Life in the East is shrouded in secrets, riddles and a bunch of stereotypes. For most of the inhabitants of the planet, eastern life is associated with a harem, hours of prayers and unhappy women, whom a husband scoffs every day. A European woman will never approve her daughter’s choice if she wants to marry a representative of Islamic culture. It’s time to open the veil of mysterious and mysterious life in the East: what relation to women in Islam is considered normal, what rights and obligations do they have, and is their life so terrible, as is commonly believed.
Before islam
To understand why there is an opinion about the infringement on the rights of eastern women, let's delve into history. In ancient Arab pre-Islamic society, the situation of women was indeed deplorable. In patriarchal Arabia, they could not even find a place at the table: when men ate food, women ate separately in a room not suitable for eating. The richest people made harems from dozens, and sometimes from hundreds of wives, who were often abused by extraneous men because of the husband’s infringements. When a woman gave birth to a girl from a harem, the child could be taken away, and a woman in labor should be beaten, but if a boy was born, a big celebration was organized.
In the 7th century, the Prophet Muhammad began to preach Islam - a new culture was born in the Arab environment. The first rights of an eastern woman appeared: the right to work, to inheritance, as well as the opportunity to refuse marriage and divorce. The pregnant woman in Islam was no longer subjected to violence, and newborn girls were not taken from their mother.
Modern rights
Compared to a millennium ago, today a woman in Islam can hardly be called an infringed one. Islamic countries still strictly follow Sharia law, but most women have received not only a number of rights and freedoms, but also an extremely respectful attitude on the part of men and the state.
The fundamental rights of women in Islam, which were not previously discussed, include the following:
- the right to independently dispose of their property;
- the right to a court defense from defamation and other unlawful acts with regard to honor and dignity;
- the right to education and work;
- the right to participate in the political life of the state, etc.
True, in some countries there are still restrictions for women. For example, in Saudi Arabia, only men can vote in elections, but in Pakistan, women have the right not only to vote, but also to become members of parliament.
About traditional clothes
It is generally accepted that the chadra and hijab are symbols of the woman’s humiliated position in Islam, but to date, Turkey has given a simple example of the refutation of such a stereotype. MK Ataturk is a reformer and the first president of the Republic of Turkey. 70 years ago, he declared war on the burqa and fez, calling them a symbol of ignorance and bad taste. Moreover, the characteristic Muslim clothing was banned for a long time, and those who appeared on the street or in a public place in an unlawful form were punished and fined. Only in 2013, a woman parliamentarian for the first time in 83 years of the existence of the Turkish parliament rose to the podium in a Muslim shawl, which caused a huge resonance in Turkish and world society. At the moment, after a long government ban, women regained the right to wear traditional clothes. According to the Turkish women, the hijab gives a sense of confidence and security, and even raises self-esteem for some.
Burqa, hijab, chadra - Europeans do not see any differences in clothing. And very wrong.
A burqa is a dressing gown of dense black fabric that completely covers the body, leaving only a cut for the eyes. Such clothes are considered the most stringent in Eastern culture.
Chadra in comparison with the burqa is a more liberal outfit. This is a light blanket that leaves your face open.
Hijab is any Islamic clothing that fits the requirements of the Sharia. In the West, this concept refers to a traditional head scarf.
The uniform and shapeless style of clothing for women in Islam is not imposed by society and not by the state, but by religion. A true Muslim woman is sincerely convinced that wearing such clothes is a holy duty, which speaks of her honor and dignity. By the way, both the chadra, and the hijab, and the burqa were invented by the Muslims themselves. The Holy Quran only says that in public women "should not show any parts of the body except what is necessary."
The main responsibilities of women
In the lives of women in Islam, there are moments that any European woman will envy. If the latter work, feed the family, clean the house and raise children, then the obligations of a woman in Islam are expressed by only one main requirement for her husband and the state - to keep the family hearth. While a huge number of feminists around the world are fighting for the rights of the poor and unhappy oriental women, they just sit at home, cook dinner and keep an eye on the children. However, such an obligation is required to be approached very responsibly. The house in which the man and woman of Islam live, united by marriage (javaz), acquires sacred value. Therefore, Muslims pay special, extremely careful attention to house cleaning. Moreover, before the husband arrives, all children must be fed and neatly dressed. The woman herself is obliged to have time to take care of herself and every evening to please her husband on the conjugal bed. A woman can refuse an intimate obligation only in an exceptional case, because her holy duty is submission to her husband.
If more recently, women of Islamic states did not have the right not only to work, but also to education, today, for example, 9 out of 10 women in Saudi Arabia have secondary or higher education. In the UAE, the education of every woman is a mandatory requirement of the state. This is because an extremely responsible task is assigned to their shoulders - to educate children in both modern sciences and religious knowledge.
Benefits and Benefits
Most eastern beauties have the right to work, but they are not required to work due to lack of money. Earning and providing a family is exclusively a male duty. Moreover, if the husband is so poor that he is not able to support his wife, then the Sharia court determines the necessary amount and forces the next of kin of the husband to lend money. If they don’t have the required amount, then the husband is forced to do forced labor in order to be able to pay off his debts.
No self-respecting Muslim should be limited to providing for his family. Gifts and expensive jewelry for the wife - a mandatory and necessary attribute of family life. Also, a woman in Islam after marriage receives "mahr" - immodest cash ransom for the bride. She can dispose of it solely at her discretion.
Duties of a Muslim before his wife
How often in modern media they write that Muslim husbands beat and torture their wives. Undoubtedly, such cases occur. But why does no one pay attention to how many women in Europe are subjected to the same humiliation? Today it is difficult to say that domestic violence is more common in Islamic countries than in others. Moreover, a true believing Muslim has holy duties to his wife:
- show the best qualities when communicating with your spouse: sensitivity, tenderness, courtesy;
- in the presence of free time to help in raising children;
- to be interested in the opinion of the wife when solving family issues;
- ask consent of the wife if you want to go on a trip or leave the house for a long time;
- Do not upset your wife with bad news, do not talk about debts and problems;
- with strangers always speak positively about his chosen one.
A bit about harem
Harem - a word that scares away all the Slavs who laid eyes on the eastern man.
Yes, harems still exist. And for Muslims, this is not exotic at all, but the usual way of family life. Islam allows a man to have up to four wives, but this is extremely undesirable if the first leads a decent lifestyle and complies with all the instructions of Allah. Otherwise, it will be very difficult for the husband to pay equal attention to each. I bought a dress for my wife - buy the same for everyone else. By the way, it is extremely rare that all wives live under one roof: the husband must buy separate houses for everyone. If all the wives agree to live together, then there are certain rules:
- a woman can get to her husband’s bed only in order of priority;
- none of the wives should see the husband go to another woman;
- an older wife is required to lead all the other women in the house;
- the youngest wife brings up all the children.
Today it is difficult to meet a woman who is in the harem not of her own free will. After all, the owner of the harem can only be a very wealthy person who is obliged to provide all his wives with real paradise life.
Life after a divorce
In Islam, the institution of family and marriage is given special attention, and divorce is not approved by society. However, there are times when you can’t do without it: the husband does not fulfill his direct duties or does not bring enough money to the family. The process of divorce to disgrace is simple - it is enough to say “Talak, Talak, Talak” (“divorce, divorce, divorce”) three times.
If the desire for divorce came from a woman, then she is obliged to give her husband all the wedding gifts, if from her husband, then the ex-spouse takes half of the property. If a woman has discovered the fact of betrayal, then she has the right to take back everything that was acquired together.
After a divorce, a woman is obliged to wait for the term "idda" - this is a certain period of time during which the possibility of a new marriage is prohibited. Such an expectation is necessary for absolute conviction in the absence of pregnancy. If a woman still finds herself in a position, then the former husband is obliged to provide both her and the unborn child. If menstruation occurs and pregnancy is excluded, then the woman moves to her parents' house and lives there for 3 months, going out on the street only for important matters. There is only one case when a woman immediately after a divorce has the right to marry without expectations: if there was no intimacy with her ex-husband.
Divorces, although not considered desirable, are tolerated by the Qur'an. But the Bible, by the way, divorce prohibits ...