Posted: March 1st, 2022

Feminism in Islam

Feminism in Islam
Islamic feminism is a recent phenomenon that has increasingly gained attention in the past few decades. Many still view the concept as an oxymoron, especially from within the Islamic community. As early as the 19th century, Muslim women have been represented as an oppressed gender by men, religion, and society in general.
And Islam is not exceptional for having the scriptural interpretations that tend to center on men. Throughout history, women from Christian, Jewish, Buddhist religions have, in different ways, experienced sexism, which is often intertwined within the sacred texts and religious traditions. Sexism and other forms of biases within the community are often discernable through social institutions such as politics, law, and religion. And it is normal for people to express and bring these biases to attention.
For a long time, religious scriptures have been used against women. Muslim women have also fallen victim to the same issue. What is more absurd is that the same scriptures (the Qur’an and hadith) used to crash women are the same ones used as a defense to justify sexism in Islam society. The Islamic movement has been mistaken as a western cult or anti-Muslim. As a result, many Muslim women pursuing gender equality have avoided calling themselves feminists. Islamic feminism is also more radical than secular Muslim feminisms. Islamic feminists advocate for equality of both males and females in the public and private life. They try to challenge the notion of male dominance and authority over females in marriages and family issues.
Before civilization, Muslim women were forced to choose between identifying as Muslims or pursuing gender equality. The society forced them to believe that it was impossible to be involved in both and that doing so was an act of betrayal to the Islamic faith. However, years later, a global movement called Musawah, which translates to “equality,” began. Musawah sought to show that Muslim women can fight for justice and equality from within the Islamic religion without feeling like they are betraying their faith.
While Islamic feminism has been there since the early 1890s, the Musawah movement was a remarkable awakening. The phenomenon has since spread vastly with some of the bravest and most recent campaigns conducted in Asia and Africa. Just like secular feminism, Islamic feminism is a product of time. But the issue remains limited and controversial in terms of trying to separate Islamic feminism as an ideology and Islamic feminist as an identity.