New Delhi: The objections about women’s rights in Islam are nothing but part of a well-thought out global disinformation campaign to sully the image of Islam and keep it from the walks of life, said Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari, Ameer (National President) of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind while delivering Special Address on the occasion of Women’s Day.
Speaking to a learned gathering at the headquarters of Jamaat here on Saturday, Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari said Islam has given far greater rights to women than any other religion in the world. He said women’s rights in Islam are matchless. He also said that laws alone cannot run a system – it needs moral values, fear of God and fear to be prosecuted hereafter. Islam provides laws as well as moral guidance.
In the very beginning of his one-hour speech on the “Rights of Women in Islam” Ameer-e Jamaat said that observation of Women’s Day (7th March) every year denotes that women have not yet got rights in the society.
While condemning atrocities on women wherever they take place, Maulana said crimes against women in the subcontinent often become national and international news but it is also a fact that such crimes against women are taking place in not less number in western countries.
“Prominent among objections to Islam is that Islam does not give sufficient rights to women. Men in Islam unleash atrocities on women. Such allegation is part of disinformation campaign to sully the image of Islam before those who are getting attracted to the teachings of Islam. Its aim is to keep Islam from the mainstream of the society,” said Maulana Umari and deliberated on some important rights of women in Islam.
Rights of women in Islam
Islam wants to strengthen the family system – which has been in practice since the age man began living in society and a collective life. Of course, some ailments have crept in the family system in Islamic society over the time, and they need to be removed. The family system strengthens society. If wife and husband, son and parents do not execute their duties and do not respect each other’s rights then whole society will be disturbed. Quran gives as much weight to family system as to Ibadaat.
Right to Life:
It is Islam which gives right to life to both boys and girls, men and women. Boys have as much right to live as girls. When people were burying daughters for fear of starvation in Prophet’s time, Quran condemned them and asked them not to do that. Islam does not allow any unjustified killing except those which are necessary to ensure greater cause of justice. One who gets birth has right to live.
Rights to Upbringing:
It is Islam which lays out guidelines for upbringing of children – boys and girls – by the parents. It provides rules even for the situation when a couple gets separated and get divorce.
Right to Education:
Islam makes it obligatory for both men and women to get education. It asks them to learn how to live – the concept of basic education in Islam, not the one of modern age which terms writing name and putting signature as basic education. Islam asks parents to teach and educate their children about sharia and its orders, ibadaat and their details. Islam also asks parents to educate children worldly affairs also.
If a woman could not get education at her parents’ home, then Islam asks her husband to make arrangement for her education along with arranging for her daily life requirements. You cannot find this provision anywhere.
Prophet Muhammad’s popular saying is: who brought up three daughters properly, educated them and married them well there is a jannat for him. When asked what about two daughters or one daughter, Prophet said the parents of even two or one daughter will also get place in jannat.
Marriage:
Islam gives right to girl to get all details about her groom – his education, family, income etc – and only if she agrees she can be married to the person. If in some cases, a girl is married before reaching the age of adulthood, then she has right to reject the marriage if she wants to do so.
At marriage, Islam does not put any weight on girls. Mehar is on husband, to earn livelihood is also his duty. According to Islam marriage should be very simple. This makes the bond of marriage stronger as one who spends to get something gives importance to it and protects it.
Answering to another objection about Islam’s family system – that it makes man ruler and gives upper hand on woman and she becomes a slave – Maulana Jalaluddin Umari said: Family or any system needs a leader. Quran makes man leader of the family because he is in better position in many ways. He is physically stronger and protects the family, he can labor and earn, women can’t do it like men. Woman is physically weak and it is evident from the incidents of rapes taking place very day in our society. We never hear a woman has kidnaped a man and raped him. As man works hard and earns and spends money on the family, he has right to be leader of the family.
