The Social Involvement of Women in Islam

[Mujib]

The Social Involvement of Women in Islam

By Imam Zaid Shakir

One of the persistent attacks against Islam is that it is a religion which stifles the social involvement of women. By social involvement, we mean involvement in those spheres of endeavor which occur outside of the home and impact on the general nature and direction of society. Islam, it is said, desires to divest women of any meaningful social role, to keep them ?trapped? in the confines of their homes, under the constant surveillance and control of men. This claim, as we will endeavor to show, does not accurately reflect the fullness of Islamic teachings on this issue.

While Islam does advocate a social scheme which places great emphasis on the domestic role of women, it also creates ample space for their meaningful participation in public affairs. The purpose of this article is to examine aspects of that social involvement based on the Qur?an and the prophetic tradition. That examination will be preceded by a brief expose on the fundamental equality of men and women in Islam


Complete article here.