Jaajef wa G-L,

I came across this article written by Shamina Sheickh, a leading female anti-aparthied activist, which I thought might be of interest to to
others on the list...any thoughts? It is in 2 parts as there was not enough space for the full text on one e-mail.

Yeenduleen ak jaama

Tony
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   Women & Islam * The Gender  Struggle in South Africa: The Ideological  Struggle

  MYM Islamic Tarbiyyah Programme '97                   19 * 23 Dec, As-Salaam, KZN

 Bismillah hir rah ma nir Rahim                        Alhamdulillah hil ladhi hadana li hadha wa ma kunna li nahtadiyya low la an hadhanallah
In the Name of God, Most Gracious, the Dispenser of  Grace
All praise is to Allah, Who has Guided us to this. Were it  not for His Guidance we would surely have been lost.

Introduction

 We will be discussing an important arena of the Struggle in upholding the dignity of Muslim women in Islam and the  Muslim community. That is the Ideological struggle * the struggle to grasp the existing controversial and conflicting                     perception of the status, position, worth and constitution of   women * a perception used to control women’s actions  and status. For Muslims, this perception is supposed to  be derived primarily from the Qur'an and Sunnah.

 We will look into verses in the Qur’an that deal with
 principles and practices or law to ascertain the Qur’anic  concept of Women and Gender Identity. For Muslims the  Qur’an is the basis. I was also going to look at Hadith, but                      unfortunately this already looks like it will take all the time  available.

A good book for you to look at on the Prophetic
Community is Leila Ahmed’s Women, Gender and Islam.

But now I’m going to look only at Qur’an. The reason I want  to look at it is in order to grasp the existing controversy   and conflicting perceptions on the status, position, worth  and constitution of women, perceptions used to control                women’s actions and status. The perception is that Islam has placed a low status on women and a higher one for  men. We will look at the verses that deal with principles  and practices or law to ascertain the Qur’anic concept of                      women’s gender identity.

An intellectual Exercise?

The question one could ask is: Is it just an intellectual exercise.

Some activists regard an ideological investigation as an "intellectual exercise" undertaken by people not involved  in the real issues.

 When I informed the ITP co-ordinator about the focus of   this paper, this is how she responded inher email  message to me:

" Regarding the brief itself, I have only to indicate that  when this topic was suggested in the first place, I expressed that   we have to look at new ways of tackling the issue because we                     always cover the  same ground and get nowhere due to the stubbornness  and even arrogance sometimes on the part of ourselves to accept what is actually a very black and white issue. That is why I suggested initially that, instead of trying to "emancipate" a group of middle-class, somewhat pampered women who really  have no affinity to
the REAL issues facing the struggle for gender equality   in this country, we devote our precious time to looking at ways  for bringing the Gender Desk closer to reality, like the W.Cape has              done. It is fine by me if you want to look at Qur'anic perspectives  and all that, but I think that the idea that we are actually going to GET somewhere, or make known some things that were not                      known before, needs to be read with caution"

                        I think I agree with the co-ordinator, the liberal class does  do that. But in Islam the Qur’an applies to all, whether it’s                     post-middle, pre-middle or working class. The same laws apply to the couple, the same laws apply to the man. And all classes need to know that because that forms the  basis of their identity. So it’s slightly different, and also I  thought it was important that we deal with that, because in my experience * and I’ve been working with women since  I’ve been the Gender Desk Co-ordinator more focussed  on gender issues. And in Johannesburg they’re working   with women in divorce cases, women that have been                      beaten and a whole host of women. And the only advice that I could give them was one that the Qur’an says this   about you, gives you a status. Because I find it very   difficult to tell somebody something that they don’t believe  in. I can’t tell them, "Yes, get divorced." But I can tell them,
"You have a right to get divorced. The choice is now  yours." I suggest that they go for some social welfare  service. So I think there’s a need for both kinds of things:
like the one Cape Town (MYM) has and the kind of thing*
What Cape Town does is integrate both. The more people know these issues, the more people will integrate  them or deal with one only before the problem arises. So  that’s how it should go.

                        We cannot altogether dismiss the need for support and other social welfare services, and as long as the problems  exist, it is essential that we have social welfare and other  institutions that can provide necessary relief for victims.  And these problems will continue for as long as there is
                        confusion regarding the correct and liberatory Qur’anic  position on women. We must tackle the problem itself and   for Muslim women, Islam and the Qur’an can be both a  force of empowerment and undermining and disempowerment. It is the source Muslims accept
unflinchingly.

The conflict and, yes, sometimes confusion in our
understanding of Islam and gender status arises from the  complex way in which a society works. 

Forces within the Muslim community that cause
conflict and confusion in understanding Women, Gender & Islam.  After 1400 years it appears that there is still confusion and  conflict as to the status of women in Islam, and the role  gender plays in an individual’s worth in terms of status, position, potential and constitution.

Despite the overwhelming and strong position of Muslims  that Islam liberated women 1400 years ago, you still find  there’s a problem. Some thought and practice within  Muslim society does not reflect this conviction, giving rise  to the accusation that Islam oppresses women, to which  the Muslim community reacts emotionally with denial and
animosity, without reflecting inwardly and addressing the existing problems.

And I think the reason for this is the way the Muslim
community works. What makes Islam work in a Muslim  community is a mixture of Islam, the context, an  interpretation of Islamic text * Qur’an and Hadith, culture,  tradition, customs and the interests of those who are   dominant in the community * those who hold the reigns of
power.

These elements are not necessarily negative. The
objective is not to apply some "purist" understanding of  Islam based exclusively on the Qur’an. In fact, the Qur’anic  and Prophetic method is to consider the other elements in  order to provide a viable and practical solution to an event
or problem. The Qur’an consists of Divine responses to  particular questions within a particular context. Therefore it   is essential that Islam and the Qur’an are contextualised.

However, these elements that work within the Muslim  community often do so at cross-purposes with conflicting  agendas and motives. As a result we have conflicting  messages. If somebody wants to subjugate women they  will come with a different interpretation, they will do a   whole host of things. So you’ll find conflict: in  interpretation, in understanding who women are. And people tend to interpret for their convenience. However, I               don’t think these elements are necessarily negative. In  order for Islam to work it needs to be contextualised and  not taking all these elements into consideration means   you have not listened to one category or class of people.   In fact the Qur’an and the Prophet did exactly that. They    took in to consideration the customs; they took in to
                        consideration a whole host of things in order to   understand the laws within the context. It thus is often  difficult to distinguish between these various elements. It  is therefore not surprising that we are confused on the  issues of women, gender and Islam and articulate and   send conflicting messages.

                                         Muslim Feminists

                        We’re seeing a lot of Muslim feminists. Their books have   been translated into English and even in small  communities like in South Africa (I’m sure all of us are  being accused of being feminists). Muslim feminists face                      criticism from other feminists for insisting on maintaining   the link to Islam in the gender struggle. The Muslim   feminist looks to the Qur’an and the Prophet as a force for liberation, but in this ideological struggle faces
tremendous opposition and criticism for "reinterpreting", "changing the Qur’an", "following western feminists", etc.  from the clergy, the community as well as other women.

 These feminists insist that they are inspired by Islam and  the women heroes of Islam who stood up for justice and  human rights. And that Islam is a force of empowerment   rather than of disempowerment.

                                      Let’s live as we Believe

                        There is a hadith which states a profound truth about  human life: "If you don’t live as you believe then you begin   to believe as you live."

                        In order to live as we believe, and to understand what the   Islamic and Qur’anic identity of the Woman is, it is  essential that we do an enquiry and investigation of the   Islamic sources * the Qur’an (in particular) and the   practice of the Prophet’s community. Because of the short
time available, I will focus here only on the Qur’an.

The Qur’an: Principles, Practices and Law

                        The Qur’an is the first source of guidance, so we’ll start by  looking at what the Qur’an says about the position and   place of women and what role, if any, gender plays in
                        status of the individual.

                        Perhaps an important point to make before we begin  discussing verses of the Qur’an, however, is that all such  discussion is based on contextual interpretation. No   person can honestly claim to understand any part of the  Qur’an without any interpretation.  During the Battle of Siffin, the followers of Mu’awiyah once  called for a cessation of hostilities between Mu’awiyah’s   and ‘Ali’s parties. They should, they said, accept the
                        Qur’an as the arbitrator between them. Imam ‘Ali’s    response is very instructive. He said:   "When Mu’awiyah invited me to the Qur’an for a decision, I    could not turn my face away from the Book of Allah. The     Mighty and Glorious Allah declared that ‘If you dispute   about anything, refer it to Allah and His Apostle’.
                        (However,) this is the Qur’an, written in straight lines,    between two boards (of binding); it does not speak with a  tongue; it needs interpreters and interpreters are people."

                        In order to ascertain the status of men and women we will   look at verses that lay down certain principles and verses   that are reactions to particular contexts.

                                          The Principles:

                         O Humankind! Be conscious of your Sustainer, who has   created humanity out of one living entity, and out of it   created its mate, and out of the two spread abroad a   multitude of men and women. And remain conscious of God, in whose name you demand [your rights] from one
                         another, and of these ties of kinship. Verily, God is ever   watchful over you! (4:1)

                        The points I’d like to highlight here*

                        The source of all human creation is one living entity, unlike   the biblical interpretation or understanding that men were  created first and thereafter women, and women were     created from men. Even upto recently, I had the idea that
                        women were created second also, and that men were  created first and that women were created out of men.
                        And here it is quite clear that No, there was this one   "entity" and Allah created men and women from it. So,    women could have been created first or men could have  been created first; it’s difficult to say. What we know is that                     from one entity multitudes of men and women were
created. All individuals are born from one entity, according  to this verse, and have the same status and equal    potential to do good and evil.

                  This is such a positive verse, and there are many like that.  Why do we choose to make more popular the "negative"    ones like the one that can be interpreted that men can   beat women. Why not this verse and on the basis of this
                        verse interpret that. If one comes to this first you know that    gender doesn’t play a part in spirituality or anything.    If you come with the idea that you are inferior in the first      place, your approach to a particular verse that applies to a
                        particular context will have to be negative, will have to see     you as inferior. Whereas, if you have a positive one, it will                  have to be positive, it will have to accept that there is    some kind of equality here. You’ll need to interpret a verse   on how you treat somebody according to what the Qur’an  says are basic principles or what basic essence of   women or men is.

                          Verily, for all men and women who have surrendered   themselves unto God, and all believing men and believing women, and all truly devout men and truly  devout women, and all men and women who are true to  their word, and all men and women who are true to their    word, and all men and women who are patient in          adversity, and all men and women who humble                 themselves [before God], and all men and women who    give in charity, and all self-denying men and
         self-denying women, and all men and women who are    mindful of their chastity, and all men and women who   remember God unceasingly, for [all of] them has God   readied forgiveness of sins and a mighty reward. (33:35)         This verse shows clearly that all spiritual and moral    obligations of men and women are the same. And that the
                        ones capacity is not inferior to the others.    It stresses the moral rights and moral obligations of men    and women. And if God has given men and women the    same obligations it is only because they have the same potential. God is Merciful. He won’t apply greater responsibility than one can bear. Many a time what we                       have is people claiming that women are morally inferior or     spiritually inferior. They menstruate, they are not capable,     they cause fitnah. And the Qur’an clearly states that The      Merciful God can never place obligations greater than one
                        can bear. And if she’s not spiritually whole or morally   whole then you can’t expect her to be equally moral and    equally spiritual. And this verse says that we are equally    so.
(to be continued..next week)

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