Question
I have recently become very curious with the Muslim faith after gaining a very special friendship with a Muslim man. But as a woman, I have been skeptical of the religion. From what I know, which is little, it seems to be very male-dominant. I am trying to learn in an unbiased way, but the more I read verses from the Qur’an, the more it justifies my feelings. I agree with most of the Islamic principles and am really trying to find God more in the form of religion. What is a good influential source that won’t steer me away from what seems to be a very chauvinistic religion? I have already learned about other religions, and was born Catholic. I know that most other books, such as the Bible, put women in a subservient position. I am really searching for what is right for me – a spiritual person as well as a strong, independent woman!
Suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated!
Reply
Be it the Bible or the Qur’an, it is important to appreciate the environment in which the particular book was revealed. The status of women (or whatever the evaluation criteria are) that was prevalent in the society, which was addressed by the particular book and the direction towards which the teachings of the book led the society have to be considered in making any opinion about the religion. Only after an insight about this background information can these books be evaluated on any criterion.
However, in the process of this evaluation, we tend to make some common mistakes, which distort the evaluation process and lead us to an incorrect conclusion. One such error is making a wrong standard in our minds, regarding a specific issue on which the teachings are evaluated. This error can sometimes lead us in rejecting the whole due to lack of good appreciation about a specific part. For instance, one may be tempted to reject a whole religious philosophy, only because of one of its directives – about which the evaluator has a pre-conceived idea – regarding, for instance, only the financial lives of its adherents.
Let us take a more specific example. Suppose a ‘Karl Marx’ was to evaluate Islam or Christianity. Because of his specific approach towards the economics of a society, he may have felt that these religions are not acceptable to him, as they do not concur with his approach. He may, as a result, reject the ‘whole’ for a lack of concurrence with a ‘part’. Moreover, in his rejection he would actually have ignored:
- The chance that his preconceived idea about the economics of a society may not be very accurate; and
- The fact that parts of an ideology should not be evaluated independent of each other or on external bases, but according to their position and their relevance with the targets and objectives set by the ‘whole’[1].
To avoid such mistakes, it is extremely important to avoid making any preconceived notions about any part of the ideology under consideration. On the contrary, the truthfulness or otherwise of the ideology under consideration should be judged as a ‘whole’. For this purpose, the following steps may prove useful:
First of all the basic objective of the ideology be understood. If the basic objective seems to be out of place, we can straight away reject the ideology and not waste any further time on it. Only if the basic purpose, objective or target of the ideology seems to make sense should we proceed to the next step.
Secondly, the overall methodology of attaining the basic purpose, target or objective should be evaluated. In this step, the methodology shall be evaluated in the light of its relevance and effectiveness in attaining the basic objective. If the overall methodology seems to be irrelevant or ineffective in attaining the basic objective, the ideology may be rejected on the grounds that even though its basic targets are acceptable, yet the methodology suggested for attaining these targets would not attain the stipulated targets.
Thirdly, individual parts of the methodology should be evaluated with specific reference to their relevance to the overall methodology as well as their contribution to it.
If an ideology passes on these three criteria, there is a good chance that it guides people to the right direction.
In the light of the above explanation, I would suggest that a comprehensive study of Islam or any other religion should not start from the point of the position the particular ideology gives to women. On the contrary, it should be seen whether the position it gives to women is coherent with its overall methodology, which in turn should be relevant to the overall objective of that ideology.
I would be glad to help you in not only understanding the objectives, the overall methodology and the various individual parts of the methodology of the Islamic ideology, if you need any help in the field. Moreover, in case you would like to begin with the particular point of your interest, i.e. the ‘position of women’ in Islam, I would have no objections with that either. However, in that case, I would like you to first of all define what, in your opinion, is ‘male-dominance’, ‘chauvinistic’ and what sort of teachings would come up to your criteria of developing a ‘strong, independent woman’. I would also like you to kindly explain to me the teachings of Islam that you have perceived to be ‘male-dominant’, ‘chauvinistic’ and against the development of a ‘strong, independent woman’.
In the process, I request you to keep your heart and mind open to accepting what is right. I promise to do the same.
I hope this helps.
***********
[1] Consider the example of a person who, although in agreement with his company’s policy of salary increments based on performance, yet did not like his performance being evaluated by his superiors.
Views: 551