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Saida Dahir

Professor Oberg

English B5

24 January 2018

Can You Be Both Muslim and a Feminist?

“AsSalumu-Alaikum,” is the greeting for Muslims all over the world. Translated into

English, it means Peace Be Upon You. Although peace is an idea promoted in the teachings of

the Quran; peace and Islam are now thought of as two concepts that are exclusive. As a religion

that has almost 1.7 billion followers, Islam and Muslims are still the punch line to many jokes.

Muslims have been called many ignorant things from terrorist, oppressors, and even barbarians.

One thing that Muslims are constantly associated with is being anti-women’s rights. Can you be

both a devote Muslim and a feminist?

As a Muslim feminist in the 21st century I have been placed under much scrutiny with

both sides that I identify with. Some feminists think that Islam is a religion that lowers the status

of women, and some Muslims believe feminism is “western practice.” But in both sides, it seems

like Muslim women are excluded from the conversation.

The Hijab is a garment worn by Muslim woman in various ways. From covering only, the

hair, to covering the entire body, from the way you act and the way you carry yourself; Hijab is

interpreted differently by every individual. Some women do it for religious purposes and others

do it for cultural reasons. At the end of the day, Hijab should be the choice of the person who is

wearing it.
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Hijab has been labeled by many critics as a tool to oppress women. They believe that

Islam thinks women should be hidden away, locked in their homes, and shunned from the world.

The idea of Hijab being a tool for modesty doesn’t resonate with the “western” idea of beauty. In

a society that objectifies women, girls are told that they shouldn’t cover themselves but that

doesn’t mean they should be liberated with their bodies. Whether they are wearing bikinis or

burkas, women are constantly told they are doing something wrong; that they are oppressed.

Why do Muslim women themselves not associate the cloak that they wear with

oppression? This may be because Hijab isn’t exclusively for women. The Quran calls to men to

lower their gaze before it even mentions women covering themselves at all.

‫ ذَ ِل َك أ َ ْز َكى لَ ُهم‬,‫ظ ْوا فُ ُر ْو َج ُه ْم‬


ُ َ‫ار ِه ْم َو يَحْ ف‬
ِ ‫ص‬َ ‫قُ ْل ِل ْل ُمؤْ ِمنِيْنَ يَغُض ُّْوا ِم ْن أ َ ْب‬
“Say to the believing men that: they should cast down their glances and guard their private

parts (by being chaste). This is better for them.”

There are different ways to interrupt the sayings of text in every religion. Hijab is an

interpretation and someone who doesn’t wear it is not any less a Muslim than someone who

does, and someone who wears it is not a token of oppression.

Culture and religion are two things often mixed in the lifestyle of a Muslim. What is not

allowed in the religion and what is not allowed in the culture is usually interchangeable. This

shouldn’t be the of criticism in Islam. The teachings of Islam are clear and not interchangeable.

Gender inequality is a common accusation made against Islam. Yes, I will agree to one thing; in

many cultures, including my own, women’s have societal roles that are given to them at very

young ages due to their cultures. Nowhere in the Quran does it say, “Women are only allowed to

learn how to cook and clean, strip them from any other educational ventures.” In fact, the
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teachings of Islam state that education has been for all people since the emerging days of the

religion. Prophet Muhammed PBUH said, “Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every

Muslim.” (Al-Tirmidhi). There was no speciation on gender. All people are included.

Fundamentalist interpretations of Islam are what shaped the now common beliefs that

Islam is a religion that doesn’t respect basic human rights. Many critics use out of contexts

Quran verse from sketchy and unreliable sites and believe they are experts when it comes to

Islam. Many people do not know crucial facts such as, “Islam was actually the first religion to

give women rights of inheritance or Islam first allowed polygamy for the sake of widows and

orphans who have no means of survival,” (IslamsWomen) because they are so used to shining a

negative light on the religion.

Let’s not forget the financial starter of Islam; Prophet Muhammad’s wife Khadijah, the

first ever Muslim. Khadijah paved the way for influential women figures in Islam. She was the

symbol of a boss ass bitch. Not only did Khadijah destroy gender roles by proposing to the

Prophet, she was a successful and esteemed business woman. Feminism has been an ideal in

Islam since the beginning of the religion.

Since the beginning of mankind, women’s roles were gathering the berries while men

fended off the “big scary beasts” and hunted for food. This societal structure of man being the

provider and superior figure has led to patriarchal society we have today. Religion is an

institution dominated by males. This can also be said about many things, including the

government and society as a whole. “The west” has a problem judging a whole religion by a few

individuals with no factual evidence. The actions of a few should not dictate your views on an

entire faith. As a proud Muslim Woman, I am saying, yes; you can be a Muslim Feminist
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References:

Carland, Susan. “Islam and feminism are not mutually exclusive, and faith can be an
important liberator.” The Conversation. 10 May 2017.

Rayana Khalaf. “This is how Islam led the world with women's rights.” Step Feed. 8 March
2017.

Qur'an. Chapter 24 -Nur (the Light), verse 30.


Blackburn, Yasmina. “7 Remarkable Things About Khadija, Wife of the Prophet of Islam.”
Huffington Post. 21 May 2015.

Beyer, Lisa. “The Women of Islam.” Times. 25 November 2001.

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