29 February, 2008

Abu-Bakarr Sulaiman Tarawally, Freetown

Islam and Women’s Role in Society

There are lots of sentiments meting on women regarding their gender in recent times. Lots of advocacy is being mounted to tackle the discretional role of women in the development of society. To some extent in the culture of some Asian sects before the advent of Islam used to despise women.

History recalls that the Arab fathers of female children in those days would have their faces frowned in anger and will stay with the embarrassment the day long upon having a female daughter until in the evening will bury her alive. Evil was such a choice they made. In various parts of Africa too we see cases whereby women especially the girl child is being desecrated and subjected to dejection amidst degenerated innovative ideas. To such an extent women’s chastity which is supposed to be their pride is abused, their pride demoralized and to some extent we see women as destitute striving hard to survive.

As if that is the only side of the women’s story, today we have come to realize that there are also virtuous women who are of better stance in society that have moral values, dignity and pride and this piece is featuring some of  our outstanding women in society. In Sierra Leone for instance we have women Ministers and in other positions of trust. Look at Christiana Thorpe, Hon. Elizabeth Lavalie. Theresa Koroma, Zainab Bangura, Umu Tejan Jalloh, Sia Nyama Koroma etc., all these women have made an indelible mark in the history of Sierra Leone. From the religious story point of view, we learnt that Fatima Zahra the daughter of the noble prophet of Islam was born in the era that, the Arabs were desperately slaying their daughters, a period that witnessed a gross violation of women’s right and neglect of women as being important in society.

Prophet Muhammad in this regard demonstrated a good caliber of love and respect for his daughter Fatima Zahra. Whenever he visited his daughter, he would kiss her hand, stand up when she came to his presence and sit her beside himself with lots of love and respect. He always visited her before and immediately after his journeys. What more love and respect can a father give to his daughter! What a revolution from what the rest of his tribesmen and neighborhood used to do their daughters! This is a typical example that is worth emulating.

Today we see the paucity of love, care and patience for children especially the girl child. Many African parents believe that girls are a blessing in disguise that can earn a family abundant laurel as men come ask their hands in marriages. Interestingly, those few women among the educated class stood up to as being outstanding figures in society.

The esteem position of women is prescribed of liberty and freedom of expression in the same manner as that of the men. The Islamic concepts for women’s right long began before the UN’s 1948 universal declaration of Human Rights proclaimed equality of rights of both men and women. The teachings of the Quran referenced the equality of human beings as (16:97) says whoever performs good deeds whether male or female and is a believer ;( We) shall surely make them lead a good life and (We) will certainly reward them for the best of their deeds.

The early generation of women knew their duties as they played a prominent role in developing the society. Women have been in union with men even as the holy war for the propagation of Islam was intensified there were women who fought juxtaposition with men. For instance, Sumaiya became the first martyr of Islam in Medina, Saudi Arabia. In the reign of the deviant caliphs, women such as Fatima and Zainab (peace and blessing be upon their souls) dared to go to the courts to fight for their rights. Despite all mentioned in the case of those honorable women named, there has been a trend of degeneration of women values as educated women began to reduce in number, their involvement in all aspects of life became lesser to the extent that women were at one part of the furniture of the household!

If we must hold the view that women of moral good and their developing role are equally important, then we must see the need as to placing them squarely as having the same opportunities the men have to make the society buoyant of innovative ideas.

There is what now we refer to culture rift because the western culture influence is spreading all over the world.

Some sects of women have become dazzled by such cultures and are behaving like the Westerners, dressing like them and dreadfully become their images and puppets. The women should now be seen as equally responsible partners for whom they ought to display a positive mental attitude. Women should not forget the moral standards hve long been set by their religions especially Islam. Islam is one of the only religions that show great concern on how women should be handled in society. Islam is the religion that gives better priority to women in terms of standards of life, therefore women of Islam should not misuse the respect accorded them and follow the life they have not been living before and that has been prescribed for them in the Holy Quran.

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