Speaker addresses perceptions of religion's gender roles
Afroze Habib thinks Islamic women have more rights than they're given credit for.
Habib, the principal of the Weekend Islamic School at the Islamic Center of Columbia, discussed what she described as the misconceptions of those rights in the Honors Residence Hall Wednesday evening as a part of the Muslim Student Association's Discover Islam Week.
Although the roles of men and women differ, Habib argued, they have equivalent rights. The role of every Muslim, she said, is to honor God through the Quran, the word of the creator that serves as a guide for Islam.
"People will know how to live their lives on Earth," she said. "It is the duty of every Muslim, male or female, to seek the pleasure of God, to act as his trustee in this world and not try to gain or satisfy one's ego."
Habib addressed the common perception that women are punished in Islam because of Eve's sin in a chapter of the Quran, the Islamic holy text.
"Quran blames Adam and Eve for their wrongdoings, never singling out Eve," she said. "Women are being abused daily for things they never did. They are not blamed for the fall of man."
Habib said the rights of Islamic women were established more than 1,300 years ago, noting that the status of Islamic women was unique. They are exempted from fasting, she said, if they are pregnant or menstruating. They do not have to pray under these conditions and may continue when they are healthier.
A woman, she added, has the right to decline marriage proposals, including arranged marriages.
"There's so much misconception," Habib said. "A woman has every right to accept or reject marriage proposals."
In marriage, spouses have equal rights, but the husband plays the financially responsible role of the family. The woman does not have any financial obligations, and any income she receives is her own, Habib said.
"From the Islamic classes I've taken, my professors have always said that women's rights have been equal but not identical," said Cat Metcalfe, a third-year visual communications student.
Habib said the rights of men and women are similar to oranges and apples.
"You can look at us and see that we are not the same," Habib said, laughing. "It's a partnership."
Women are not forbidden to work; that's actually encouraged, she said, but women must maintain Islamic conduct and keep themselves covered in public.
"We have to be modest," Habib said.
Sidrah Khan, a second-year psychology student, addressed that concern, arguing that the dress was not overbearing.
"I think many people find the dress oppressive," Khan said. "They're dressing for religious freedom. They still have the right to work."
Such a dress code was a factor that highlighted a recurring theme throughout the evening — the differences in culture and perception between Islamic women and Western observers.
"While we view it as unequal, whenever you talk to Muslim women, they've always been happy with life, but in a different way," Metcalfe said.