What you are about to read might sound unusual but it could be very
enlightened

What About Those Muslim Women

At a time when the rest of the world, from Greece and Rome to India and
China, considered women as no better than children or even slaves, with no
rights whatsoever, Islam acknowledged women's equality with men in a great
many respects. The Quran states:
"And among His signs is this: that He created mates for you from yourselves
that you may find rest and peace of mind in them, and He ordained between
you love and mercy. Certainly, herein indeed are signs for people who
reflect." [30:21]

Prophet Muhammad said:

"The most perfect in faith amongst believers is he who is best in manners
and kindest to his wife."

Muslims believe that Adam and Eve were created from the same soul. Both
were equally guilty of their sin and fall from grace, and Allah forgave
both. Many women in Islam have had high status; consider the fact that the
first person to convert to Islam was Khadijah, the wife of Muhammad, whom
he both loved and respected. His favorite wife after Khadijah's death,
Ayesha, became renowned as a scholar and one of the greatest sources of
Hadith literature. Many of the female Companions accomplished great deeds
and achieved fame, and throughout Islamic history there have been famous
and influential scholars and jurists.

We might also mention that while many in the West criticize Islam with
regard to the treatment of women, in fact a number of Muslim countries have
had women rulers and presidents. To name a few: Turkey; Bangladesh and
Pakistan.

With regard to education, both women and men have the same rights and
obligations. This is clear in Prophet Muhammad's saying:

"Seeking knowledge is mandatory for every believer."
This implies men and women.

A woman is to be treated as God has endowed her, with rights, such as to be
treated as an individual, with the right to own and dispose of her own
property and earnings, enter into contracts, even after marriage. She has
the right to be educated and to work outside the home if she so chooses.
She has the right to inherit from her father, mother, and husband. A very
interesting point to note is that in Islam, unlike any other religion, a
woman can be an imam, a leader of communal prayer, for a group of women.

A Muslim woman also has obligations. All the laws and regulations
pertaining to prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimage, doing good deeds, etc.,
apply to women, albeit with minor differences having mainly to do with
female physiology.

Before marriage, a woman has the right to choose her husband. Islamic law
is very strict regarding the necessity of having the woman's consent for
marriage. The groom gives a marriage dowry to the bride for her own
personal use. She keeps her own family name, rather than taking her
husband's. As a wife, a woman has the right to be supported by her husband
even if she is already rich. She also has the right to seek divorce and
custody of young children. She does not return the dowry, except in a few
unusual situations.

Despite the fact that in many places and times Muslim communities have not
always adhered to all or even many of the foregoing in practice, the ideal
has been there for 1,400 years, while virtually all other major
civilizations did not begin to address these issues or change their
negative attitudes until the 19th and 20th centuries, and there are still
many contemporary civilizations which have yet to do so.

http://www.islamtomorrow.com/women.asp


For more information about Islam
http://www.geocities.com/mu7ammad1/1.html