Religious Rights of Women in Islam with Common Misconceptions of Research Paper

Religious Rights of Women in Islam with Common Misconceptions of Islamic Women in Western Culture - Research Paper Example In Islamic nations, and according to Sharia law, these have been conserved in a bid to empower women despite having secular western laws. As for marriage, women can either agree or refuse to marry, and the man has a responsibility to be the protectors of their wives according to the Islamic laws. Western laws have infiltrated most aspects of rights about criminal, financial and criminal law. Therefore, women have retained personal rights on a number of crucial issues that affect them. Islam, according to the Quran, advocates equality of both man and woman as God’s creations and grants women several rights that include the right to inherit property and own it. It also provides for women to be recognized as individuals with a legal personality unlike thoughts of Islamic women in the western world (Hashmi 591). This is because  the western world’s has  misconceptions of Islamic women being slaves to men in their households are greatly contradicted. However, Islamic wom en have a degree of inequality to men according to Quranic provisions that are followed in the Islamic world. The Islamic world allows for a patriarchy society where men are the leaders and are regarded as the financial providers. Moreover, Islamic religion stipulates that inheritance of women to be half of that which men receive from their parents (Hashmi 591). Thus, the misconceptions towards Islamic women in the western culture to a certain degree are justified, as the rights of women in Islam are sometimes discriminatory. In addition,  women are considered to be worth less than men; this is evident concerning bearing witness, where only the testimony of two men can hold against that of a single woman (Hashmi 592). This proves how much the religious rights of Islamic women are used against them. In western culture, Islamic women are viewed as oppressed and have no say in issues that affect them in the society. To many, this may be viewed as a misconception by the west whereas i t has a degree of truth in it. This is because those who understand the Islamic religion argue that inequality in gender issues is deeply rooted in Islamic religious literature. Moreover, rights movements are seen as products from the west and are considered secular and to have no effect in Islamic society. Therefore, Islamic women who participate in rights advocacy perceive themselves as facing oppression from their own religious beliefs; hence, they are alienated from the society.   However, there are groups of Islamic women who attempt to rewrite the religious rights granted to them by the same Islamic faith they profess (El-Mahdi 380). This is in a bid to have â€Å"normal† human rights applied to them similar to men; in addition, religion is taking a big part in influencing politics, therefore, affecting the religious rights of Islamic women. For example, Islamism is gaining ground in social politics, which, in turn, subordinates women’s rights in society concer ning political safety and legitimacy (El-Mahdi 382). Thus, Islamic women have enjoyed religious rights for a long period especially during colonization when secularization had allowed women to campaign for their rights, and for them be involved in the control of the patriarchal society (El-Mahdi 383). This was due to the weakening of the religious hierarchy and rise of secular institutions. In Islamic societies, Islamic religion does not bar or hinder the