T
here are
those
in the Muslim world
who continue to argue
,
through their professed beliefs and
their
actions
,
against the reconstruction
of Islamic doctrines and practices,
the reformation
of Islam
into a modern faith.
This reformed Islamic faith would engender in its adherents a solid sense of morality, founded on a robust, useful, time-appropriate set of principles and ethics.
Those who astoundingly and irrationally argue against such a reconstruction are
a minority,
albeit a disturbingly vocal one,
at times
exceedingly violent and barbaric,
financed and supported
largely
by powerful nations such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran.
Unreformed Islam is particularly damaging and hurtful to women and girls, on many, many levels.
S
ee below
brief outline, courtesy of
a
friend
of mine,
of women's position in Islam
. This is followed
by
a
moving
depiction of women in
niqab
,
by another friend
courtesy of
her brilliant
art
quilt
,
a work in progress, entitled "Shattered Dreams."
The inscription on the quilt says "Education is not a
m
ere
m
eans to
l
ife,
e
ducation is
l
ife."
Lastly, I present a quick analysis pertaining to the inarguable import of education to girls worldwide.
My friend's outline of the position of women in Islam:
- "The Quran allowed a man to have up to 4 wives at a time, plus an unlimited number of enslaved women which he owns."
- "In addition, a man has the right to divorce a woman by just saying: you are divorced, and a woman cannot divorce her husband unless she gives up all her financial rights."
- "Furthermore, a woman's share in inheritance is only one half that of a man. When a man dies leaving no male off springs, his brothers, sisters and parents are assigned a share in the inheritance, which is not the case whenever he has a male successor."
- "Also, in financial matters, a woman is considered half a witness in court, and according to a hadeeth (saying by the prophet of Islam) women are naturally deficient in both: mind and faith."
- "It is true, however, that a woman has the right to choose whom to marry from among her suitors, but only if the woman has reached the age of consent; and even then, her father or her male guardian (who could be a much younger brother) must approve of her choice. Before the age of consent, a girl can be given into marriage by her father, or her male guardian, at any age. After all, the prophet of Islam himself, at age 54, married his wife, Aisha, when she was 6, and consummated the marriage when she was 9."
Now, before I
leave you to take a close look
at
the
moving, meaningful and thoughtful quilt,
here is my succinct research about women in our world today:
- Just like boys, girls have dreams. They love to have fun, they deserve a futureworth looking forward to, not one they'll dread. They like to learn. They want to grow up and have options. But more often than not,the future will be bleak for them. Highly important, they findschool doors closed in their faces, education unavailable to them.
- Worldwide, there are 31 million elementary school girls out of school. There are another 34 million lower secondary school (junior high) girls out of school. It is unknownhow many high-school-aged girls aren't being educated.
- A lack of education to girls means:
- They are much more likely to get married way too young. If all girls across the world completed elementary school, child marriages would go down 14%. If they all completed the equivalent of junior high, that number would go down by 66%.
- They are more likely to have babies well before they are emotionally or physically prepared. Almost 60% fewer girls would become pregnant under 17 years in sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia if they all had a secondary education.
- More of them die during childbirth, their children suffer more malnutrition, they make less money, and they are not allowed to make decisions for themselves.
. E
very single girl deserve
s
a shot at a bright future
. Educated, empowered g
irls and women make communities stronger and richer.
Religions, faiths, beliefs, all must, absolutely must,
give
girls
a chance
, and education is the logical and indispensable conduit
!
!!
Moreover, what makes my friend's quilt all the more telling is the attached photo of a recent survey asking "What Style of Dress is Appropriate for Women in Public." The photo shows that only a tiny percentage of people find an uncovered woman to be dressed in an acceptable manner. About the photo, the friend who sent it to me wrote
"
When we left Egypt in the 1960
s
, hardly anyone covered up, except maids,
cleaning ladies, veggies-selling women, and peasants.
"
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