Epigraph:
But whoso does good works, whether male or female, and is a believer, such shall enter Heaven, and shall not be wronged even as much as the little hollow in the back of a date-stone. (Al Qur’an 4:125)
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, founded in 587 CE
Religion News Service | By Trevor Grundy
Source: Huffington Post
CANTERBURY, England (RNS) Women’s rights activists greeted with delight signs the Church of England is poised to relent and allow women to be consecrated as bishops.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby will preside over a historic General Synod meeting at the University of York when a make-or-break vote on the subject is expected Monday (July 14).
“I think we’re there at long last,” American–born Christina Rees, one of the church’s leading women’s rights campaigners, said in an interview Thursday.
Supporters of female bishops are convinced the General Synod — the Church of England’s governing body — will approve amended legislation that will allow for the appointment of women as bishops by November and the first consecrations sometime in 2015.
Reports published in England say Welby is determined to drive through legislation to allow female bishops and is even prepared to dissolve the present General Synod so that a freshly elected Synod could vote on the measure before the end of 2014.
In 2013, the General Synod came within six votes of allowing women bishops.
Senior sources say that revised legislation has convinced those who voted against women as bishops in 2013 to change their minds.
Passage of legislation allowing women bishops will end a 20-year dispute. Women were first allowed to be ordained as priests in 1994.
Additional Reading
Gender Equality in the Holy Qur’an – In the Beginning Man and Woman Were Equal
Categories: Women, Women In islam, Women Rights, Women's right
If women can be Prime Ministers, Presidents, Judges, Professors, Astronauts and mothers of all of them, then surely, they can be Bishops.
Women have made significant advances in the Church. This march of women towards more recognition and power is only gaining momentum. Catholic Church is the most conservative in this regard. But even there the position of women and their recognition is improving. With increasing education the influence of traditional religion is decreasing. Older and patriarchal tradition is more difficult to maintain. I hope we Muslims are ready for it when the light will shine on us.
Zia Shah sahib
If women can be Prime Ministers, Presidents, Judges, Professors, Astronauts and mothers of all of them, why not Bishops?
Well I only want to modify this and add with your due permission as under. “If women can be MADE Prime Ministers, Presidents, Judges, Professors, Astronauts, why they cannot be made (with discrimination) Bishops?”
I do not want to explain with examples here now but its fact that all these women, they were made with a discriminate selection and always depend upon men around them. Lets have a system only comprising with women, then see how they play havoc with and everything is messed up.
By the way, why God did not make or choose women as His messengers the highest position of responsibility and leadership? not a single one? not even Mary? despite she was a only pure woman of her times? but God decided to choose a man born from her as His messenger, why? Why God has said in Qur’an that He always appoints men as His messengers?
Shah sahib and Lutf sahib!
Let these retrogressing societies play and fun with their religion or more precisely culture as they wish but please do not approve or agree with them blindly. Their shallow concepts, attitude, practices or trends based on their uncontrolled desires and wishes will fall flat very soon, its already started.
Thank you dear Ahmed Qureshi and Jazakallah for your comment. To be polite and open minded in this post, and in order to promote rational and orderly dialogue, I will not post any further comments from me, only quotes, from the Holy Quran and religious authorities:
Let the church have what they like. As far as Islam is concerned, there is no need to change the system quo. That is male leadership (imaamat).
Give the ladies as much comfort and liberty as can be given so they enjoy life. But leave the spiritual matters to the men only.
I am not a Mufti. There is no need to enter into this matter well before time. If The men do not fail their duty in Imaamat there is no need to call women into service.
I am afraid this matter of ladies leading the prayers in the mosques full of men and women would not be right. It would be an innovation in religion i.e. Bid’at. Anything which is invented and made a part and parcel of the religion is called Bid’at, and every bid’at is Dhalaalat, i.e. deviation from the right path.
Bravo, the end of the era of treating traditionally marginalised groups as second class citizens is long overdue. Any step that helps to counter discrimination can only be a good thing.