Brliallance Research: Mogadishu-Somalia
Abstract
This paper examines the recurring global narrative that Islam marginalizes girls and women, a claim often amplified through selective stories and prejudiced representations. Drawing upon Qur’anic principles, Islamic scholarship, historical legacies, contemporary legal reforms, and modern Muslim intellectual thought, the study argues that such accusations are not only misleading but also serve political and cultural agendas. It highlights how Islam enshrines human dignity (karamah insaniyyah), promotes education, safeguards women’s economic and social rights, and supports reform consistent with modern human development. The paper further critiques the instrumentalization of women’s rights by certain institutions to advance geopolitical aims and challenges the false conflation of modernity with Westernization. Ultimately, it calls for honest dialogue, recognition of Muslim contributions, and cooperative progress grounded in truth, dignity, and shared humanity.
Introduction
In an age of rapid information, accusations against Muslim societies—such as child marriage, systemic marginalization of women, and denial of rights—are frequently propagated. These narratives, often built on isolated incidents or fabricated cases, overshadow the deep ethical, spiritual, and legal frameworks within Islam that honor and empower women. To understand the truth, one must turn to Islamic sources, historical realities, and modern intellectual contributions that affirm women’s dignity and challenge cultural prejudice.
- Core Islamic Teachings: Equality and Dignity
The Qur’an emphasizes equality of men and women in spirituality and accountability: “Whoever does good, male or female, and is a believer, We shall grant them a good life and reward them according to the best of their deeds” (Qur’an 16:97). Human value is anchored not in gender but in righteousness (Qur’an 49:13).
Islam historically ended practices of female infanticide, elevated mothers to the highest status of respect, and enshrined women’s rights to inheritance, property, and marriage consent centuries before similar reforms appeared elsewhere (Islamweb, 2012; Al-Azhar, 2023). Classical jurists and modern reformers alike reaffirm these protections, emphasizing women’s integral role in family and society.
- Rights Enshrined in Law and Daily Life
- Education: Seeking knowledge is a duty for all Muslims. From Fatima al-Fihri, founder of the Qarawiyyin University in 859 CE, to Malala Yousafzai today, Muslim women have been central to education (Dawn, 2024).
- Economic Autonomy: Islamic law guarantees women the right to own and manage property independently (Digital Quran Academy, 2023).
- Marriage Consent: Consent is a prerequisite in Islamic jurisprudence; forced marriages contradict Islamic ethics (Knowing Allah, 2023).
These principles disprove the claim that Islam inherently restricts women’s freedoms.
- Institutional and Grassroots Advocacy
Contemporary Muslim organizations advance these values globally:
- Sisters in Islam (SIS) advocates reform in family law based on justice and equality (Wikipedia, 2024a).
- Musawah mobilizes in over 45 countries to align legal systems with Islamic principles of fairness (Wikipedia, 2024b).
- Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality (WISE) builds networks of Muslim women leaders (Wikipedia, 2024c).
- OIC Women Development Organization strengthens policy frameworks for women’s protection and empowerment (Wikipedia, 2024d).
These initiatives reflect active agency within Muslim societies, not passivity or victimhood.
- Legal Reforms in Muslim Societies
Recent reforms demonstrate how Islamic ethics inform progress:
- In 2025, Pakistan criminalized underage marriage by raising the legal marriage age to 18, framing the law as both child protection and faithful to Islamic values (The Guardian, 2025).
- Across North Africa and Southeast Asia, reforms in inheritance, education, and family law continue to evolve in line with social realities and ethical commitments.
Such reforms reveal adaptability within Islamic frameworks, disproving claims of stagnation.
- Islam as a Force Against Extremism
Extremist groups distort religion to deny women education and mobility. Yet Muslim scholars and policymakers stress that empowering women—especially through education—is central to defeating extremism. The Islamabad Declaration (2025) positioned girls’ education as both a human right and a bulwark against radicalism (Financial Times, 2025).
- Conceptual Framework: Islam, Modernity, and Human Dignity
Modernity ≠ Westernization
As Ramadan (2004) argues, modernity must not equal Westernization. Muslim societies have historically contributed to science, philosophy, and governance. Modernity in Islam is tajdid—renewal—adopting useful advancements without erasing spiritual and cultural identity.
- Boundaries of Faith and Global Muslim Women’s Leadership
Upholding Values and Rejecting Harm
Islam affirms women’s dignity, autonomy, and rights, while also defining moral boundaries meant to safeguard society and family. Acts such as homosexuality, adultery, suicide, and unjust killing are considered destructive to personal integrity and community well-being. These prohibitions are not based on discrimination but on an ethical system that values protection, justice, and accountability. In this framework, empowerment is never detached from responsibility, and rights are paired with moral discipline.
Muslim Women on the Global Stage
Across history and geography, Muslim women have stepped into leadership roles that shaped communities, institutions, and global discourse. Their achievements were often enabled by supportive Muslim men who recognized and respected their contributions, consistent with the cooperative model that Islam envisions between genders. Notable examples include:
- Fatima al-Fihri (859 CE) – Founder of the University of Qarawiyyin in Morocco, still recognized as one of the world’s oldest continuously operating universities.
- Rabi’a al-Adawiyya (8th century CE) – An early Sufi mystic, whose spiritual teachings influenced Islamic thought for centuries.
- Benazir Bhutto – First female Prime Minister of Pakistan, breaking political barriers in the Muslim world.
- Sheikh Hasina – Long-serving Prime Minister of Bangladesh, steering economic and political development.
- Malala Yousafzai – Nobel Peace Prize laureate and global advocate for girls’ education.
- Edna Adan Ismail – Somali health leader and stateswoman, advancing maternal health and diplomacy.
- Ilhan Omar – U.S. Congresswoman, representing Muslim and immigrant voices in American politics.
These examples reflect a continuity: Muslim women are not outsiders to leadership but active contributors in shaping religion, culture, politics, and global human rights.
Reclaiming Leadership with Faith
The legacy of Muslim women demonstrates that Islam is not an obstacle but a foundation for leadership. Within its ethical framework, women have taught, governed, founded institutions, defended nations, and inspired generations. Their influence has always been tied to values of justice, service, and knowledge, and many were supported by men who understood that empowering women strengthens the entire community.
This balance—between empowerment and discipline, dignity and responsibility—marks the Islamic vision. Unlike purely secular models that detach rights from moral codes, Islam offers an integrated approach where women can thrive globally while remaining faithful to their spiritual and cultural roots. In this sense, Muslim women embody both continuity with tradition and active engagement with modern challenges.
Human Dignity as Central Value
The Qur’an (17:70) affirms: “We have honored the children of Adam.” Scholars such as El-Affendi (1991) and Rahman (1982) stress dignity as the core of Islamic ethics. Any narrative portraying Muslims as inherent oppressors is a denial of this foundational principle.
Countering the Instrumentalization of Women’s Rights
Anthropologist Abu-Lughod (2013) and Mahmood (2005) show how Western institutions often instrumentalize Muslim women’s stories for political ends, portraying them as victims to justify external intervention.
Reclaiming Legacy and Truth
From Fatima al-Fihri’s founding of Qarawiyyin University to the contributions of female Hadith scholars, Islamic history demonstrates women’s leadership in knowledge and spirituality. Modern scholars like Wadud (1999) further articulate gender justice within Qur’anic interpretation.
Balanced Modernity
As Mazrui (1986) emphasized, modernity should be “domesticated,” not imposed. Muslims can selectively adopt technological and institutional advancements, guided by ethical accountability, while preserving their cultural and spiritual frameworks.
Conclusion: Truth as the Path to Human Progress
The dignity of two billion Muslims cannot be undermined by prejudice or fabricated narratives. Protecting women and children is an Islamic duty rooted in scripture and history, not an imported value. The false claim that Islam inherently marginalizes women ignores centuries of evidence and ongoing reform.
True global progress requires honesty. Societies must not build superiority on distortions but on truth and mutual respect. Muslim communities, like all others, continue to evolve, but their modernity is measured not by imitation of the West or East—it is defined by fidelity to their moral compass, openness to universal truths, and cooperation in building a just and humane world.
References
Abu-Lughod, L. (2013). Do Muslim Women Need Saving? Harvard University Press.
Al-Azhar. (2023). Islam and Woman. Retrieved from https://www.azhar.eg
Dawn. (2024). Empowered by faith: Women’s rights in Islam. Retrieved from https://www.dawn.com
Digital Quran Academy. (2023). Exploring the rights of women in Islam: Education, equality, dignity, and more. Retrieved from https://digitalquranacademy.com
El-Affendi, A. (1991). Who Needs an Islamic State? University of London.
Financial Times. (2025). Women’s education is essential to defeating extremism in Africa. Retrieved from https://www.ft.com
Islamweb. (2012). How Islam has protected the rights of women (I & II). Retrieved from https://www.islamweb.net
Knowing Allah. (2023). Examples of women’s rights in Islam. Retrieved from https://knowingallah.com
Mahmood, S. (2005). Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject. Princeton University Press.
Mazrui, A. (1986). The African Condition. Heinemann.
Qur’an (16:97; 17:70; 49:13).
Rahman, F. (1982). Islam and Modernity: Transformation of an Intellectual Tradition. University of Chicago Press.
Ramadan, T. (2004). Western Muslims and the Future of Islam. Oxford University Press.
The Guardian. (2025). Pakistan sends ‘important signal’ of hope in a gloomy world of pushbacks on women’s rights. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com
Wadud, A. (1999). Qur’an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman’s Perspective. Oxford University Press.
Wikipedia. (2024a). Sisters in Islam. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia. (2024b). Musawah. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia. (2024c). Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia. (2024d). Women Development Organization. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org
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