The world appears to have a different view when it comes to the role of women in the household and in society. Women are often seen as slaves of men as they have become exposed to various kinds of abuse, violence, and injustices. There have been prominent figures in different cultures and societies who struggled to give women a better place in the world as they become recognized as an important part of the social order. While some women movements in the Western world have become successful in this endeavor, the same attempts have been futile in the Muslim society. The feminist movement in the Middle East continues to struggle and break free from the traditional perception of women’s role in society despite efforts to empower women and give them the same rights as the men.
Oftentimes, religion is used to misrepresent women’s role in society despite the Koran’s clear convictions about the responsibility of men and women. But then, it is the men, and mostly the clergy, who politicize the Koran and the role of women in general, so as to dissuade women from succeeding and progressing in society. Through Fatima Mernissi’s The Veil and the Male Elite, women will become more aware of discrimination on women, which is so common in Muslim society today. They will realize that it is not a basic or deep-seated teaching of Islam, which most Muslim men want women to think as true. Mernissi’s essay proves her hypothesis that Islam is inherently democratic and not as restrictive of women as how Muslim men want to portray it.
The Koran and Hadith clash with the original Prophet’s views of egalitarian society. Despite modernization in the whole world, Muslim men reject the idea that Muslim women should follow through as well. Through The Veil and the Male Elite, Mernissi asserts that man only wants to control women, which is the reason why a misogynistic thinking emerged among men. She asserts that the relationship between Muhammad and his wives gave way to the changing principle that created a gap between the real teachings in Koran about women and those that began in pre-Islamic tribal traditions. Mernissi points out the Prophet’s first wife, Khadija, and A’isha, one of the many other wives. Both women have played significant roles in Muslim society as both were included in the Prophet’s discourse of his duties in the past. Even if the roles of women are often downgraded now as submissive and controlled, by including these two in her arguments, Mernissi is able to defend her stance on the huge role that Muslim women had before in shaping the beliefs of Islam now.
Khadija, for instance, was rich and invested her assets in trade operations (Mernissi 116). She was also the one who sought marriage between her and the Prophet. Her role in the Prophet’s success was huge as she was believed to have encouraged him and raised his self-confidence (Mernissi 103), earning her the title, “Mother of the Believers” (Yitzhak 2). Since then, the title has been used to differentiate the Prophet’s wife from any other Muslim wives. History also reveals that she is the first person to convert to Islam (Mernissi 103). A’isha’s contributions and popularity during this time is associated with the battles she has joined, including the Battle of the Camel. While there are those who condemn A’isha’s role in the battle (Mernissi 5), it still cannot be discounted that what she did then was something that is not normal for a woman. She was ahead of her times and had freewill. From then on, women have been considered formidable and a vicious power after the battle.
In Mernissi’s book, the author does not attempt to define Islam is a fresh or contemporary manner or even rediscover or innovate new interpretations for it, but rather to expose an already existing “ideological links between the Islamic normative system and the practices of patriarchy” (Afshari n.p.). Furthermore, the book clearly shows how females are deeply ingrained in the consciousness of man, which is the reason why there is a historical connection between the fear of female sexuality and the need for man to control women (Mernissi 120). To back her arguments, Mernissi cites hadiths, which are collections of accounts claimed to be direct quotes from the Prophet pertaining any matter, which men use against women. First of this is the Abu Bakra that says, “Those who entrust their affairs to women will never know prosperity” (Mernissi 3), and the second, Abu Hurayra, “places women in the same polluting ategory as animals as well as excluding them from sacred space” (Lakeland 1). However, despite the transmitters of these hadiths having a reputation for being liars, Mernissi asserts that these anti-female hadiths were still accepted by society as part of their Muslim tradition and has become one of the tenets of Islamic rules for women now. However, the Mernissi’s great concern is that while these hadiths remain in effect and part of the traditions of the Muslims, some of the hadiths they practice, such as women oppression and control, are based on lies and do not necessarily reflect what the great Muhammad initially envisioned it to be. Mostly, they were changes implemented by men in order to retain control over women (Mernissi 128).
Mernissi argues that this belief is not what the Prophet Muhammad originally intended it for considering how he put high regard on Khadija and A’isha. The author acknowledges that these are results of “forces, internal and external, acting upon Islam in the very earliest days of the community in Medina” (Lakeland 1). Additionally, Mernissi emphasizes that the Prophet used to include his wives both in addressing his public and private lives. Such is the Prophet’s stance that Mernissi emphasizes what was written in Sura 33 of verse 35 of the Koran, which recognizes the egalitarianism of believers regardless whether they are male or female. In the eyes of God, all are equal (Lakeland 2).
On the other hand, the hijab or veiling of Muslim women, which was supposedly for the protection of women against men similar to placing a line between the two genders, contradicts with the egalitarian principles that Muhammad espouses. Mernissi insists that what the Prophet wanted was for women to receive equal treatment in society, where violence is not a norm and that man will have individual control over his actions and thoughts, which will make the veiling of women pointless. It is a society where women can roam freely and become successful members of society (Lakeland 2).
In her works, Mernissi pushes for a feministic interpretation of Islamism to rationalize the social and political equality for women in the old Islam. She does not accept whatever ideologies that men make about women where they attempt to put down the level and position of women in society by using counter-arguments that were evident during the time of Prophet I and how he treated his wives. Even if men quote various hadiths, she continues to question them and presents her own contradictory replies for men. Mernissi continues to depict the Prophets wives as strong and outspoken women who were actively involved in the discussions about the political environment of early Islam, specifically during the reign of the Prophet. Khadija and A’isha are just two of the wives of the Prophet who helped shape the early Islam beliefs and to this day, remain figures of early Islamic feminist figures.
Works Cited
Afshari, Reza. Egalitarian Islam and Misogynist Islamic Tradition: A Critique of the Feminist Reinterpretation of Islamic Tradition and Heritage. N.d. Web. 22 Feb 2016. <http://www.centerforinquiry.net/isis/islamic_viewpoints/egalitarian_islam_and_misogynist_islamic_tradition_a_critique_of_the_femini/>.
Lakeland, Mary Jo. Fatima Mernissi, The Veil and the Male Elite: A Feminist Interpretation of Women’s Right in Islam. 1991. Web. 18 Feb 2016. <http://www.guernicus.com/academics/pdf/brmernissi.pdf>.
Mernissi, Fatima. The Veil and the Male Elite. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Pub. Co., 1991. Print. 67-98.
Yitzhak, Ronen. Muhammad’s Jewish Wives. 2007. Web. 22 Feb 2016. <http://moses.creighton.edu/jrs/2007/2007-29.pdf>.
