아랍문화 속의 여성 - 여성에 대한 이슬람의 시각에 관한 연구 -

Women in Arab Culture - A study on Women in Islam -

Women, the debatable subject, have of the society, the one side in the eternal dispute between male and female that is bursting with all the weapons of cunning, shrewdness and sensation. Dispute about which of the two sides more worthy of leadership, life management and decision is making. Because human civilization proved that survival is for those who could accomplish deeds-beneficial to humanity over its various stages of development, either in scientific or practical fields on one side or materialistic and spiritual on parallel side- four fingers point to the man while one points timidly to the woman (because woman is the last thing civilization can reach), as George Meredith put it. The reason behind this could be the sufferings women have undergone over consecutive historical periods and masculine obstinacy which passed through laws and systems established for managing life and which were controlled by the most powerful – the man. This led to diminishing the role of women in a spectacular way and even to erasing it and limiting it to childbirth and pleasure in many cases. It is to be noted that if man is basically responsible for what woman suffered and still suffers till now – of oppression, I think that women are equally responsible because of their submission and acceptance, even their indirect encouragement to what man imposed on them. If we survey the history of the last five thousand years we can notice a difference between the beginning and the end regarding the look to women – her existence, conduct, value and meaning The beginning shows us the respectful lady, the great mother, the grand Goddess of earth…the grand mother. The end shows us the voluptuous body- source of lust, the twisted rib that needs straightening. Between beginning and end there is a wavering of women’s position and value according to the culture of the society and its opinion and most important the religion that forms the first jurisdiction for the management of relations and various sides of life. One of the things that distinguish Islam from other- prior or later-principles and systems is its attitude towards women. Women enjoy a distinguished status in all aspects of life or religious dealings. Contrary to what is said, and as we are to prove through this paper Muslim woman enjoy many privileges many women, conferences and women-rights centers are struggling now to get. Islam confers on women all the political and social rights, which man enjoys. She is entitled to all the privileges bestowed upon man. Beside worldly matters, women are also equal to men in the spiritual sense. Allah says in the Quran: Surely, men who submit themselves to GOD and women who submit themselves to HIM, and believing men and believing women, and obedient men and obedient women, and truthful men and truthful women, and men steadfast in their faith and steadfast women, and men who are humble and women who are humble, and men who give alms and women who give alms, and men who fast and women who fast, and men who guard their chastity and women who guard their chastity and men who remember ALLAH much and women who remember HIM - ALLAH has prepared for all of them forgiveness and a great reward (33:36) This verse makes it clear that Muslim women stand on the same level with Muslim men and that they can attain to all those spiritual heights to which men can attain. At several places in the Quran, believing men and believing women are addressed in the same language and are made equally subject to the same commandments and entitled to the same rights and privileges. Only their duties are different because their spheres of activity are different. When the Quran speaks about the souls of human beings, it does not differentiate between man and woman.