Resources WISE Compact: Resources

Protecting and Promoting Religion

From Aisha to Umm Waraqa, women in early Islam held numerous prominent positions as transmitters of hadith to spiritual, legal, and interpretive authorities. Despite this history, over the centuries, women and girls were largely excluded from Islamic education, Qur'anic interpretation, and religious leadership. They were rendered vulnerable to the misinterpretations fed to them by male religious leaders and other figures. Women are now empowering themselves by reclaiming the traditions of Qur’anic education and religious leadership.

Contemporary Muslim women scholars such as Laleh Bakhtiar, Asma Barlas, Amina Wadud, and others have provided groundbreaking readings of the Qur'an, emphasizing the rights originally affirmed for women. Women around the world are gathering in homes and community centers to read the Qur’an and study it together. The groups READ in Mississauga, Canada and Tajweed Ul Quran for Sisters in Reading, UK are two such examples. Read here to learn how to start a reading group or to learn how to read the Qur'an yourself.

Women are also reclaiming their place in the realms of spiritual and religious authority. China, for example, has a long line of female ahong, or female imams, active since the late 17th century. Moroccan women are now training to become spiritual guides, or mourchidat. Shahina Akbar, a WISE woman, runs educational training sessions on legal issues related to marriage for women’s groups using the Pakistani legal system and Qur’an as a source of law. Women can also enroll in the chaplaincy-training program at the University of Toronto, Hartford Seminary in Connecticut, U.S., the muftia-training program in Turkey, or the Moroccan mourchidat training program.

Protecting and Promoting life

The right to life is both a universal human right and one of the main principles of Islam. Women's physical, mental, spiritual and emotional health must be preserved, especially as their critical roles in society are diverse. Not only do women act as leaders and protectors of families, communities, and nations, but they are mothers, wives, sisters, and friends. Thus, Muslim women today are promoting a woman's right to life in numerous areas, from preventing such atrocities as honor killings, to creating a 'greener' Earth, to protecting healthy minds and spirits.

Women are taking on such global challenges as creating a greener Earth. For example, Shireen Pishdad established an eco-friendly halal cooperative, Taqwa Eco-Halal, which provides sustainably raised halal meat and poultry in the U.S. Haseena and Tajunnisa from the Agatti Island in Lakshadweep, India received 2008 Earth Heroes 'Young Naturalist' awards for their efforts to mobilize a fishing community.

Several large-scale initiatives and programs are also in place to improve women's health and eliminate violent practices. In 2006, women religious leaders came together to address women's health, signing the Tripoli Declaration of Women Religious Leaders in the Arab States in Response to the HIV/AIDS Epidemic. Another group, the International Women's Tribune Centre, provides suggestions for using the media as an advocacy tool to tackle violence against women. Furthermore, as counseling and social services become more available, women's mental and emotional health is being addressed throughout the world. Louise Becker's Cologne, Germany-based ZIF (Zentrum fur Islamische Frauenforschung, the Islamic Women's Center for Research and Encouragement) provides counseling to women on family and marriage problems. Similarly, the Moroccan mourchidats offer counseling services to women on various social and religious issues.

A number of women are launching programs to encourage healthier bodies, minds, and spirits. Mubakarah Ibrahim, for example, created Fit Muslimah Health and Fitness Summit, a retreat program for Muslim women in the U.S. which offers interactive workshops and outdoor activities like hiking, sports, and fitness classes. Anthea Kissoon in the UK has designed "Rakha" classes, also known as "Islamic yoga." The Beautiful Women Gym Project in Australia gives Eritrean women the opportunity to exercise while respecting cultural and religious values, while the London-based Muslim Women's Sport Foundation provides women with culturally-sensitive sports training. In Iran, women can now join the national team and attend the Islamic Federation of Women Sport quadrennial games.

Protecting and Promoting the mind

Since early Islam, women have used the power of their voices to become leaders around the world. Aisha, Jahanara and Tansu Ciller are just a few names in the long line of Muslim women leaders. With the freedom to think, interpret and express themselves, women are able to advance themselves through education, becoming leaders and role models for others.

Women today are more frequently using various channels to express themselves. They are writing for newspapers, magazines, and websites, as well as using social networking tools such as blogging and Twitter. An Arabic media training course in blogging led by Ghaida'a al-Absi, designed for female politicians, activists and human rights workers, is giving women in Yemen an opportunity to share their opinions and shape public debates. Through Azizah magazine, WISE woman Tayyibah Taylor has provided a space for Muslim women to express themselves and address current issues. Rima Khoreibi uses the medium of comic books to tell the story of Iman, a teenage Muslim woman who address social issues through Islam. For women interested in voicing their opinions through op-eds, read the International Center for Research on Women's op-ed training tips; for women interested in becoming a journalist, read the on-line training courses of News University and the Press Institute for Women in the Developing World.

Opportunities for women to pursue their talents have also increased as new education and leadership training programs are developed. A number of such programs are worth mentioning. Dar el Hadith el Hassania in Morocco is breaking new ground with the inclusion of women in trainings to become mourchidats. In fact, trainings throughout the Middle East, including the Yemen Women's Leadership Program (YWLP), are providing women with critical leadership skills through an Islamic framework. The Women's Learning Partnership (WLP) has developed e-courses for women in the Middle East and North Africa that emphasize the leadership skills required to create effective social change. WLP's Leadership Training Packet highlights the steps required to build such skills and is available in several languages. Similarly, White House Project trainings give women the necessary leadership skills to run or lead a political campaign. Karamah, a Muslim women's lawyer's organization in Washington DC, runs a Law and Leadership Summer Program for young Muslim women working in various fields, with courses on Islamic Jurisprudence, Comparative Law, Conflict Resolution, and Leadership Development.

Protecting and Promoting the Family

A harmonious family has always been the cornerstone of just and thriving Islamic societies. Yet numerous governments in the Muslim world have implemented family law systems that do not reflect the egalitarian family relationships on which these laws should be based. Additionally, many cultural traditions, branded as solely religious traditions, have negatively influenced the Muslim family. Muslim women today are reclaiming their rights in the family and taking important steps, both in the legal and societal realm, to provide other women with opportunities to build healthy and happy families.

Movements and networks such as Musawah and Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML) highlight and address many of the issues that have resulted from unjust family laws and negative attitudes towards women in the family. Musawah ('equality' in Arabic), initiated by Sisters in Islam in Malaysia, is a global movement comprised of scholars and activists from around the world aimed at advancing equality in the family. Shinkai Karokhail, a member of parliament in Afghanistan, is campaigning against discriminatory family laws. Other initiatives like the International Muslim Organization for Women and Families in Saudi Arabia have established skill-building programs for women in order to promote their place in the family and build stronger families.

A number of programs have been created to address specific family law issues. For example, the marriage contract has often been manipulated by the husband. In India, Shaista Ambar and the All India Muslim Women's Personal Law Board created a new marriage contract using the Qur'an as explanations for more just stipulations, rather than simply relying on decisions made by men. Domestic violence and 'honor killings' have also effected families around the world, both Muslim and non-Muslim. In response, women such as Rana Husseini of Jordan, Lena alHusseini and her Brooklyn, New York Arab-American Family Support Center, Sharla Musabih and the Dubai-based City of Hope shelters, and Mehboubeh Abbasgholizadeh and the Global Campaign to Killing and Stoning! in Iran are all working on these issues. Each is providing various social services and shelter, in addition to raising local and global awareness through research or campaigns.

Protecting and Promoting the Right to Wealth

The tradition of women's financial independence in Islam reaches back to the earliest periods of Islam, when the Prophet Muhammad's wives Khadija and Umm Salama ran their own businesses, Khadija in trade and Umm Salama selling crafts. Not only did Khadija manage her business independently, but she met the Prophet through his work for her as a tradesman; even after their marriage, she continued to manage her own finances. The Qur'an, Sunna, and early Islamic jurisprudence provide further key evidence for women's financial independence in early times. However, verses in the Qur'an and hadith were later interpreted by male figures to place control of a woman's finances with her husband or family. This trend is being broken by Muslims around the world as initiatives are developed to provide opportunities to women for economic empowerment and financial independence.

The field of microfinance continues to develop in the Muslim world, offering women with more opportunities through financial assistance and entrepreneurial skill-building. Muslim women are providing important opportunities for other Muslim women in their communities. For example, the newly launched Muslim Women's Fund has provided financial assistance to barbers in exchange for a commitment to end their FGC practices. Additionally, women such as Dr. Humaira Islam have founded organizations like The Shakti Foundation for Disadvantaged Women in Bangladesh, which provides economic resources for women through an Urban Credit Program and other business services.

Another innovation in economic empowerment is the development of cooperatives for Muslim women. These co-ops are springing up throughout the Muslim world, and a 38 woman cooperative in a small Sri Lankan town is just one example. With the help of the organization Caritas, the women established this neighborhood cooperative and have been trained in cooking and tailoring. Additionally, cooperative societies such as the Green Mountain Women's Cooperative Society in Jordan are providing loans to rural Jordanian women to expand their farming projects and generate more income.

Protecting and Promoting Dignity

It is often said that Muslim women are one of the least empowered groups in society. While some blame the religious traditions, they ignore the importance placed on women in society in early Islamic history. Using misinterpretations of Islamic texts and cultural justifications, patriarchal systems have consistently pushed women to the fringes, creating environments where women are largely unable to make their own decisions regarding career, family, and health. However, women today are reclaiming this space of authority and agency in order to protect and promote their dignity.

A woman's decision to marry or not marry is greatly affected by family and social pressure. As a result, women such as Yomna Mokhtar, are attempting to increase options available to women. Mokhtar's newly created Spinsters for Change, a network for young Muslim women in Egypt, aims to end prevailing attitudes surrounding marriage and family for women.

Early and forced marriages, as well as the sometimes severe limitations on women's divorce, violate the dignity of Muslim women in many places. Yet the idea that a woman's marriage partner should be determined primarily by the preferences of her family is being challenged at such forums as the Doha Debates. WISE woman Nadia al-Sakkaf and the Yemen Times have successfully ended the early and forced marriages of three young girls in Yemen, as well as influenced the Yemeni government to repeal laws permitting such early marriages. Suraya Pakzad, another WISE woman, runs an Afghanistan-based shelter and social services center for women with limited options in divorcing their husband. This provides women with options for recourse and opportunities to continue their lives in a dignified manner.

Many efforts also exist to place decisions on women's health back in women's hands. For example, WISE woman Dr. Adriana Kaplan has established forums to address the issues and legislation surrounding Female Genital Cutting (FGC) in order to eliminate the practice and its attached religious stigma.