EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS & EQUALITY OF THE MUSLIM WOMEN MINORITY.

Author: Umaima

Women all over the world face issues with how they live. Over the course of many decades and many fights to receive equality – the issues of cultural & social taboos regarding women still arise in 2022. A woman choosing to prioritize her education and mental health, and living on her terms is deemed selfish, whereas a man would be deemed responsible, carefree and outgoing.

WITHIN ITS OWN RELIGION

An average middle eastern household – especially in stricter regions where the ‘self-modified’ religion of Islam is followed - tend to have very harsh conditions for women to survive in. Women are denied proper access to education, because according to the elders of the house, girls’ education is a waste of money as she is going to get married in the end anyways. Sadly, this mindset is very common in major countries around the world, where an educated and empowered woman is highly stigmatized. People need to break the stereotypes, educate their daughters, appreciate their desire to become someone independent, and not rely on anyone else. Aside from that, education will help them stand up for themselves.

Research conducted by BMC public health concluded that “no increased Domestic among wives with a higher educational level than their husbands. Moreover, the results point toward a decrease in severe violence with an increase in education levels among spouses.” Recently in Afghanistan, the Taliban had imposed several restrictions on young girls which prevent them from going to school, stating the reason as religious commitment. In modern times, those who condemn girls' education are not speaking from an accurate religious perspective, but rather a limited and extremist political agenda that does not represent all Muslims and in no way represents the position of Islam itself. In reality, there is nothing said in the teachings of Islam or the Quran (the holy book for Muslims) that prohibits the education of girls. There may be discussion and debate over the content of secular education, and the separation of boys and girls in school is encouraged. Being from a very conservative Islamic household myself, I had luckily never been a victim of the “what will people say?”, because my family understands my Islamic rights and my need to be independent, and not be a puppet for a man who is not okay with me being at the same educational level as him. This freedom is not the same for millions of intelligent Muslim women worldwide.

OUTSIDE OF THE RELIGION

In 2004, Muslim headscarves were among the array of religious symbols banned from being worn in French public schools – a similar scenario to what is currently happening in Karnataka.

On the 15th of march, in the state of Karnataka in India, the hijab (a compulsory requirement for every Muslim female in front of a non-mahram) was banned. The Karnataka government issued an order stating that uniforms must be worn compulsorily where policies exist and no exception can be made for the wearing of the hijab as it was deemed as “non–essential”. A piece of cloth cannot possibly affect the Indian government in any way. The result of this court battle was extremely disappointing and a result of pure discrimination against female Muslims residing in India. Educational institutes followed this citation and prevented students wearing a hijab from sitting in examinations – resulting in them wasting a year of study. This ban would have a heavy impact on women’s education in India, The people and the government of the state are simply acting as if the hijab is threatening the Hindu community’s dignity.

The question is – How can a piece of head covering be “provocative religious material and non-essential”. All in all, governments CANNOT make rules for a religion and make something obligatory, to be seen as “non-essential”. Although France has banned all expressions of religion, it is very important for a muslim being to follow what their religion has made obligatory, and hijab is crucial to a muslims religious identity. These recent developments have provided a very major setback in the education for women If only self-modified Muslims, discriminatory governments, and communitiescould understand that these women can do wonders for the world. Every human being should have the right to access education, and it’s much easier to talk about equality but to not take action against it.

HOW CAN YOU HELP

The Malala Fund is a non-profit organization founded by girl’s education rights advocate Malala Yousuf Zai, who was shot by the Taliban in 2012 for campaigning for the education of girls. Her organization helps millions of underprivileged girls worldwide in achieving their dreams. You can donate here.

WISE was established by Daisy Khan with the belief that the fight for Muslim women’s equality starts with fostering, collaborating and supporting the diverse work of Muslim women leaders worldwide. You can donate here.

Founded in 2012, ANNISAA Organization of Canada delivers inspirational programs that bring Muslim women and girls together to collaborate in the development of their leadership skills and creates positive change in the future of women’s leadership. Accessible to everyone, ANNISAA encouraged Muslim women and girls to discover their power and potential to create positive change in their lives and communities. You can donate here.