Women's Empowerment in Islam

As Women’s History Month approaches, we reflect on how new of an idea it is and how far women have come. Before the 1970s, the topic of women’s history was largely missing from public consciousness. To address this situation, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Submission on the Status of Women initiated a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978 and chose the week of March 8 to coincide with International Women’s Day. This celebration was met with positive response, so schools started hosting their own women’s history programs.

The world seems to believe that women in the Western world are liberated, and there are numerous misconceptions about the role and status of women in Islam. Many Muslim women are considered oppressed and devoid of their freedom. At the time of the advent of Islam, women had had very few rights, not only in Arabia, but everywhere else in the world. Women had no real status in society. They were not respected either as wives or as mothers and daughters. They could neither own nor inherit property, and were given little or no education. They had no say in religious matters since they were regarded as limited in spirituality and intellect. The Holy Qur’an gives women many rights as daughters, wives and mothers including spiritual, educational and social rights.

It is the biggest misconception that women in Islam uneducated, when in reality, Muslim women have acquired a big deal. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was a liberator of women and said “it is the duty of every Muslim man and every Muslim women to acquire knowledge.” Malala Yousafzai, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, is the most famous example of a Muslim woman taking a role in educational leadership. She fought for women’s education in Pakistan and was shot by the Taliban, which did not stop her from advocating for women’s education.

Another great example of a woman fighting for leadership is Tawakkol Karman. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 for speaking out against political instability and human rights abuses in Yemen by writing about it. She is known as the “mother of revolution” and ”the iron woman” for fighting for people’s rights in Yemen.

As Woman’s History Month approaches, let us not forget about the strong women figures we have had and what we can do to help us in the futur