Status of Women in Islam

The month of March is Women's History Month. This year’s theme is women inspiring innovation through imagination: celebrating women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Education is an important pillar for success of any individual. Seeking knowledge is a sacred duty in all religions and Islam is no different.

When it comes to Islam, status of Muslim women and their rights to education is one of the most commonly debated topics. Existence of malpractices in many Muslim countries today, have tarnished the real teachings of Islam. This in turn has generated many misconceptions including that Islam prescribes women to be deprived of getting education which is the basic human right. But, unlike common belief, Islam associates great importance to learning and education. The truth is that Islam not only favors education for every single member of the society regardless of gender, but in fact, makes it an obligation. This is why the first word of Holy Quran revealed to Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) was “Iqra” meaning to read, learn and to seek education. Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) preached about education saying, “Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave” and “the ink of a scholar’s pen is more valued than the blood of a martyr”, since it is a scholar who leads the whole nation along positive lines.

This year’s theme reminds of several Muslim women who have not only made enormous contributions in various fields of civilization but also, significantly influenced life of others. One such example is of Aisha binte Abu Bakr, wife of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). She was an educator, a scholar in hadith, and very skilled administratively. Another famous Muslim woman, Hypatia (ca. 370_415) of Alexandria (Hellenistic Egypt), was a renowned mathematician, teacher, philosopher, and an astronomer. She also left a mark in the society by developing an education system for the community.

In recent times, there are many famous Muslim women who have played a crucial role in education and leadership such as late Benazir Bhutto, who became the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan. She was also the first woman prime minister of the Muslim world. Sheikh Hasina and Khalida Zia of Bangladesh and Megawati Sukarnoputri of Indonesia also became prime ministers of their respective countries. Another prominent example is MalalaYousufzai, a 14 year old Pakistani Muslim girl who was attacked by an extremist group for standing up for her birth right of education. So, it is a shame she had to fight for it when the Holy Quran provides clear-cut evidence that a woman is completely equal to man in the terms of her rights and responsibilities. It also emphasizes that Muslim women stand on the same level with Muslim men and they both can attain same spiritual heights.Being raised in a Muslim-majority country, I have personally witnessed that Muslim girls are always encouraged to gain knowledge. As a matter of fact, girls outnumber boys in several universities and colleges.

Throughout history Muslim women have made prominent contributionsfor the improvement of social and economic life of their societies since their faith has endowed them with equal rights. As Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) emphasized that, "All people are equal, as equal as the teeth of a comb. There is no claim of merit of an Arab over a non-Arab, or of white over a black person, or of a male over a female. Only God-fearing people merit a preference with God." In honor of March being Woman's History Month, I hope that we can all understand the true teachings of Islam and show respect towards all women of the world.