Blindspot!
From Issue: 677 [Read full issue]
Women's Activity
Islamic work has been the scene of spreading hardline ideas that now govern the relationship between men and women, adopting the strictest opinions to be found on this issue. The basis in ibadah and religious learning was participation and there never existed in Islam a mosque that had been reserved for women alone or not visited by men. Women attended the sessions in which the Prophet taught Muslims the Deen. They also participated in (or at least attended) the Juma prayers, the two Eid prayers and the congregational prayers together with men. They asked questions about various matters without being prevented from learning the Deen because of their shyness.
The problem of women's Islamic work is that it is men who direct it, not women; and men are careful to maintain their grip on it and thus not giving the chance for female leadership to emerge. Men impose themselves on women's Islamic work, including even women's meetings, as they exploit the shyness of practising Muslim women and never allow them to take command of their own affairs. In this way, no female talents are given a chance to prove themselves in the pursuit of the Islamic Movement or to be seasoned by experience and struggle and learn from the 'school of life' by trial and error.
Compiled From:
"Priorities of The Islamic Movement in The Coming Phase" - Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, pp. 91-94