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WOMEN IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD Olga L. Kaduchak As women, we have our hands quite full with every day living, for example: keeping a husband happy and contented, (of course, this is after one has acquired a husband), having and bringing up children, trying to cope with the bewildering and changing world we live in. Needless to say, this is more than enough to keep most of us contentedly busy and not looking for more to worry about. Not so; there are those “quiet times” when, though our hands may be busy washing dishes or diapers, a woman’s mind gets hungry and thirsty for knowledge, and not about how to wash dishes better, or do diapers whiter, but about how women in other parts of the world live. Not having the time to indulge this quest for knowledge, we tend to let things slide; sometimes the phone rings and one gets caught up in some totally in consequential gossip with a friend or neighbor, or it is time to start lunch, or dinner, or a special program is coming on the television; so it goes. Recently, I inadvertantly came across a dissertation that tended to answer some of these questions for me and to shake me up at the same time. The article made me feel very, very grateful that I was living in the Western World, even with all the problems that plague us in our daily lives. The afore-mentioned dissertation, described life under the Muslim or Islamic culture. Very vaguely, I had always been aware that life as lived in many Eastern countries and cultures was vastly different from our lives, but until now, when my curiousity bone was tickled, I never really gave it too much thought, I suddenly realized that at least one third, and possibly more, or the world adhersed to the con cepts of the Muslim religion and was subservient to Islamic Law! It is common knowledge that there is a pre dominance of women in any country or culture, and it interested me to learn a little bit more how the women in these other countries and cultures lived. For one, a woman has no real status, except as an extention of, first, her father, then, her husband and, later on, her male children! After providing for his sons a father has to care for his daughter until arranging her marriage. He chooses as he sees fit; the laws are very strict regarding absolute obedience of the daughter to this decision. The prospective husband, chosen by the father, pays the dowry — to the father, and takes over the running of the woman’s life, completely and totally! He is obligated to maintain her and any children they may have from the union, providing that she is sub servient to all his wishes and dictates. He is her master. Not having any choice in the matter, she complies, else she finds herself in dire straits, as he, having total mastery over her, may mete out any punishment that may come into his mind. Of course, many women in the Western World at times find themselves in like situations; however, here they have recourse to law and to public opinion, which is just as apt to be in her favor as not. Under Muslim Law a woman has no recourses at all unless the husband, himself, has broken some tenet of the religion and law one and the same such as, failing to provide for his spouse or spouses, since men are permitted to have four wives, provided they can adequately provide for them, murder, drunkenness or desertion. In such cases, the Islamic Law is very harsh with the male offenders: the wives are returned to the bosom of their families. Then, the father is obliged to make new arrangements for his daughter, only this time, with her consent. Really, how much say has the poor woman got if she has one marriage failure behind her? Ostensibly, she is a respected member of society, but truly, she and any children she may have with her are only added burdens to the father, who thought he had already taken care of her. And so, she lives out her life in quiet desperation, without any voice in the disposition of her life! Also, should the husband for any reason become disenchanted or displeased with the wife he purchased via the dowry, he can divorce her by simply saying “I divorce you” three times; she then finds herself without a husband or a home and in virtual disgrace in the eyes of her family and her community. The one saving grace which exists that when the husband first tells her that he divorces her, there is a three month period of grace, called the Iddah, during which he can change his mind and retract his decision to divorce her. Once this period has passed, he is obliged to state twice more that he does, indeed, divorce her and they are divorced! Easy? You really think so? What does she feel? How can she hold up her head when such a traumatic thing takes place in her life? In some cases, being divorced may be the less severe punishment. Under Islamic Law, should a husband find his wife unfaithful, she is subject to Stoning to death! This law is still on the books and invoked maybe more than we ever hear about. Divorce may be an “easy out” for her, in such a case. However, should another woman catch said husband’s fancy, he is free to divorce his wife and replace her with this new one. I mentioned earlier that the law permits the man to have four wives, but this is a big but— hemust be able to adequately provide for any and all wives he may have and the issue from those unions. Many times, he finds it much simpler to get rid of the wife he no longer favors, rather than to maintain her for the rest of her life. So, she is cast adrift, un wanted, and looked upon as one whom someone has found unfavorable and unwanted. Another reason a man may divorce his wife under the Islamic Law is if she fails to provide him with a male Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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