Islam, Women and Feminism

Islam, like any other great religion, has always been

subject to modification fostered by social and cultural events

and changes. One area in which Islam as a religious institution

has been changed or shaped by recent social events and currents is with respect to the role of women within the family unit, the

religion itself and society at large. Feminism among Islamic women, even in highly conservative and traditional (and fundamentalist) societies such as those of Iran and Afghanistan, has been increasing as women move to obtain the vote, the right to work, to hold public office, and to acquire control of their lives, property and children (Armstrong, 2000: Walther, 1995) This brief essay will describe these social changes and their effect upon the Islamic religion and its practices and teachings with respect to the position and emergent feminism of women, focusing on Islamic feminism in its various manifestations.

Islam has traditionally proclaimed the divine pattern of

family relations as consisting of the cohabitation of men and

women, for the purpose of reproduction, under the law; the

Creator, according to the Qur'an, constituted humanity into men

and women, established mutual affection between them, and prepared them to find quiescence and love in each other (Qur'an 31:21, quoted in Faruqi & Faruqi, 1986, p. 149). Islam regards

marriage as that state of being in which men and women find

contentment and perfection; further, marri

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