Video: Are the Muslim women closing the gender gap in Tunisia?
The Muslim Times has the best collection of articles, promoting secularism and the Muslim women’s rights
Source: Al Jazeerah
Tunisia has overturned a decades-old ban on women marrying non-Muslim men, sparking heated debate on the streets and on social media.
Human rights groups say it is a landmark move in guaranteeing women’s freedom in the country.
Traditionalists are denouncing the proposal as a violation of Islamic law.
But how far does it go in closing the gender equality gap?
Presenter: Adrian Finighan
Guests:
Riadh Guerfali – a Tunisian lawyer
Amna Guellali – director of Human Rights Watch in Tunisia
Qasim Rashid – advocate of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in America
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Secularism as presented by one of the speakers in this talk show and religion for only personal life is all well and good and I completely agree with that.
However, the trouble is that all Muslim thinkers and writers are vulnerable to flip flop on this issue when push comes to shove, regardless of their denomination.
If we can stick with the ramifications of secularism in every country and on all issues then we are being straight forward and just. After all the holy Quran says:
Well, we must say here that according to Islamic law Muslims ladies should marry Muslim men. But then also Muslim should not drink and should say prayers five times a day. There is no punishment (in this world) prescribed for not praying five times a day. Also not for drinking alcohol. Question: Am I permitted to put Muslim ladies marrying non-Muslim men into the same category? (I am not a Mufti! I am asking the more learned Muslim scholars among our readers…!). – Many non-Muslim men ‘convert’ on the paper so that they can marry a beautiful Muslim lady. Well, not exactly what is intended by this advice (that the ladies should marry Muslims)…. complicated issue… Comments please!
I as a Muslim woman find this matter very personal and very important to just hang it on a thread and fight about it with the rest of the world for the sake of equality or something else. The truth of the matter is that I’m very much in love with Allah the most gracious and the ever merciful and I want my children to learn and know the same Allah as I know. I want my children to grow up to know the power of prayers and the beneficence of His Saving Grace and His Miracles. This is only possible if my Husband is also of the same faith and religion as me and so we don’t have religiously confused children. But this is my personal opinion.
It’s important to say that if a Muslim women marries a Non-Muslim man she may find it difficult in the sense that she may not be on the same page with her husband about religion. This often poses the problem of which religion should be followed more or less. This also poses a problem for their offspring.
Islam may suggest women marrying only muslim men; however the very same religion also professes freedom in religion. This therefore should allow women to make their own choices, and if that choice is to marry a man who is outside the pale of Islam, so be it.
If Muslim men as a whole truly followed the Sunnah, very very few Muslilm women would ever consider marrying a non-Muslim. The sad state of the Ummah is that this is not so. Muslim women who are over 30, divorced, widowed, highly intelligent, well educated or with the slightest bit of a personality are considered non-marriageable for the most part — unless, of course, if she is wealthy or well connected. Even then it is not unusual for women to be mistreated or to tolerate poor treatment from her husband. Most Musim men fail to understand their own role of husband, which is a provider and protector, not a bully or a boss, but rather focus on having someone who has to obey them. Scholars, imams and sheikhs fail the Muslim communities as well, often because they have absolutely no skills in counseling married people and far too often minimize the failure of men to be loving husbands. Almost every Muslim woman in the entire Ummah who has sought counseling for serious problems usually is told to “be patient” or to examine her own self in terms of her appearance, household duties and sex appeal. If Muslim men knew women had other options, I am certain they would think twice about their view of women, how they treat spouses, etc.
patiently waiting for some lady-readers to say that we are not all that bad …