06 June 2012

By Ikhwah Al-Mujahidun

Islam positions women in a noble position, because the brilliant generation will be born out of their womb. In the period of jahiliyyah (ignorance) culture prior to the arrival of Islam, women were considered to be very low and despicable, in fact not a few female newborn were buried alive. They looked at women with one eye, in fact they were even considered contemptible and worthless. After the arrival of Islam, it was proven that the female could breathe in the air freely and the task of building a community that is a cultured and civilized, was given to them.

So it is no surprise that in Islam, there is no such thing as discrimination against women, there are no need of the women emancipation and feminism. Because since the first time the religion of Islam was revealed to the surface of the Earth, Islam always uphold the status and dignity of women. And an Islamic Shari'ah like this will not fade with times, it will never be evolved and going through a revolution.

This is in contrast to the Western culture today which is the product of an age that will always change and shift due to the erosion by the time. Whereas, Islam places the men and women in accordance with the nature of each. Therefore, there is no reason for the Muslims, whether they are men, women, old or young, to demand more than what have been outlined by the Creator, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. Because it is Allah Who is the All-Knowing about the secrets behind the creation of His creatures.

The Western nations in the reform and modernization, are demanding equal rights (emancipation). However, the concept of emancipation itself is increasingly unclear with times, what should be the emancipation to free women from the shackles of slavery, is instead plunging the women into the abyss of a new slavery. In the capitalist society, women are exploited and becoming a commodity that can be traded with the public, just look at the ads in the information media around us. In a free society, women are taught the permissive culture, that is detached from the values of the normative, only for the benefit of the industry.

Away from the concept of Islam, they are demanding equality, freedom and human rights, whereas they in fact are neglecting the nature and dignity of the women which is supposed to be held in high esteem. In an indirect manner, they are actually claiming that Islam is discriminative against women. Whereas, Islam places the women in a position which does not exceed what has been outlined and destined as women.

Umar bin Khathab ever said, "at the time of jahiliyyah, the women had no value for us. Until finally Islam came and declared that the woman is equal to man." This equality that Islam meant covers all aspects, including the issue of rights and obligations. This is very well understood by the women of Islam and therefore they hold very strongly to the teachings of Islam.

It is not rare that there are statements from Muslims which say: "The path to the awakening is already very clear, namely by means of going through the path which had been gone through by the European nations. Thus, we can change to be like them, and we must take all that is on them. The bitter, sweet, good and bad, including things that are liked, as well as disliked" (Toha Husein, the future of knowledge in Egypt)

The Destruction of the Family

The subsequent problem is no longer just about women's issues and their rights.
However, it will expand and widen, covering on how to build a household in such ways and styles that correspond to Western civilization. Thus developed the idea that, in managing a household we no longer have to pay close attention to the rules and values. The role of the "mother" is no longer a woman's task. That role is the responsibility of the society. In fact, the role can be performed by women and men.

Actually, in Europe, this thought and ideology has given birth to many problems. For example, in France, it was recorded that 53% of the children born do not have clear fathers. In many European countries, there is an increasingly developing trend of not wanting to have children, or even not wanting to get married. The relationship of men and women is merely a free sex relationship without any ties, there is no binding rule. And furthermore, they demanded that abortion is legalized as a direct impact from the outbreak of the free sex culture.

It also had a significant impact on the very sharp rise in the number of crimes. In 1998, the level of crimes in America reached a phenomenal figure. The act of rape occurs every 6 minutes, shooting happens every 41 seconds, murder every 31 minutes. The funds spent on tackling the acts of crime at that time reached 700 million dollars per year (this figure does not include the crime of drugs). This number is equal to the annual income of 120 third world countries.

Crimes Against Women

The outbreak of crimes provides its own dangers for the women in Europe, so much so that the UN, on 17th December 1999, issued a decision that 25th November is an 'Anti-Violence Against Women Day'. There are a lot of facts and data that should be heeded by those who are lulled by the West. In Europe and America, at every 15 seconds, a violence against women happens. And it is not even coupled with the act of rape every day. Causing America to be recorded as a country with the highest number violence against women. According to the UNICEF records, 30% of violence against women occur in America and 20% in the United Kingdom.

Not to mention the crime of slavery which happens in America, the CNN had broadcasted a report that in 2002, millions of children and women were traded in America every year. More than 120 thousands of women from Eastern Europe and some other poor countries are sent to Europe to be employed as sex slaves. And then more than 15 thousand women, a majority of whom come from Mexico, are sold to America to be employed in the prostitution complexes.

This illicit business even steal away the independence of children in the world, to the point that the UN General Assembly, at its 54th meeting, issued an enactment on the rights of children on 25th May 2000. A decision that was deemed urgent so that prevention would be done, so as the buying and selling of children no longer happen, much less if later they are employed as sex slaves, such as that found in the internet networks.

Observing what is happening in the West, should make us think further if we want to walk in a path that has been taken up by the West. In Israel's prisons, there are about 100 female prisoners. Why is the West silent over all this? In Palestine, there are more than 250 women who have met their martyrdom, not to mention the women who suffered injuries in the aftermath of Intifadhah. As for the woman in Iraq, suffice it for us what was delivered by the world organization on 22nd February 2005, which stated that the condition of the Iraqi women is not much different from the conditions when they were under the reign of Sadam Husein.

This explains that the independence and freedom of women as touted by America do not touch them at all. In fact, their conditions under the American occupation is much worse. They received rough treatment, they were persecuted, harassed and even raped.

Conclusion

Therefore, as Muslims, let us think clearly, and do not be influenced by the argumentation that feminism and gender equality can be the solution to the problems of women in the Islamic world, such as in domestic violence, women trafficking and other social problems. Until this moment, the Western countries had not been able to prove that they managed to overcome the mentioned social problems. Quite the contrary, moral disintegration have destroyed the social fabric of the Western society, the feminist movement are then blamed because it is considered to have changed the women to become career crazy beings and distanced them from the warmth of a family.

Wallahu a'lam bissawab.