Women and the Koran

As Islam has become more familiar to the world's people, one of the focuses of the West has been on the position of women within Islamic societies. There has been much criticism of the constraints on women that have resulted from religious beliefs and practice. However, the countries which have a majority of Islamic adherents vary widely in their practices. It is not always clear what social practices result from cultural tradition and which practices emerge from the Koran and Islamic tradition. The intent in the following pages is to explore the rights and obligations of women in Islam as set forth in the Koran.

The Qur'an (variously spelled Koran or Quran or Qur'an) is the holy scripture of Islam. Unlike other holy scriptures, it is the result of the revelation to one man at one time in history, which is relatively wellattested to historically (Renard, 1992). Islam itself has developed from the intersection of the Qur'an, the tradition that emerged around it, and the ongoing interpretation of holy men of the meaning of both of those. It is holy "men," rather than men and women who have primarily influenced the development of Islam. Although the prophet's wife and daughter were influential during the early years of Islamic development, that was atypical for Islam. Even in Sufisim, which is a mystical aspect of Islam, women have been less influential. One of the major voices of Sufiism, Rabi'a, is also a r

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women may attend at the local mosque (Esposito, 1991). This has become a more general practice during the contemporary period, as Islamic women are reclaiming both their rights and obligations in terms of Islamic practice (O'Neill, 1990). A third important obligation is to almsgiving, or payment of the zakat which supports the community. Again, this is a requirement of all adult Muslims, not a suggstion (Esposito, 1991). This zakat is designed to support those in need within the entire community, as stated in Sura 9:60, in which alms are to be used for ransoming captives and debtors, for supporting the poor, destitute, wayfarer, and those who have converted to the faith. This seems to be a form of early income tax which was inherent to Islamic religious practice. In other words, it is not the government which is requiring people to share their wealth with the less fortunate, but Allah. The fourth obligation of the religious Muslim is to honor the fast of Ramadan. This is a monthlong fast in which people abstain from food, drink, and sex from sunrise to sunset. It is a time for spiritual reflection, transformation, and returning to right practice and right relationship. Finally, the fifth obligation is the pilgrimage of

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