Thursday, November 11, 2010
An opening for the empowerment of women in Islam
The clash of culture or civilization between West and Islam is most visible in matters relating to womenfolk. However, there are ingenious ways that Muslim women can become more useful and rewarding part of society, even while remaining true to their faith and its guidance on modesty. Islam gives extraordinary emphasis on chastity and as such favors separation of men and women who are not related; with a view to obviate the chances of misdemeanor. However, Islam is not averse to women helping society by sparing time and effort from their household duties, and at the same time enriching themselves with knowledge and experiences in the wide world. Nursing and Medical profession is one such field where women can be most helpful provided they are allowed to work in a controlled environment. Just as we have girls’ school, colleges, orphanages, we can have women’s hospitals, exclusively treating women and children. They could be staffed only by women. In such an atmosphere, Muslim lady doctors and lady nurses can not only be most helpful to people, but could even find gainful employment without compromising with the strict Islamic guidelines on morality and chastity.
Necessity is the mother of invention. Islamic countries or countries with substantial Muslim population can be motivated to give women a better chance in life, by promotion of medical education as well as special hospitalization facilities exclusively for women. ‘FOR THE WOMEN, BY THE WOMEN” could be the bench-mark.
Even in countries like India, the demand for medical services is so strong, that any contribution to the work force, be that on any terms, can only help people at large, women opting for medical profession as well the entire nation.
India’s cultural ethos too is overwhelmingly committed/ agreeable/ comfortable with such separate facilities available to womenfolk out of traditional standards of modesty, which should not be made a cause of ongoing friction to impose western norms, in the misguided obsessions that the West is the final and exclusive repository of all wisdom.
In India, reservations of up to 50% could be allotted for women and a suitable proportion for Muslim women, so that the nation can benefit from greater participation of Muslim women in the mainstream, while at the same time helping themselves with a higher standard of living through education and service.
Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai
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