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, marriage is regarded as
providing legitimacy to children, protection and security for
women and a center of life to men (Faruqi & Faruqi, 1986).
Islamic religious leaders have argued, based upon their reading of Scripture, that Islam accords special status to women and gives to women full legal status, the right to own and control property and dispose of income, the right of retaining her own name, and the capability of divorcing a husband in specific cases when his a...