Muslim Women: Oppressed or Liberated?

Today in Cape Town, my group and I were given a tour of the old slave lodge where slaves from East Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, and even Japan and China were kept. Our tour guide, Balqees, led us around the grounds explaining the journey and living conditions the slaves were forced into. The slave story meant a lot to her since her ancestors were brought to Cape Town because of slavery.

After our tour of the old slave lodge, Balqees, who is muslim, brought us to her mosque, which is the oldest mosque in South Africa. It is located in the Bo-Kaap part of town, which is the oldest cluster of homes in the area. This area can be easily identified because each house/building is painted in a bright color.

While touring the mosque, everyone was forced to remove their shoes. Women were asked to take a scarf and cover their heads as a sign of respect. We then were taught how, when, and why muslims pray. For prayer, women and men are separated. The males of our group were ushered to the front during the explanation. Having to wear a shawl when the men didn't have to, and being forced to the back during prayer made me wonder how oppressed muslim women are in their culture.

Balqees tried to dispel some myths about women in Islam. First she explained that she is not forced to wear her head-scarf- she chooses to wear it. For her, it was a garment given by God to women for protection against lustful eyes. She also explained that splitting the men and women during prayer was for modesty; the pose in which one takes is vulnerable, and only women should see other women's behind as they bend down for prayer.

These explanations, to me, only showed that there was indeed oppression against muslim women within Islamic culture. When she said the head-scarf was used as protection, my first thought was, "from what?" Men. Women have to wear shawls over their heads because being able to see too much skin could drive a man wild with lust. He might rape you. That seems like more of a scare tactic than a real form of protection. Also, I couldn't help being annoyed when the men were asked to go to the front during prayer. Of course, just like in an patriarchal culture, the men come before the women. I say this because this isn't unique to Islam- Orthodox Judaism, for example, also divides the sexes. In both cases, women either are sat behind the men or on the balcony. Both these locations in a temple or mosque are not ideal for prayer; women get cheated!

The last piece of info Balqees talked about regarding women in Islam really interested me though. She said that muslim women can go out in the world and get professional degrees and work at professional jobs. The money a woman makes is her own, which is different than her husband's salary, which goes towards the whole family. Balqees then mentioned that a woman owned the mosque and made sure that as long as Islam remained in the Cape, that particular building would be an Islamic place of worship. The female owner was married, but her husband had no say in what she did with the property because it was under her name.

In Islam, and in many other religions, one can look at the role of women in the culture and claim oppression. All I can say after my introduction with Islam is that the oppression of muslim women is not so black and white. What may seem like oppression to me, is considered liberating to muslim women. My visit to the mosque, and Balqees explanation, was an eye-opener when assessing my assumptions of muslim women and Islam as a whole.