Women

Women are one of the most precious creations of Allah

Out of all the people converting to Islam it is estimated that 3 out of 4 are female

Prior to the lifetime of the prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) the world was in darkness. Mankind
had gone astray once again. Women were abused and treated in the most cruel of manner. A womans
thoughts and feelings were of no concern to her husband or to her community. Women were often brutally
beaten to ensure submissiveness as it was the view at the time that a women should be the slave of her
husband. The people of that time were embarrassed to have a daughter. It was considered more noble to
have sons. Women were viewed as sex objects and of little value because they are not as physically
strong as men and therefore were less able to do hard labour. The community would look down upon a
father who had too many daughters and not enough sons
That all changed when the prophet received his revelation, the holiest of books, the Noble Koran. Prior to
the prophet, a father was embarrassed by the birth of a female and would debate whether or not he should
keep her or bury her alive. Allah condems this attitude with the strongest of words calling it an evil

Surah 16:58-59 When news is brought to one of them, of (the birth of) a female (child), his face
darkens, and he is filled with inward grief!
With shame does he hide himself from his people, because of the bad news he has had! Shall he
retain it on (sufferance and) contempt, or bury it in the dust? Ah! what an evil (choice) they
decide on!

The prophet defended the rights of women

The prophet Muhammed (SAW) said: I command you (my followers) to be kind to women

The prophet Muhammed (SAW) said: Paradise lies at the feet of mothers

The prophet Muhammed (SAW) said: The best of you (male Muslims) are those who are the best to
their wives

Allah in the Koran taught us that a marriage between a man and a woman is a special bond based on love
and affection where both people should care for each other

Surah 30:21 And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves,
that ye may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts):
verily in that are Signs for those who reflect

Surah 4:19 O ye who believe! Ye are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should ye
treat them with harshness...On the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If
ye take a dislike to them it may be that ye dislike a thing, and Allah brings about through it a great
deal of good.

So what about the dress code? Even today we find people of other faiths who wear hijab (the headscarf)
however this symbol has become a cultural icon that is associated with the Islamic faith. Women are
commanded by Allah to wear hijab however we as humans do not have the authority to force or compel
women to do so. It is their free choice whether they wear it or not. Nobody has the right to make that
choice for them. It is between them and their creator

Many women have been attacked, insulted, ridiculed and discriminated against because they wear the
hijab. In our society it takes a lot of courage to wear it and we should offer our moral support to those who
face this type of unwarranted abuse. Because of this lots of women are concerned for their safety in
regards to wearing the hijab and therefore some women choose not to wear it

So why do they wear it? Muslim women who choose to wear the hijab do so out of obedience and love for
their creator. Women who wear hijab guard their dignity and honor. Nobody except for her husband has
the right to look at her body

Our society seems to send a different message to women than that of modesty and we can see from this
that many women suffer from depression trying to fit a perfect mold. Just like in the past women once
again are being looked at as sexual objects for the purpose of immediate gratification and even paid to
expose themselves publicly over different types of media. The pornography industry is growing rapidly
which is a clear sign of society's down fall. And even on the streets women are showing off more of their
bodies as clothes become smaller and smaller

It doesn't take a rocket surgeon or a brain scientist to figure out that men are sexually hungry and easily
distracted by the opposite sex. So this modesty is to protect the women as well as the man by forcing men
to look past a womans outward appearance and instead focus on their inner beauty such as her
personality and character

When a women is not dressing modestly Islam teaches that men should lower their gaze out of respect for
females. Even those who choose to show off their bodies deserve the respect of not being starred at by
sex-crazed perverts. So Islam says we should lower our gaze or in other words, to look away. This is the
respect that Allah commands for women

Surah 24:30 Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty:
that will make for greater purity for them: And Allah is well acquainted with all that they do

Islam teaches that oppression is worse than death and
rape is the worst form of oppression

Islamic Shariah calls for the death penalty for those who commit rape with a weapon. Pedophilia is also
considered a form of rape under Shariah law

Imagine how rape victims feel when they realise they could be pregnant or have contracted a sexually
transmitted disease. Imagine how they feel when they find out that their attacker has a long history of
victimizing innocent women. Imagine how they feel when they are being blamed for the crime because of
the way they dressed. Imagine how they feel when they find out that their attacker only served a few years
in jail and then got out early on good behaviour and will likely rape again. Imagine how they feel when they
have to walk alone to their car

Now Imagine that this is your mother, daughter, grandmother, sister, aunt, niece, nephew.... Is the death
penalty to harsh. NO! Many rapist and pedophiles have a long history of rape. So if you kill them the first
time it happens you are saving many women from being attacked. This also sends a strong message to
those who want to commit rape. Islam is not only a religion, it is a way of life which includes justice for the
innocent

Women

Ashadu