Women’s Rights and Marriage in Islam

Over the next two days you will: Describe the basic rights and obligations of women by analyzing the words of the basic sources (in translation) to understand their basis in Islamic law Explain the spiritual, personal and social significance of the ideal of marriage in Islam Analyze aspects of gender relations according to the Islamic sources Compare the views of several twentieth century writers on Islam and gender issues based upon excerpts from their writings.

Analyzing Primary Sources- Women’s Rights in Islam  Muslim jurists have derived women’s rights from the two primary sources of Islamic knowledge, the Qur’an and Sunnah, for the purpose of judging individual legal questions and cases.  You will be working with a partner to connect the list of women’s rights to the primary source quotes. There may be more than one number for each right. BE PREPARED TO EXPLAIN YOUR CHOICES!

Discussion Rights are linked to obligations in the Islamic ethical system. Using the primary source quotes, infer what obligations women have for each of the rights listed. Are these obligations implied in the primary source quotes?

Discussion What do the rights of one gender mean in terms of obligations on the persons related to or married to a Muslim woman?

Discussion What do these rights mean for economic, social and political affairs in society as a whole? What obligations fall on society in terms of courts and judges who would uphold women’s rights?

Discussion What customs or traditions in Muslim and other countries might inhibit or impair exercise of the rights and obligations given to women under various belief systems? Why do you think such customs and traditions developed?

Secondary Source Analysis Take a moment to read from The Status of Woman in Islam by Jamal A. Badawi Keep the following questions in mind: How does the author characterize the status of women in Islam? How do they characterize the status of women in contemporary Muslim countries? According to the author, what efforts are Muslim men and women making to realize social justice for women? How does the author contrast the efforts of Western feminism with efforts among Muslims on behalf of women’s rights?

Homework Your homework tonight is to read 3 articles which discuss the issue of hijab, or the wearing of modest dress by Muslim women as a civic and religious matter. As you read, consider the approaches to secularism, and assess which approaches to hijab are more democratic, and which represent the least government intervention in individual religious liberties. In other words- put yourself in someone else’s shoes and think about how you would feel in the situation. You must read and annotate, and turn in a 1 page journal response to the articles.