Muslim Beliefs about Rights, Equality and Social Justice » Equal Rights and Opportunities in Islam

Equal in worth before Allah

In Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women you looked at the status of women, gender bias and the growth of equal rights. In Disability: Rights, Opportunities and Bias you did the same for people with a disability. This lesson looks at what Muslims believe about both.

The Qur'an says that people were created from "a single soul" (Qur'an 4:1). Muslims take this to mean that men and women share one origin and one human worth. Another verse (Qur'an 33:35) lists men and women side by side: those who submit to Allah, believe, obey, are truthful, patient, humble, give charity, fast and remember Allah often. It says that Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward for them. Muslims use this to say that men and women are equal in worth and in reward before Allah. Both are answerable for their own actions.

Key terms:

• Sura (recap from Tawhid and Sura al-Fatihah: The Nature of Allah): a chapter of the Qur'an. (You met sura names in Tawhid and Sura al-Fatihah: The Nature of Allah.)
• Imam: a person who leads the prayer in a mosque. Some Muslims also use the word for a respected scholar.

Rights the Qur'an gave women

Muslims point out that these rights were set out in the Qur'an in the seventh century CE. They say this shows that Islam gave women dignity and legal standing from the start.

Equal but different roles. Traditional teaching says that men and women are equal in worth but have different roles. Many traditional Muslims say the husband is responsible for providing for the family (Qur'an 4:34), while the wife is the heart of the home. They describe this as fair, because each role has its own honour and duties. They also stress that a wife's money is her own, so she has no duty to spend it on the family.

Muslim support for equal opportunities

A well-known hadith says that seeking knowledge is a duty for every Muslim. Many Muslims say this includes girls and women, and use it to support equal education.

Different views on women's roles

Muslims agree that men and women are equal before Allah. They disagree about what that means in daily life. The reasons include different readings of the Qur'an and hadith, different schools of law, and different cultures.

• In the family. Traditional Muslims keep the roles of provider and homemaker. Others read Qur'an 4:34 differently and say husband and wife should share decisions, earning and housework. Many Muslim families today are somewhere between the two.
• At work. Many Muslims say women may work and run businesses, and point out that the Prophet's first wife, Khadijah, was a trader. Some traditional Muslims say a mother's first duty is her children, and that she should work only if the family's needs and her duties allow it.
• In the mosque. Women are welcome to pray in the mosque, but Friday congregational prayer is a duty for men and optional for women. Many mosques have a separate prayer space for women, and some Muslims want better facilities for them. Many scholars allow a woman to lead other women in prayer, though some schools discourage it. Traditional teaching does not allow a woman to lead a mixed congregation. A few Muslims disagree. In 2005 the scholar Amina Wadud led a mixed Friday prayer in New York, which caused a great deal of debate.

Gender bias

Gender bias means treating people unfairly because of their sex. Many Muslims argue that bias against women, such as stopping girls from going to school or denying women their inheritance, comes from culture and local custom, not from religion. They say it goes against the rights the Qur'an gave women. Other Muslims say that some rules for men and women do differ in Islamic law, and that this is part of Allah's guidance and not bias. This is a live debate among Muslims.

Muslim attitudes to disability

Muslims believe that every person, with or without a disability, has dignity from Allah. In Sura 80 ('Abasa) someone frowned and turned away from a blind man who came to ask about faith, because they were busy with powerful leaders, and the Qur'an rebuked them. Many Sunni commentators say this was the Prophet, while some Shi'a scholars teach that it was someone else. Both groups learn the same lesson: nobody should be ignored because of a disability or low status, and sincere seekers matter more than rank. Sunni sources report that the Prophet trusted the blind man, Ibn Umm Maktum, with responsibilities in Madinah.

Muslims also teach that:

• Care is a duty. Looking after the weak and the needy is part of zakah and sadaqah, and the whole ummah shares responsibility.
• A disability is not a punishment. Many Muslims see life as a test (see Life as a Test: Evil and Suffering in Islam) and do not blame the person.
• Access matters. Many Muslims say mosques should have ramps, accessible washing areas and help for people who are deaf or blind, so that everyone can take part in worship. Practice varies between mosques.

Exam-style question

Paper 1, (b), 4 marks (AO1). Choose one religion. Outline two teachings about equal rights for women in this religion. [4 marks]

Paper 1, (d), 12 marks (AO1 and AO2). "Men and women should have exactly the same roles in the mosque." Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion. [12 marks]