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                      Distorted Image of Muslim Women
            by a former non-muslim, Sister Naasira bint Ellison
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   Since the height of the feminist movement in the late 70's there has
   been a magnifying glass placed over the status of muslim women.
   Unfortunately, the magnifying glass that has been used is an unusual
   one. Unusual in the sense that it is very selective about which items
   it will magnify; other items it will distort to such a degree that
   they will no longer look familiar. I remember once reading in an "in
   depth" article about the lives of muslim women. This article
   "explained" that at any time a man can divorce his wife by simply
   stating "I divorce you, I divorce you, I divorce you". This article
   can lead anyone ignorant of the Islamic ruling regarding divorce to
   believe that in less than five seconds the woman is left with no
   husband and is left to care for herself (and possibly children) by any
   means necessary. The question that immediately popped up in my mind
   was, "Did the author innocently write that out of sincere ignorance or
   was it another of the many attempts to degrade the religion of Islam
   and its followers (muslims)?" It may be my own paranoia, but I tend to
   believe it was the latter of the two.
   
   The truth of the matter is that Islam has the most humane and most
   just system of divorce that exists. Firstly, many options are taken
   and tried before coming to the decision of the divorce. If the man and
   woman decide that they can no longer live together successfully as a
   husband and wife, the husband (in most cases, not always) pronounces
   the divorce by saying "I divorce you". At this point the waiting
   period begins. The waiting period lasts for three menstrual cycles to
   assure the woman is not pregnant. This period allows the couple time
   to think about what they are doing and if this is what they really
   want to do. There are no lawyers involved to antagonize an already
   delicate situation.
   
   In the case that it is realized, that the woman is pregnant, the
   waiting period lasts the entire time she is pregnant. During the
   waiting period (whether the woman is pregnant or not) the man is
   obligated to provide food, clothing and shelter to the woman as he did
   before the divorce pronouncement. If the couple carries the divorce
   through to the birth of the child and the woman suckles the baby, the
   man is obligated to feed and clothe both his ex-wife for the time the
   woman suckles (the maximum being two years). After this weaning, the
   child will be provided for by the father until he/she is no longer in
   need of support.
   
   It is quite ironic that in such an "advanced society" as America,
   there are divorce cases in which women are being forced to pay alimony
   to their ex-husbands. Can this and many other things we know about the
   American system of divorce compare to the Islamic system of divorce?
   
   I have also read stories wherein it is stated that women are forced to
   marry men without their consent. This in no way resembles the marriage
   system in Islam. In Islam the woman marries the man of her choice. She
   may even marry someone that her mother and/or father objects to. The
   point is that it is the woman who makes the final decision as to whom
   she will marry. Once the man and the woman decide that they are
   interested in one another for marriage, a dowry is decided upon. A
   dowry is not a brides price but, it is a gift from the groom to the
   bride. They agree upon a gift that is affordable by the groom. In the
   time of the Prophet (sas), often things such as livestock and money
   were given. This is a wise decision in the event that a woman becomes
   divorced or widowed, she has some financial security to fall back on
   even if it is for a limited amount of time. Once the man and woman are
   married, the man is required to clothe, feed, shelter and educate her
   (or allow her to be educated) in the same manner as he does himself.
   
   The last distorted image that I will cover is that of the muslim
   women's dress. The western influenced media portrays our dress to be
   outdated and oppressive. Needless to say however, I differ with these
   adjectives. Our dress code does not hinder us from doing anything
   productive in our lives. Muslim women maintain a variety of jobs, non
   of which are devalued nor hampered due to their dress code. And as for
   the timing of muslims women's dress during these contemporary times,
   it seems most appropriate due to decreasing morals in the world today.
   
   For those who say that Islamic dress is outdated, they speak from
   great ignorance. The decreasing molarity and trials of this time makes
   Hijaab even more in need. More than ever before sex crimes are
   rampant. Although this society tells women they can wear what they
   want to wear, anytime a rape occurs the woman is the one put on trial
   an one of the first questions is, "What were you wearing?" This
   concept seems as though it is a set up directed against the so called
   contemporary woman. Also there is a direct correlation between the
   respect a man has for a woman and the amount of her body her body she
   displays flauntigly.
   
   In conclusion, I hope this article helped to clear up some
   distorted/misunderstood aspects of Islam and women. Women in Islam are
   respected and held in high regard. We will never find success and/or
   solutions to our problems until we realize that Allah knows best and
   that this disbelieving society will ruin itself.
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   Taken from Hudaa magazine, Jamaica, New York.
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