Islam highlights the role that women should play in society, an Islamic scholar said.This is according to Ayatollah Reza Ramezani, secretary general of the Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS) World Assembly, who made the remarks in a seminar titled “status of woman in Islam”. What follows is a summary of his remarks:
Faraan: Many things have been said about women. In the history of humankind, we see periods in which women have been neglected. The Jaliliyyah period was one of these. According to history books, women had no place in society at that time.
Indifference to women in the West
We can even witness unkindness and indifference towards women in the modern era. Women have been widely used as tools in the West. Montesquieu’s The Spirit of Law bears harsh words against women. There is a consensus that women’s right to growth, education, and property as well as their social rights have been violated. We see that some Muslim communities do not recognize women’s and girls’ rights to education.
We sometimes see a negative view towards women in some Islamic countries as their culture gives priority and superiority to men. Of course, Islam does not approve of such an issue and has emphasized many times that this culture is reprehensible as faith and human values are the main criteria for the advantage of some people over others.
Position of women in Islam
In some books of other religions, it has been said that Eve Hazrat Hawwa (Eve) caused Hazrat Adam to go astray, but the Quran denied this and said that what caused Adam’s temptation was Satan. In the Quran, God has mentioned the spiritual position of Adam and Eve and has even attributed the position of infallibility (immunity from sin) to Eve. It has also been said about Hazrat Maryam: “And when the angels said to Mary: ‘Allah has chosen you and purified you. He has chosen you above all women of the worlds.” (Surah Al-Imran, verse 42)
Therefore, from our point of view, Hazrat Maryam has a sacred place. Also, the Quran introduces people like Asiya as a role model for society, because she turned to monotheism while living in a society full of arrogance.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) emphasized many times that women should take the role of nursing and social management and that they should never be neglected. In early Islam, women registered scientific, social, and political growths and had an active social presence.
“And of His signs is that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you might reside with them, and has put kindness and mercy between you. Surely, there are signs in this for those who think.” (Surah Ar-Rum, verse 21)
Such statements show that we should be careful about what happens to women in society and not allow them to be used as a tool. Today, we see that in many cases, women receive lower wages and this is a sign of using women as a tool. This is evident in many Western countries and shows that the feminist movement has failed to elevate the status of women. Despite their slogans for women’s rights, we see the worst situation for women. They even emphasize transferring this culture to other countries, while we don’t consider these behaviors as a sign of women’s freedom.
Even in absence of divine religions, the social nature of humans demands that we keep the dignity of women and define the border of freedom. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) guided humans to the divine path and tried to release them from shackles.
