Are Muslims oppressive to women

Answer 1

Neither Islam nor Muslims are oppressive to women.

Some people claim that Muslims or Islam are oppressive to women for requiring them to be conservative in their clothing or for allowing polygamy. They forget that Islam religion was the first religion that ruled woman rights in having free will, having own property, work, education, inheritance, court witness, and many other life issues while other cultures, traditions, and religions were depriving women from all these rights.

Islam gives woman the right to approve or not to approve on who requests her for marriage. She has the right to seek divorce (without depriving her from remarriage with him again on with another one) if she feels not possible to continue in marriage with her husband.

It is true that Islam requires a woman to cover her whole body except face and hands but including head, hair and neck. However, it is not oppression to woman but rather to keep her modesty and respect.

Quran and Sunnah (prophet Muhammad saying and practices) persuades Muslims to maintain kindness and respect to women.

Women, even in early Islam years, were highly recognized and appreciated. In time of the Claiph Omar Ibn Alkhattab, he advised Muslims in one of his sermons in the mosque to fix a limit of the dowery to women in marriage. A woman told him in front of all audiences that this is against Quran teachings and told him the evidence from Quran. Omar didn't insult her or feel angry with her. She was not arrested because of objecting on the ruler sayings. It was the opposite. Omar confessed that he is wrong and the woman is right in her saying.

It is true that Islam allows polygamy but actually polygamy was the prevailing practice before Islam even among prophets. It was usual for one to have more than one wife sometimes upto hundreds. Islam limited polygamy to four wives and on conditions to fulfil woman rights and dignity.

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