all the Muslim World. Be it Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan , Afghanistan or Egypt or Iran - we Muslims have failed in virtually everything. But if there is one thing we have succeeded in, it is distorting the image of women in society; family, religion, politics, at the work place – you name it we've done it!
Afghanistan has, perhaps, contributed the most in damaging the soft image of Islam with the Taliban playing havoc with women's rights after the Russians withdrew from the country after years of occupation. The Taliban then sought to eradicate any advances women had made during the Russian reign. Women were not allowed to attend school or work; worse still, they were denied medical care since they could not be examined by male doctors. Some women had found a means of income by baking bread. When the Taliban found out, they burned them alive in their own ovens. A full veil is compulsory and women are not allowed to travel outside their homes without a male relative.
Other Muslim counties are not far behind in distorting the Islamic female role. Incidents violating the basic right of freedom and integrity of women that crop up every now and then expose the lack of efforts being made by governments of Muslim states.
Violence against women, in very possible form, is on the rise in Egypt. Kidnapping, sexual assault, domestic battery against women is becoming commonplace even as Egypt is claiming to have transformed into a liberal Muslim country. An Egyptian press report recently revealed that there were 300 cases of violence against women only in the first 6 months of 2005. Such incidents include a man seducing a female college student, telling her that he could offer her a number of job opportunities, but instead raping her and ignoring her pleas that she had a weak heart. In another case, a father of three killed his wife due to her increasing demands.
My purpose of basing my article on examples from Muslim countries is not to prove that Islam denies women their basic rights. Islam has probably given much more freedom, dignity, honour and respect to women in society than any other religion. It is how the people, the scholars and governments of these Islamic states have twisted Islamic teachings to disfigure the role, prerogative and image of a woman in society.
When Mohammed PBUH prohibited the burying of newborn female babies, you would have thought that would put an end to the inhuman tradition. Sadly, it is still practiced today in many Muslim countries.
Similarly,the bringing up of females in these Muslim countries ensures a sense of inferiority at least relative to the male gender. She will be reminded again and again that she is a source of burden and constant worry to her parents while the male child will always be preferred over her; he can leave his clothes all over the house - she will have to tidy his room as well as her own. He can go abroad to study in the best university in the States - she will always be indebted to her parents who let her study till college.