Category: Muslim

In the present world Muslim women are facing a no of challnges twin challenges one of modernity and second empowerment, so the question of Muslim women is concerned not only with the principles of ‘womanhood’ in Islam, but also on social constructs of women surrounded by political divergence also. In Kashmir, the term ‘Muslim women’ demands and brings to mind a amalgamated set of meanings; in Kashmir women are in relationship with Islam in diverse ways. On one hand they have always been an important part of the conflict against occupation and militarism. In this process of struggle they have used Islam in two diverse ways, ensuing in two different political positions – Islamist and Islamic feminism. In Kashmir there are women with a Muslim community identity, who may or may not be practicing Muslims when they interfere in political action. Yet, though their sources of struggle are multiple, they are almost invariably cast in religious/cultural terms, forgetting that in all these cases, women are both challenging the Indian state/occupation as well as the patriarchy of militarism alongside that of the community.

Hence, like women elsewhere they have continually been refashioning gender identity within the community and within the politics of resistance, but in more culturally appropriate ways. The fundamental reason for Kashmiri women’s somewhat better position and status as compared to Muslim women in the rest of India is the educational elevation . Free female education drive at the time of Sheikh Abdullah’s influx on the political scene has been one of the basic and very important reasons that women could freely and with much ease enter public space. However, it is also obvious that Kashmiri women remained bleak in politics, women’s participation in political activities of the state was dismal. This claiming of public space in the 1940-50s by women was, however, full of challenges. The anti-tradition drive rested on an attempt to Indianize” Kashmiri women. Despite the fact that, education – both content and pedagogy – remain an area of contestation, it nevertheless helped Kashmiri women to expand their sphere and horizon. Not only on the educational side but also at the political level, women took part and joined ranks with the National Conference and started singing the songs of change. Much should be credited to the revolutionary enthusiasm that drew on the anti-Dogra rule

movement and terminated in the 1960s in the Plebiscite Front objection movement. It saw women roar with the Sheikh’s statements and struggle. Women of Kashmir were excluded from intellectual activities, reverting to the role of network, support and organization of the community’s social, economic and larger political renovation when the armed struggle assumed center stage in Kashmir’s politics. In 1980’s the early civil women’s organizations in Islamabad and Srinagar such as the Women’s Welfare Association (W.W.A) raised the problem of dishonesty in political parties, not only this the National Conference, on the other hand also voiced concern over issues, such as dowry that was directly concerned with women of Kashmir. These women demanded and claimed freedom from dishonesty and corruption, political discrimination and suppression of women. Yet, some associations and organizations often raised questions concerning women’s ‘problems’ in order to bring change in political conditions supporting the movement for betterment of both men and women. Women’s Welfare Association was a very comprehensive women’s organization comprising both Hindus and Muslims but unfortunately it could not go long and was dissolved soon. Afterwards, some members of WWA formed a new organization called Muslim Khwateen Markaz (MKM), a moderate support group to the movement. MKM

in its early stage worked and served as a very crucial nursing arm for the raped and wounded women of Kashmir. In India majority of the Muslim women are the most marginalized and underprivileged section of the society. After six decades of Independence of our Country both the Muslim women of India and Kashmir are least educated and knowledgeable, economically and politically backward and marginalized sections of society. In our country the position and status of Muslim women are inferior and low grade probably due to the restrictions placed in their role and also confined their role to mother and wife only. Moreover the status of Muslim women are slaves of rules, laws and restrictions that are directed by existing notions of Islam and it becomes more difficult for Muslim women to break away from the chains of religion and tradition.

The status of women is closely related with their economic position which in turn depends upon rights, roles and chances for participation in economic activities. Thus the status of Muslim women can be witnessed by comprising the following aspects; Total control over economic production, the power to influence on household decision makings particularly about their own life, the degree and extent of property rights they enjoy, sexual autonomy, public esteem, public authority and rewarded employment. The problem of the status of Muslim women of Kashmir by and large relates to the equality between men and women there .Muslim women of Kashmir and of India have always been deprived of equality of position, status and opportunities in the social and economic spheres that affects their status badly and that is also a reason for their low status in the Country. On the status of Muslim women in India three distinct opinions have emerged regarding this.

One group says Islam and Islamic laws have nothing to do with the status of Muslim women. According to this opinion status of Muslim women are like the status of other caste women in India. The main reason that acts as a barrier for their better status is poverty and adverse illiteracy. As per second opinion Islam enforces various boundaries and restrictions on its women and provides better status to men by concentrating more powers to men than Muslim Women. Third group is of opinion that both the genders i.e., men and women are treated uniformly, but unfortunately the Islamic leaders and Religious Scholars are misapprehending the Islamic Laws and are making themselves more powerful than the women in India. Usually, in both India and Kashmir Muslim women play a four-folded they are, first her role as a housewife (homemaker), second her role as a daughter, third as a wife, and finally as a mother. The Muslim woman of Kashmir, whose status and role customarily was well defined and almost fixed in the society, is now understanding and experiencing far-reaching changes.

Muslim women of Kashmir are now entering and flowing into certain new fields that were unknown to her in her spheres of life. Muslim Women of Kashmir are actively participating in social, economic, and political activities. In Kashmir the present generation o f Muslim women are now moving forward to receive better and higher education than the Muslim women of their earlier generation. And also various positive changes can be seen in the attitude of the families towards their education and for raising and attaining economic status both in the family and in the society.

Women are always defined as creatures with unique traits, soft and full of emotions. Strong but might still need help at one time; a woman. The culture of respecting women has been introduced a long time ago and still be practiced until today shows how humans acknowledge each other without validating one through their characteristics and features. It is also being taught in the religion including Islam to be thoughtful to others. In fact, Islam prioritises women and their special attributes, their values are also seen as equal as men and not discriminated. However, there is always a misconception saying that Islam places a little value on women because of some reasons which is undoubtedly false. This is because it can be seen that Islam provides specialties which is given to the women only which shows that the status of women in Islam is high and appreciated.

According to Sahih Al-Bukhari 3331, narrated by Abu Hurairah: Prophet Muhammad mentioned “treat women nicely” as women are described to be fragile they need to be treated gently. For example, avoid using any physical attack while dealing with them but instead, talk softly. Based on the hadith mentioned above, it shows that Islam is a religion of peace and offers kindness to everyone. It is untrue that Islam supports and encourages a non-fairly treatment to the other gender as it emphasizes the needs to be kind to everyone. To say that Islam does not really value women is also a one-side speculation as it is opposite to what is being taught in Islam. Other than that, Allah gives honour to women with the exception of implementing Ibadah during certain times such as during the menstruation happens and nifas. According to a hadith narrated by ‘Aisha: Fatima bint Abi Hubaish said to Allah’s Apostle, ‘O Allah’s Apostle! I do not become clean (from bleeding). Shall I give up my prayers?’ Allah’s Apostle replied: ‘No, because it is from a blood vessel and not the menses. So when the real menses begins give up your prayers and when it (the period) has finished wash the blood off your body (take a bath) and offer your prayers.’ (Sahih Al-Bukhari 303). It shows that Allah concerns on every single thing about all His creations and Islam offers leniency to its believers. Hence, it is can be sure that Islam cares about all its believers and does not disregard the value of women.

Furthermore, the worthiness of women in Islam is shown through the privileges of a woman as a mother. A mother is always look upon to, and respected in Islam. The role of mother is seen as an honour to us, and highlighted in a hadith narrated by Abu Huraira: A man came to Allah’s Apostle and said, ‘O Allah’s Apostle! Who is more entitled to be treated with the best companionship by me?’ The Prophet said, ‘Your mother.’ The man said. ‘Who is next?’ The Prophet said, ‘Your mother.’ The man further said, ‘Who is next?’ The Prophet said, ‘Your mother.’ The man asked for the fourth time, ‘Who is next?’ The Prophet said, ‘Your father, (Sahih Bukhari Book 73, Volume 8, Number 2). This hadith shows that a mother is seen to be a great human and has a high value in Islam. Each Muslim should respect their mother and put them in the first priority list because of the indebtedness towards them.

Moreover, a mother who has sacrificed their time, energy in carrying us for 9 months to wherever they go is indeed a hero. Allah mentioned in Surah Al-Ahqaaf verse 15, “We have enjoyed man kindness to his parents; in pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth’. This verse highlighted that it is not easy to do anything while bringing along another soul carried with them and the pain that they feel as they are pregnant but despite the difficulties, the mother keeps on living life with patience because she knows the pricelessness of the children. The sincerity of a mother who later takes care of their children after 9 months-pregnancy is indescribable and unpayable. Hence, in Islam, the value of a mother is greater and it is an obligatory to listen to be a dutiful child as it is one of the responsibility as a child. This shows that Islam treasures the sacrifice made by each human named “mother” without doubting the pain that they have gone through.

Muslim women can be involved in both Islam and hip-hop (McMurray, 2008). McMurray says that people often ignore the discourses surrounding Islam, which consequently ignores some Muslim groups such as the Black Muslim women. These women are used as agents of negotiating the relationship between Islamic faith and the hip-hop culture. She studies how the Black Muslim women negotiate hip-hop music and Islam, and how the society marginalizes the Black women due to their involvement in hip-hop music.

McMurray uses Erykah Badu as an example, which she argues belong to a Five Percenters Muslims movement (McMurray, 2008). The Muslims consider them Muslims in the political sense and not in the religious sense. She discusses how Badu encourages both women and men to remain within their traditional roles in her songs, which, in the process, creates space for the Black Muslim women. However, since women like Badu are believed not to be in the mainstream Islam religion, they are not considered Muslims, but a political movement. McMurray also uses Eve as an example to show how the Black Muslim women are restricted by the double standards of the community to express themselves. Eve is a Muslim woman, a fact that can be supported by her personal communications. McMurray makes an interesting study on how people discuss Eve and her religion. For example, in one of her songs, she says, “I thank Allah,” but the online lyrics read, “I thank the Lord.” McMurray notes that people from all sides do not see Eve as a Muslim (McMurray, 2008). In her article, McMurray criticizes the mainstream community, the hip-hop community, and the Muslim community for assuming about Black Muslim women in hip-hop music. She argues that nobody accepts Black Muslim women as hip-hop artists. The Muslims do not consider them their fellow Muslims due to their controversial lyrics and their dressing code. Many rappers do not consider the Muslim women as artists because women are seen as objects. The mainstream society values Christianity in the Black community, which makes them assume that Muslims should not be in the black community. The Black Muslim women are thus left struggling to create and establish a position in the hip-hop industry.

In my opinion, young Muslim women in Toronto face double standards of the kind noted by both Zine and Mcmurray. These women are not sure of the standards they should follow. While some people believe that they should behave in a certain way, others expect them to behave in a different way. A good example of the trouble that these women go through is the case that Zine mentions in her article, about a teenage Muslim girl who died after fighting with her father. The report claims that the fight between the young girl and the parents started after the girl refused to wear the Hijab, which resulted in a violent altercation with the parents. Even though many people criticized the case story, it was used to lament the too-permissive multiculturalism in Canada, which made the misogynistic cultures rampant.

Most women in Toronto are at a risk of facing fitnah. The determinations of fitnah rely on the logic that the Muslim women should be responsible for men’s failures. When women are involved in these types of cases, fitnah is seen as the main value of Islam. As a result, the mobility, safety, religious liberty, and education of women is restricted in the move to avoid fitnah. Restricting the mobility, education, and religious liberty of the Muslim women reduces their happiness, which shows that Muslim women in the city are suffering from the double standards.

Using McMurray’s argument, we can say that the Black Muslim women in Toronto suffer from the practiced double standards, which makes it hard for them to assert their position in the music industry. The society expects them to follow set guidelines, which makes it hard for them to follow their passions and dreams. The Islamic community, the mainstream community, and the hip-hop community have different views on the position of women in Islam, the Black community, and the hip-hop culture. As a result, these women are confined to societal rules, which means that their femininity, religion, and race are not recognized.

I agree with the authors’ criticism of the controls and limits on young Muslim women. The limits and controls make it hard for these women to express themselves and follow their dreams. They are subjected to societal rules that limit their ability to achieve anything in their life apart from what the society expects. Most young Muslim girls feel that some of the traditions of the Islam religion are outdated. Using the example given in Zine’s article, the young girls face a lot of criticism from the society and their parents when they try to ignore these traditions, such as the wearing of Habib. In some extreme cases, parents punish their girls when they fail to follow the traditions.

In conclusion, Zine and McMurray criticize the double standards for men and women within each community, showing their concerns about how the double standards affect the young Muslim women. The two authors believe that the expectations of the society, both the Islam and the mainstream, on the Muslim girls, should be abhorred. They claim that the societal expectations make it hard for the Muslim girls to assert their position in life and follow their dreams. In my opinion, the young Muslim girls should be allowed to follow what they believe is right, rather than being subjected to double standards. They should be respected for who they are, which includes their gender, religion, and race.

Through the history different belief systems and religions have arisen in which genders’ social standing has varied in some degree. Among all these religions, Islam is one of the most worshipped ones; therefore, how women are socially active, and how they are treated in this belief system should be discussed. Even though there are mainstream stereotypes claiming that women are mainly discriminated in Islam, actually in this religion females and males are perceived to be equal in many aspects. I strongly believe that the main reason behind all these stereotypes is the misinterpretation of Islamic rules by some Muslim societies in which people, who hold the power, mislead people about religious issues. The genuine value of women in Islam should be distinguished from what some believers consider as the so-called requirements in order to get a reasonable understanding of females’ importance in this religion. Despite the fact that people’s misusage of the religion creates different stereotypes about it, in Islam, women are considered as equal as men by being valued in the same degree and having similar rights such as the right to education.

Islamism, which is, unfortunately, considered as an inevitable part of the current world, is one of the obvious causes of misinterpretation and stereotypes about Islam. In order to define how all these undesired issues arise, the difference between Islam and Islamism should be clearly stated. Even though Islam came to the surface in ancient times, as a hope bringing religion, Islamism, associated with politics, is another term which is used to differentiate the real Islam from misused version of it. To my way of thinking, the reason for the rise of Islamism can be due to the actions of some authority members who wanted to gain more power by manipulating and affecting people’s feelings through the religion in several Muslim countries. Thus, I think it is obvious why todays numerous girls are deprived of many rights in the name of so-called Islam. The reason is that the authorities of several Muslim countries know that with female population who fully utilize their rights, it would be difficult to control people because a woman who knows her rights somehow means children who acknowledge their rights. While talking about the misusage of Islam, it would be quite fair to analyze how Islam considers women significantly valuable and how this situation is misinterpreted.

If women’s social life in Islam is discussed, firstly, their value in the society should be examined. Not only in the Islam, but world widely, it is accepted that males and females cannot be considered as equal in terms of certain characteristics of physiology and psychology; however, their status and value in the society are appreciated in the same way in Islam (Khayat, 2003). An example of that can be the attitude toward newborn girls before and after Islam; before the Islamization of Arabian Peninsula, an infant could be killed just because she was a girl. However, after people saw how the Prophet Muhammad treated his daughter, the situation started to change (not completely, unfortunately). From my perspective, this means that Islam gave back the right to live to countless girls by simply reminding the society the true value of women. It should also be remarked that the language of the Koran, the sacred book of Islam, addresses both males and females separately, and it indicates that Islam sees the members of both genders as separate valuable individuals.

Even though in several Muslim countries, especially the ones located in Africa continent, females’ illiteracy rate is high, Islam puts significance on education regardless of one’s gender. It is a well-known fact that the first order of this religion is “Read!”, and while giving this command Islam does not state girls cannot get education or only boys can. In my opinion, today, if some people are against the women’s education and support themselves with so-called Islamic rules, it is just because of their misunderstanding, misinterpretation, or just biased view. Speaking of Muslim girls’ education, I would like to emphasize the first girls’ school in Baku founded by Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev, who believed that females should also have a right to education. I firmly believe that he opened this school because maybe he thought that the girls could not become educated since some Muslim families were against women’s education. Those families, I guess, misunderstood some requirements of Islam and completely rejected women’s right to education. I also tend to think that maybe when a girl was illiterate, families easily made them obey their rules and regulations; therefore, by misinterpreting the nature of Islam, they refused to send their daughters to the school. Therefore, in my opinion, it can be concluded that although Islam puts equal significance to both genders’ education, sometimes people intentionally or unintentionally do the opposite without deeply understanding it.

All in all, the value of women in Islam and how it is interpreted can be varied from each other in some degree. Despite the fact that Islamism is used as a tool for gaining power within different types of societies, most people are not still aware of it; therefore, they are easily manipulated. Nonetheless, putting those misinterpretation issues and stereotypes aside, Islam is the religion of equality for both males and females in respect to their value in the society and their rights. Also, education, which is a crucial element of the 21st century, has been one of the basic rights for both men and women since the beginning of Islam. From my point of view, in order to fully perceive the real value of women in Islam, an individual should try to put away all the Islamism factors and follow the true rules of this religion.

INTRODUCTION

Topic of my report is “Situation of women before Islam in Arab, Iran, India and Rome” related to the main topic “Current Social, Moral and Political Challenges of Muslims” as the situation of women before Islam was worse in these nations and relating it with situation of women after advent of Islam and current situation women in these nations. Before Islam women had not a good status they were degraded in most of the nations. They were not given respect as a common human being. They were buried alive because the people think that they are the source to sin or evil. Islam gives women a good status and respect that she can easily live in this world without any fear.

Before Islam the different nation civilizations the women rights were in dark period. The nations that were not civilized and not respect the women rights were detailed below which include: Arab, Iran, India and Rome.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

1) Situation of women in Arab (Before Islam):

Before Islam, the Arabs treat women as rubbish or piece of property. When the husband of women died she can’t marry until her husband guardian permitted her. The women can’t remarry until that young guardian grow up, either he will marry her or get her marry with anyone else and take dowry.

Women had no respect she was considered as a cause of shame or embarrassment. Arabs before Islam do not give inheritance to women and also deprived her from her life. When the Arabs come to know that any women give a birth to female child they usually dig a hole and throw that female child into it and cover it with dust. There was one incident in which one father was far travelling for some work and his wife give a birth to female child when he come back he throw his daughter in to the hole and cover with dust his wife was screaming but his heart do not become soften.

When that incident happens than during pregnancy the women think if there is daughter they will throw her in a hole or hide them. When the fathers came to know that there wife give a birth to daughter their faces become dark because of their hatred with the female child, they feel shame and embarrassed. They hate there female child because of two reasons:

• The female daughter can’t take part in wars with them.
• They considered their daughters as a source of shame

In Al-MADEENAH Abdullah bin UBAYY IBN SALOOL was the head of the hypocrites who get money by forcing the slave girls for being prostitutes. Than this thing was prohibited by mentioning in Quran verses than later he accepts the prohibition.

There is little question that Arabs committed infanticide before Islam. it absolutely was not a replacement issue nor was it restricted to at least one cluster of tribes. Young women were typically the victims of this dreadful follow, however, young boys could have additionally been killed once there have been no additional women left. it absolutely was aforementioned proverbially, ‘The dispatch of daughters could be a kindness’ and ‘The burial of daughters could be a noble deed.’ (Nicholson, p. 90) In Arabia, as among alternative primitive folks, child-murder was disbursed in such some way that no blood was shed, the kid was buried alive. typically the grave was prepared by the aspect of the bed on that the girl was born. (W. guard Smith, Kinship & wedding in Early Arabia. London, Adam and Charles Black, 1903, p. 293) though the follow of infanticide had once been general, it had nearly died out by the time of the prophet, except among a number of tribes, like the Tamim. Female infanticide was typically prompted by one among 2 reasons: concern of impoverishment or concern of disgrace. the primary reason is related to the frequent famines caused by lack of rain and therefore the concern of impoverishment that may result from providing for ladies WHO were viewed as less productive than boys.

Fathers were afraid that they’d have useless mouths to feed, since daughters were thought-about mere ‘ornaments,’ as detected within the Quran: … if any of them is given the glad tiding of [the birth of] what he therefore promptly attributes to the foremost Gracious, his face darkens, and he’s crammed with suppressed anger: What! [Am I to possess a daughter-] one WHO is to be reared [only] for the sake of ornament? – with that he finds himself torn by a imprecise inner conflict…(43:15-19) The sacred writing admonishes the Arabs against killing their youngsters for concern of impoverishment and guarantees sustenance for them: Hence, don’t kill your youngsters for concern of poverty: it’s we have a tendency to WHO shall offer sustenance for them moreover as for you. Verily, killing them could be a nice sin. (17:31) The second reason for infanticide could be a perverted sense of pride on the a part of the fathers WHO wished to avoid shame and disgrace, ought to their daughters be captured by the enemy in war, a typical prevalence at that point.

The murder of feminine youngsters for concern of disgrace began with Qais Bin Assem, a pacesetter of Tamim, as connected within the following story (Smith, p. 292): ‘Mosharmaraj the Yashkorite raided the sa’d and carried off, among alternative girls, the girl of a sister of Qais, WHO was then married to the son of her capturer. once Qais came to ransom her, she refused to go away her husband. Qais was therefore angry that he killed all his women by burial them alive and nevermore allowed a girl to measure. One girl born in his absence was sent by the mother to her own kin and on Qais’s come back he was told by his married person that she had been delivered of a dead kid. Years passed on until the lady grew up and came at some point to go to her mother. ‘I came in,’ therefore Qais himself told Muhammed, and saw the lady. Her mother had plaited her hair, and place rings within the side-locks, and set up them with sea-shells and placed on her a sequence of cowries, and given her a jewelry of dried dates. I said, ‘who is that this pretty girl?’ and her mother wept and aforementioned, ‘She is your girl,’ and told ME however she had saved her alive. therefore I waited until the mother ceased to be concerned concerning her, then I diode her out at some point and mamma a grave and arranged her in it, she crying, ‘Father , what ar you doing with me?’

Then I lined her up with the world, and he or she still cried, ‘Father, {are|ar|area unit|square MEasure} you progressing to bury me? ar you progressing to leave me alone and go away?’ however I went on filling within the earth until I may hear her cries no loner; which is that the solely time that I felt pity after I buried a girl.’ It is reportable that Qais’s example found imitators till each chief destroyed his daughters for concern they could cause him shame. (Smith P. 292). It looks affordable to conclude that the murder of a girl to avoid shame, beneath the ugly circumstances delineate during this story, is altogether totally different from the standard style of infanticide practiced on newborn infants in primitive nations. this implies that the 2 motives for infanticide were unrelated. The insufficiency of food throughout famines had maybe additional to try to to with the origin of infanticide than family pride, since the nomads of Arabia suffered perpetually from hunger throughout most of the year. the sole persons WHO had enough to eat were nice men, and it absolutely was them WHO, following Qais’s precedent, killed their daughters out of pride. (Smith, p. 294) To the poor folks, daughters were a burden, and killing them was a natural suggests that of survival, because it was to alternative savage folks.

Situation of women in Arab (Current situation after advent of Islam):

If we go through the current situation of women in Arab we come to know that Islam had given great respect to women. Now women had right to get education in Arab region there are most of the women who are literate in Arab region. But there are most of the females illiterate also than men. In Arab they considerfemale first responsibilityis as housewife and mother. On other hand men had to support his family by working outside and that is his responsibility as mention in Islam. That’s why men education is favored most among the women.

Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates are those countries of Arab in which female literacy level is high. But in most of countries femaleright to employment is not fully accepted by the culture. But in Islamic history there were some of female judges who had a great influence. Many Arab countries also give females a chair of judge but later come to know that females are emotional and judge duty is stressful and also emotional decision cannot be made on that chair.

Most of the countries of Arab had given females political rights. Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia had neither given female a right to participate in politics and not a single female is elected.

2) Situation of women in India (Before Islam):

Hindu does not give rights to women. She was treated as a servant to the father and her husband. She was not given right of inheritance and she had no right to own anything. When any women husband died than she was buried with him or burnt alive, this act remains during the occupation of British later this custom was banned. But some of Hindus maintain that custom of burning the women’s alive in 20 century also.

Women were not given importance they were considered unlucky if there husband get dead the people of India think that they are responsible for that and then buried them or burnt them alive.

3) Situation of women in Iran (Before Islam):

Ancient Iranian culture had showed disturbing picture of women. In Iran women’s were forced to do marriage in early age. For early marriages of women’s their father marry them or their brother marry them.

In ACHAEMEIND Empire, the women have a right to participate in civil affairs but the participation was not fully granted to them it had a limit. After Herodotus visit to this Empire and noticed that men and women are working together for maintaining the state work. The women of royal houses had access to education etc.

In SASANIAN era women were treated as a piece of property and treated as slave. Father sell his daughter when cannot afford house expenditures. Women had the right to get divorce from his husband if she is married in adult age. Women had to marry the person that his father had decided at the age of nine years if she does not accept that than she has to die in any case.

Situation of women in Iran (Current situation after advent of Islam):

Current situation in Iran is that women rights are restricted they cannot watch the sports of men in stadiums. Women face serious discrimination on marriage, child custody and divorce etc. If some women talk about the equal rights of both men and women in front of government than she is taken in to jail, because the Iran government want that population should grow.

Some of the women’s are forced to wear hijabs. And the married women cannot leave the country without her husband permission.

5) Situation of women in Rome (Before Islam):

In Rome before Islam women were treated very badly by that Empire. They had no social or civil rights. In Rome if the men kill his wife no one take some action against him or given any punishment. Men had a right to marry as many women as he want. The women were sold and bought everywhere. Rome girls get marry at early age of 12 or even early than that. There was a woman named VETURIA get married at age of 11, there were six children of her and get died at the age of 27.

The women have no moral values in Rome they were considered as some property from which they can get benefit.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Before Islam there was no respect for women but at the advent of religion of Islam considered humanity of women. In current situation women has a right to get education, right in inheritance. They have given equal rights with men. Islam had given respect to women and right to live a safe life. They have right to work and had a right to vote. They had provided with dignity. There are some countries which don’t follow some rules and regulations of Islam regarding women and also not give rights to them regarding their education, marriage etc. But the most of countries should give respect to Muslim women, should allow them to avail there basic rights. Government of countries should take action against it to resolve this problem.

In the past men and women were never equal, even now sometimes there is still gender inequality. The Holy Quran has given the same status to men and women as it says that they are both from the same origin and due to this fact women should not be looked down upon men as lower creatures. In Islam, if you think about religion women and men were moral equals in God’s sight. They are equals in religion, but not identical – gender roles are precisely defined. Similarly, the rights, roles, and responsibilities of women are evenly balanced with those of men but are not necessarily the same. Islam considered the woman as a worthy human being, with a share in humanity equal to that of the man. They were expected to fulfil the same duties of worship, prayer, faith, almsgiving, fasting, and pilgrimage to Mecca. Islam improved women’s status, compared to other cultures that came before or that were there at the same time as Islam. Women all across the world were deprived of inheritance of a property and it was given to men. The shari’a gave Muslim women specific legal rights concerning marriage, family, and property. Women are not forced to earn or spend any money on housing, food, or general expenses. When they go out in public, they were expected to be veiled. Their appearance was and still is really modest, it highlights a woman’s personality character instead of her physical figure and promotes a deeper appreciation for who she is or was as a person. Men and women, each played a unique role to mutually uphold social morality and societal balance. Islam gave women the right to education, to marry someone of their decision, to maintain their name after marriage, to divorce, to work, to own and sell a property, to seek protection by the law, to vote, and to participate in civic and political engagement. Nonetheless, Muslim women were still expected to submit to men and their responsibilities varied with the income of their husbands. In this essay, I am going to write about women as mothers, about their marriage, and their education.

Rich or poor, women were responsible for the raising of the children. Every mother had a and still have three outstanding qualities, deep love for her children, sacrifice and dedication, protection and security. Mothers are given priority over fathers in terms of special kindness, care, duty, help, and obedience. A mother understands the children’s problem even when they cannot express it. She can uniquely sense their needs, both physical and emotional. Mothers are the silent workers who are indispensable for building a character of the next generation. Both parents, in accordance with Islamic teachings and principles, are to be obeyed, respected and not differed with as long as they do not command or order their children to disobey their Creator. The mother’s rights are greater than those of the father, and the responsibility to take care of her grows larger as the mother grows older. Allah mentions all the sacrifices mothers make in bearing children to remind people to treat their mothers with love, respect, and care. After all, no child can be born without them. Emphasizing the importance of mothers, the Prophet Muhammad said, “Heaven lies under the feet of your mother.” Every mother has to go through the difficulties of pregnancy and severe pains of labour. This is why the Prophet has given more rights to the mother than anybody else. He said, ‘Do good too and serve your mother, then your mother, then your mother, then your father, then the near relatives and then those who come after them.’ All Prophets explained that a woman was a fighter, from the time she became pregnant up to the time she delivered, and from the moment she began breastfeeding till the moment she stopped. To raise a virtuous child is one of the greatest good deeds. It continues to bring reward even after death. In Islam women’s contributions as mothers, are acknowledged and appreciated by every. Parents must be respected, obeyed and offered financial assistance from their children, even if they have a different religion or faith, other than Islam. Disobeying parents, disrespecting them and failing to fulfil their rights is the greatest of sins.

The basic foundation of the society is the family, and the husband and the wife are co-partners in that family. Dating was rare in majority-Muslim countries. What often happened is that a young man of marriageable age will be offered to a girl’s guardian as a prospect. The right time to get married is after you have completed your education and your personality has stabilised. Marriage is one of the strongest relationships which Islam encourages and considers as one of the prophets’ practices. In Islam, a wife should always obey her husband. A woman was not allowed to leave the house without her husbands’ permission, whether she wants to go out for a personal or general need. Arrange marriages were allowed in Islam although, a woman has the power to accept or refuse marriage proposals and her permission is needed to complete the marriage contract. She cannot be forced to marry someone against her will and if this occurs for cultural reasons, it is in direct contradiction to Islam. When a man marries a woman, she becomes his ‘honour’ which he must stubbornly defend even if he gets killed in the process. If a woman is married, her husband must fully support her financially and if she’s not married, that responsibility belongs to her closest male relative. A woman is recommended to serve her husband in kindness by preparing meals for him and undertaking other household chores. Although marriage is considered a life-long commitment, a situation may arise where marriage ceases to fulfil its purpose. Women also have the right to solicit divorce if they are unhappy with their marriage. In Islam, men are often permitted to marry multiple women, but they were not permitted to marry more than one man, usually because of the difficulty of proving which man fathered which son. At the time of marriage, a woman is entitled to a dowry from her husband. This dowry is legally owned by her and cannot be managed by anyone else. In the case of divorce, she has the power to keep whatever she owned before the divorce and anything she personally earned after marriage. The former husband has no claim whatsoever to any of her belongings. This guarantees a woman’s financial security and independence, permitting her to support herself in the situation of divorce. When a husband wanted to divorce his wife, all he had to do was repeat three times, “I dismiss thee.” The divorce became final in three months.

In the early days of Islam, women could also participate in public life and gain an education. However, over time, Muslim women were forced to live increasingly isolated lives. Muslim women have always played a role in the spread of religious knowledge. No woman held religious titles in Islam, but many women held political power, some jointly with their husbands, others independent. Prophet Muhammad said, “Seeking knowledge is mandatory for every Muslim.” Women in Islam did have access to education, and among them were poets and scholars. Women participated in government, public affairs, lawmaking, scholarship, and teaching. To continue this tradition, women are encouraged to actively participate in improving, serving, and leading the different aspects of the community. Some girls of wealthy families received private education in the home. However, women were prohibited from formal education. Throughout the 1800s, schools for girls opened in several Muslim countries. They received guidance in such subjects as crafts and housekeeping. Occasionally, women have earned credit as Islamic scholars for their writings, not for earning a degree in Islamic studies. Because several Muslims did not believe that women have the ability to teach men, even women who had religious training may only serve the needs of other women. Although, for wealthier woman, their money and knowledge gave them the ability to ignore society’s traditional expectations of women and to participate fully in the economic, political, and cultural life of their community. Throughout history, several Muslim women were involved in the founding of educational institutions. Most notable of these is Fatima al-Fihri, who established the University of Al-Karaouine. Islam promotes education, particularly girls’ education. Had it not been so, the world would not have seen the transformation of society becoming one enlightened with critical thinkers and scholars.

In conclusion, women in Islam were given better and bigger opportunities than in other cultures during those times or before them. In Islam men and women were equals in Allah’s sight. They were also highly respected and appreciated as mothers, since they gave birth to their children, took care of them, etc. Women could also study, which in some places nowadays they still can’t. They could get the education they needed and give other kids the opportunity to get an education. Women could not be forced to get married, although when they got married they still had to obey their husbands. The shari’a gave Muslim women specific legal rights concerning marriage, family, and property. Islam gave women the right to education, to marry someone of their decision, to maintain their name after marriage, to divorce, to work, to own and sell a property, to seek protection by the law, to vote, and to participate in civic and political engagement. Islam gave women lots of opportunities that maybe we wouldn’t have now if it wasn’t for them.

In Islam, people are good equivalents in God’s sight and are required to satisfy similar obligations of love, supplication, confidence, alms-giving, fasting, and Hajj. Islam, for the most part, has improved the status of women in contrast to the old Arab societies, restricting female child murder. Islamic law accentuates the legally binding nature of marriage, necessitating that a settlement be paid to the lady as opposed to her family, and ensuring the privileges of legacy and to possess and oversee property. Women were additionally allowed the privilege to live in the marital home and get money related maintenance during marriage and a holding up period following demise and separation.

The verifiable record shows that the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) counseled ladies and gauged their sentiments truly. Ladies contributed essentially to the beatification of the Quran. A lady is known to have rectified the definitive decision of Caliph Umar on endowment. Ladies offered haven to men, occupied with business exchanges, were urged to gain knowledge, and were teachers and students in the early Islamic period. Muhammad (PBUH)’s last spouse, Aishah , was a notable expert in medication, history, and oratory. The Quran alludes to ladies who promised a vow of devotion to Muhammad autonomously of their male kinfolk.

Some recognized ladies changed over to Islam preceding their spouses, a show of Islam’s acknowledgment of their ability for free activity. Caliph Umar delegated ladies to fill in as authorities in the market of Medina. Life stories of recognized ladies, particularly in Muhammad (PBUH)’s family, show that ladies carried on moderately independently in early Islam.

Since the mid-nineteenth century, people have scrutinized the lawful and social limitations on ladies, particularly in regards to isolation, exacting veiling, polygyny, and oppression. Patriotic developments, that rose in the post–World War II period, saw women and sexual orientation issues as vital to social advancement. State strategies empowered women to enter the male-overwhelmed political and occupational circle, that was previously shut to them, despite the fact that these approaches frequently caused religious kickback.

Discussions proceed over the suitable degree of female support in the open circle. Ladies are ordinarily seen as key to either improving or rationing custom in light of their jobs in looking after family, social coherence, and culture. Ladies’ status has likewise been utilized as a methods for characterizing national personality. Despite the fact that legislatures of twentieth-century in Muslim states have emphasized education for both males and females to gain economic growth, the level of young females going to schools in such nations, with enormous and quickly developing populaces, stays low.

In the twentieth century, the accessibility and advancement of state funded training for the two young ladies and young men; development of openings for work for ladies; and the rising number of changes to Islam from different strict customs, especially in the West, have added to the craving of Muslim ladies for more prominent strengthening in the training and translation of their confidence. As in different everyday issues, Muslim ladies have demonstrated to be ingenious, imaginative, and devoted to guaranteeing responsibility for obligation regarding their faith lives, both independently and collectively. Today, Muslim ladies are dynamic in Qur’an study circles, mosque-based exercises, Islamic community service, and Islamic education. There are a rising number of female Qur’an reciters, Islamic legal advisors, and teachers of Islamic examinations all through the world. Ladies are progressively present in profoundly obvious places of strict noticeable quality, despite the fact that, until this point, few have noteworthy situations in the strict religious establishment and none have accomplished the prominent positions, for example, as Muftis or Ayatollahs.

The Muslim world has never returned to the Islamic custom through the viewpoint of a libertarian point of view. Consequently, the Islamic custom that despite everything contemporary Muslim world has the option to secure its man-made nature. For the most part molded by men, the Islamic convention has a constrained capacity to grasp libertarian new speculation on key issues.

Contemporary Islamists characterize parenthood as the perfect type of womanhood. This choice is only the aftereffect of Islamists’ inability to build up a sensible account on ladies’ bodies and sexuality. Islam venerates parenthood, however Islam has no message characterizing parenthood as the perfect type of womanhood. The possibility that parenthood is the main real portrayal of womanhood has been designed by contemporary Islamists as the most ideal approach to build a social thought of lady without a sexual measurement. Current changes have made polygynous relationships troublesome or unlawful; allowed wives to sue for separate in strict courts, especially in instances of mercilessness, renunciation, or perilous infectious maladies; furnished ladies with the privilege to contract themselves in marriage; expanded the base age for companions; restricted the capacity of watchmen to contract ladies in marriage against their desires; gave chances to minor young ladies marry against their desires to revoke the marriage after arriving at lion’s share; upgraded the privileges of ladies as to kid guardianship; and permitted ladies to compose provisos into their marriage contracts that limits their spouse’s position over them.

In the article “The Political Economy of Women’s Support for Fundamentalist Islam”, the authors (Bladyes & Linzer, 2008) state that religion is the major contributor of fundamentalists in the political economy. Women in Islamic religion are forced to tolerate some beliefs to be considered religious and respectful. Despite that other religious countries have become compatible with gender equality most of them still have beliefs concerning how citizens should be treated. Other Muslim states such as Egypt are still categorized by patriarchy they do not believe in gender equality. Middle East countries still adhere to the rules that interpret that women do not have equal rights as men.

The foremost challenge that is discussed is women’s inequality and how the Islamic religion treats females as compared to men. (Bladyes & Linzer, 2008) discuss that women are not given equal opportunities when searching for a job or educational values. The authors surveyed analyzing why women in middle east countries such as Egypt are not given employment opportunities especially when they come from poor backgrounds. The analysis further explains how there are different classes in society that determine women’s fate. This is seen where a child is given an opportunity because the father was working for the government. However, it is perceived that females from the Islamic religion are comfortable with the beliefs and practices that deprive them to have a social life. They do not argue or fight for their social rights as most feminists do in other countries. Many women in Arab countries have not gone to school because of beliefs. Therefore, they do not know their rights.

The authors (Bladyes & Linzer, 2008) further discuss that the key determinant of inequality is the lack of opportunities and financial insecurity among Islamic women. There are individuals from different family setups that are forced to get married to wealthy men because they cannot afford to support themselves financially. The marriage which is referred to as “market marriage” is usually planned in order for an individual to receive sustenance. Consequently, they are obligated to search for husbands who can financially stable to receive provisions from them. Women cannot give any public opinion and they are not allowed to participate in cultural or social activities. The argument that there is inequality among Islam’s is due to the issue that women are forced to stay at home and wait for their husbands to provide for them. The citizens are only allowed to bore children and take care of household duties. The small number of women who are educated and allowed to go look for employment. However, employers do not consider the level of education. They end up getting menial jobs and little wages which can only make them afford their basic needs. While both males and females have the same level of education, women are less likely to get employed. This is evident because many female Islam’s resorts to get married to working-class men who either got employed because of their education or their family’s background. The managers do not bother to see if the individuals are skilled. However, what is not understandable is how women agree to be in an institution whereby they are not valued. In their view, this is supposed to be their fate because they have no option.

Binzel & Carvalho (2016) Explain how social class has a fundamental impact on women regarding their lives. Most women are left out on interviews and other major functions that can determine their educational attainment. This is enlightened whenever one wants to be an opportunity, the elders determine where one can be placed depending on their social class. The less fortunate have to be interviewed according to their levels of education. Whereas the fortunate got chances regarding their father’s authority on society. According to Binzel and Carvalho (2016), most individuals whose parents worked in a governmental job did not have to show their credentials for them to be employed. It is on the basis that their background enables them to get white-collar jobs. Subsequently, women who are given improved opportunities come from wealthy families. However, individuals from higher income are less likely to entertain these beliefs. This is because they are democrats and they do not support inequalities. However, lower-income individuals who mostly are not educated are more expected to support fundamentalism. Their illiteracy makes them believe that it is normal for every individual to support the beliefs that their forefathers put in front. As a result, they follow all the arrangements that were made before the twentieth century. Consequently, the elderly are given better opportunities instead of them retiring and staying at home and making ways for female youths who have university degrees due to their hard work. The citizens are forced to separate their identities depending on their social class and probabilities.

Pepinsky and Welborne (2001) Argue that piety does not allow political economy inequality. This is discussed considering that Muslims are generous. Individuals resort to going to Mosques to ask for assistance whenever they have a financial problem. By making this claim, the authors used examples of how they offer small jobs and other basic needs where necessary and this is usually provided in the communities or mosques. They go about helping the less fortunate with employment opportunities that they can manage depending on their education and age. Consequently, the authors analyze that Muslim individuals based in the United States avoid getting high-class opportunities from the government. Pepinsky and Welborne (2001) further discuss that almost all Muslims have equal opportunities and they get their jobs based on their hard work. The authors state that individuals get better income and social opportunities from religious groups as compared to what the governments can offer. They do not agree that the less fortunate go through a lot of trouble in order for them to survive. For instance, all-female Muslims have a right to education and other political advancements like voting. By claiming this, the article suggests that all citizens have equal rights regardless of their gender and class.

Even though the subject of Political Economy of Women is argued by the authors Pepinsky & Welborne (2001). They have different perceptions whereby Pepinsky & Welborne (2001) argue that there is nothing like social class inequality among women in the Islamic religion. However, Bladyes & Linzer, (2008), and Binzel & Carvalho (2016) agree that inequality in women is as a result of financial dependence. The unequal distribution of opportunities and chances of getting formal education is biased in Islamic countries. Women are required to live their lives worshiping men. Consequently, they argue that social class is the major reason why Islamic women are treated differently and of lesser value compared to men. This is realized where they involuntary stay at home to take care of the households while they can be able to work for the improvement of society. They do not have the right to vote and are forced to put on certain clothes to show respect to their elders. Subsequently, this act legitimizes inequality based on the political economy of fundamentalism.

In conclusion, different Arabic countries have beliefs about women’s political economy. Some believe that there should be equality between both genders while others oppose the motion. This has a major effect on women living in Islamic countries since they have to adapt and accept the fact that they cannot be equal to men. The leaders believe that women should be left at home to take care of basic chores. Although women can be supportive and hardworking, there is an unfair distribution of opportunities which has made a lot of females consider getting married to people from wealthy families. However, this should not be the case because all genders should be treated as equal and women should have all the rights. A fresh perspective would ensure that females are allowed to enjoy civil, political, and social life by given a chance to live like men. Consequently, this situation is mostly seen in countries where individuals are poor and the socioeconomic class is low. It is also dominant in states where there is a higher ratio of males compared to females. This analysis has consequences in women’s rights and the development of democracy in Islam. The belief in religious innovation is suggestively connected to fundamentalism.

Introduction

A Muslim woman always comes with a set of labels and expectations in the mind sets of society. But in reality in addition to being a Muslim woman, she is much more. She is more than a Muslim and a woman. There is no template definition for what a Muslim woman should be.

One of the most misinterpreted or misunderstood parts of the Islam are topics related to women. They are always framed as the oppressed. The repeated narrative of need for liberation of Muslim women from their veil or hijab or from their entire community itself has dominated the larger discourse. According to the UK Independence Party’s (UKIP) manifesto, the main focus is to ban the Burqa in public places. The manifesto states: ‘we will not accept these dehumanising symbols of segregation and oppression, nor the security risks they pose.’ The most crucial part is that, these policy formulations are made without being guided by the voices of Muslim women, but rather directed by the western, liberal notions of how Muslim women should be. The only positive portrayal of Muslim women labelling them as liberated is by their lack of Hijab or Veil.

Our experiences and identities are informed mainly through media images which shape our self and others. Muslims, occupying one fifth of the world population, its culture, values, economics and politics, is an important factor discussed on the world stage. (Mohammed, 2010). Media has grown into a powerful institution which kick starts the debates, questioning the basic structures and moulding the public consciousness. Society interacts actively with all mediums of media like journalism, theatre and film. One can no longer turn away from these mediums as these have become the part of our very normal life.

Reading or decoding a Film, whose meaning is rooted in perspectives and various positions, is very important. Film criticism helps us to observe them differently, to understand the unconscious reflection of social reality, the underlying power structures, the frames which melt into each other, the repetitive narrative patterns, the dialogues which use myth and history, the juxtapositions which take place and all of which simultaneously the medium follows. (Salim, 2018)

When it comes to the portrayal of Muslim woman in cinema, she is always depicted as the victim of male dominance and it is very uncommon to not see her in black, covered from head to toe. In Malayalam cinema also, Muslim woman is portrayed as voiceless. She is depicted as a silenced victim of religion and patriarchy. This paper mainly analyses the anomaly between the portrayal of Muslim women in Malayalam cinema and the realities of her life beyond stereotypes.

Islam in Malayalam cinema

“If you take the same images and you repeat them over and over again, and the images teach us to hate people and to hate their religion, what happens is that we, in spite of our intelligence, our innate goodness, actually turn around and let these images despise and vilify an entire people.” (Sheehan, 2001)

Representation of Muslims in mass media, mainly in cinema, was always based on a larger propaganda. It can be placed in the context of pre and post 26/11 attacks in India. “Terrorism became a perspective, an orientation, and a discourse for “our time” (Altheide, 2001). The narratives casting Muslim characters were mostly to achieve certain goals like to establish an emotion against the community. Loyalty of Muslims is always placed in a state of doubt. There is a collective effort in cinema and media to make sure that the identity of terrorist should not be doubted by the audience. It is laid solely on Muslims and Islam. 26/11 attack which is known as India’s 9/11 has played a role in turning Indian consciousness against Muslims. It also leads to uniting the citizens to attack the source of fear- Muslims.

For a long time, Malayalam cinema also (not any different from the other industries) has presented Islam not as a religion of brotherhood and peace but as an agent of terror and terrorism. The topic of portrayal of Muslim woman in Malayalam cinema, is also important to analyse as she is seen as doubly oppressed in films, first through her gender and secondly through her religion. There was a lack of genre of Muslim cinemas in Malayalam to counter such attempts. But now narratives are changing. People of Islam and other faith are coming forward to reclaim the spaces and identities of Muslim community that once were corrupted.

Portrayal and the Reality

The time and space of present century has brought significant changes in the education, rights, freedom, language, attire and status of Muslim women. So it is important to read the perspectives of present Malayalam cinema towards Muslim women. There are a lot of box office hit movies in Malayalam cinema which portrayed Muslim women as backward and in a stereotypical manner. But there are significant changes taking place in narratives presented today. The films which address the changes and developments made by Muslim community and portray Muslim women against the stereotypes are being made and getting attention.

Gayatri spivak identifies that there is a trend of generalising third world women in terms of western female subject constitution. This clearly ignores the differences in culture, language and social class. Women may be wounded in every society, but their experiences vary according to the community they belong to. Wounded Muslim women became a repeated theme of the twentieth century movies.

“Twenty first century Malayalam cinema showed no much difference from what it has been Portraying about Muslim community and Muslim women except a few movies which showed Protesting and independent women. The recurrent themes of Triple Talaq, Nikkah Halala, Polygamy, child marriage and the whole suffering women appeared in mainstream movies as well as parallel cinema. Some of the movies showed how these laws were misinterpreted to suit the needs and interests of the male section of the society. For example, the practice of Nikah Halala has been the theme of twenty first century movies like Alif, Kilichundan Mambazham and Mosayile Kuthirameenukal.” (salam, 2018)

The word Halala is derived from the word ‘Halal’ which means Lawful. It is the procedure in which the divorced woman becomes halal to remarry for her divorced husband. A man is allowed only to remarry his wife only twice and if he divorces her for the third time it becomes irreversible unless the wife gets married to a different man and therefore the man dies or divorces her. The term Halala is employed when a person intentionally arranges another man to marry his wife and divorce her so that he can remarry her.

Polygamy, lack of education, superstition, Talaq (divorce) and patriarchy were the most common themes when it comes to the portrayal of Muslim women. Umma (mother) (1960) is the first Malayalam movie to integrate the element of Muslim community to the mainstream cinema. The story of the film revolves around the marital evils prevailing in the Muslim community especially in Malabar Region. But the heroine of the movie who is the victim of polygamy is represented as strong against the interest of her community and sends her daughter to school.

In an online article titled ―’Polygamy, Not My Problem’, a Muslim woman substantiates her views on polygamy by saying that the co-wife is her sister in Islam, and she can‘t violate her sister‘s rights. ―And when a man marries another woman, she says, ―he must understand that his first wife will naturally be hurt and upset. But this comes with the package. And if he can‘t handle this natural hurt and upset without blaming his wife or asking her to change, then he‘s the one at fault. Women will be women, and if a man doesn‘t fully accept what that means in reality, then he‘s not ready for polygamy (Telegraph, 9 October 2015).

Polygamy became a repeated theme in most of the mainstream Malayalam movies which casted Muslim characters. In the movie Kilichundan Mambazham,a commercial movie made by Priyadarsan starring Mohanlal, Sreenivasan and Soundarya, a sheer instance of Nikah halala is shown along with polygamy and other evil practices. Moidutty haji is a rich landlord in the place who practices Polygamy. The movie begins with the wedding of moidutty haji, who marries his third wife despite the approval of his first two wives. His mother Beeyathumma (Sukumari) blames one among the wives by saying that a person can marry as many women as he wishes if he is financially well off as said in Holy Quran. She explains how she lived together with her husband and his eight wives happily. No one in his house or village find it strange as they are all seen happily involving within the wedding ceremony except his wives. It clearly shows how women are silenced beside the enjoyment of men. It is his first wife who helps him in preparing for his first night with Aamina. While he tries to calm the anger of his wives by telling how Quran permits to have four wives for a man, Maimoona, his second wife reminds him of the real context in which Quran says so. She says it had been during the battle of Badr when many women became widows, Prophet married and protected them.

1.kilichundan mamabzham

The movie portrayed Muslim women as powerless victims of the evil practices of community and as educationally backward. It shows how men misappropriate the laws for their convenience and needs and consider women as a sheer commodity. Whereas in Islam it is clearly mentioned that a marriage to be halal requires the consent of both man and woman. The Qur’an states ―O you who have believed, it is not lawful for you to inherit women by compulsion … (4:19). Sahih-al-Bhukhari, one of the most reliable sources of Hadith (Islamic teachings) reports ‘The widow and the divorced woman shall not be married until her order is obtained, and the virgin girl shall not be married until her permission is obtained.’ (Bukhari, 67:42). There are a lot of instances when prophet called off such marriages which were conducted without the consent of both man and woman. When Quran and Hadith stand strongly against forced marriages it is the cultural practice and the context of the locality that takes away your right as a woman which is to be opposed.

Classmates was a movie directed by Lal Jose in 2006 that is set in a context that revolves around the college graduate class of 1991. There is a Muslim character called Rasiya in the batch, who wears Black Pardha, covering her face most of the time. She is called ‘penguin’ by her classmates. She is casted as least bothered about the political discussions happening on campus, who prefer to live in her own world around some books or other.

The movie was a huge hit which paved a way to set the context of politically illiterate and silenced Muslim women in the university campuses. Majority of Kerala university campuses are ruled by the Student Federation of India (SFI), a student political party. This movie also defined how a SFI leader should look and behave like. Post classmates, there was a trend of love that went viral in campuses, between comrade ( Sagaavu) and Muslim girl (Ummachikkutty).The movie Thattathin marayath in 2012 directed by vineeth srinivasan, was also based on the same plot where the name only changed to Ayesha. There was a practiced unconsciousness in cinema to silence the Muslim women rather than portraying her real self. She was deliberately portrayed as voiceless, who doesn’t have the guts to question the structures.

In reality, Most of the Muslim women of Kerala in the present generation are well educated and pursues higher education from reputed institutions of the country. They are in the fore front of all the struggles and fights from the independence struggle in history to the fight against brahmanical and islamophobic forces. Even in the Anti CAA protests, most of the movements are Muslim women led. But the portraying of Muslim women as victims of oppression is widely an accepted mind set in society. Perspectives of a muslim woman about her perceptions on engagement in Muslim community, public society, their families, institutional structures they belong to and their dreams and aspirations are less discussed. But to the contrary, Muslim woman is bold and strong enough to assert her identity and self-respect. She is capable of resisting the forces that comes along her way.

2) Sheroes of Anti CAA protest

Among the series of movies made or which tried to make political statement through the portrayal of Muslim community, KL10 Pathu stands out as a movie which marked the beginning of changes in narratives of Malayalam cinema in a number of socio-political and cultural contexts. The then released movies like Sudani from Nigeria, Virus broke the liberal and modernist perspectives that view religion as being obstructive to women’s freedom and liberty. KL 10 Pathu presented a completely different narrative before the audience of Malayalam cinema who was unfamiliar with the portrayal of Muslim women as strong, bold and independent. The movie also showed that like any other women in the world, Muslim women also differ from each other in these attributes.

The movie tells an ordinary love story of a Muslim man and a Muslim woman who drive away to get married while the former‘s brother chases them in another vehicle with a group of local friends. There is nothing thrilling about the elopement or the chase but Muhsin Parari, the director of the movie uses the journey to look into the soul of Malappuram, the place which was depicted as a black hole where women were domesticated and deprived, kept behind the burqa or hijab and the youth engaged in bomb making and terrorism manufacturing. The movie broke a lot of existing stigmas around a Muslim hijabi woman. The heroine of the movie is a bold, independent, strong Muslim woman who actively involved in politics and many other areas of public life. The movie starts with the scene of heroine raising GO BACK slogans against the brahmanical forces which shattered the long existed wounded Muslim women images in Malayalam cinema.

Contrary to what is depicted in movies and media, Islam guarantees women, her rights. In Movies like Kilichundan Mambazham, classmates, and thattathin marayath, we see a Muslim womes who is deprived of her rights. But the rays of changes are visible after the movies like KL 10 pathu, sudani from Nigeria coming to the mainstream discourses.

Conclusion

“It is important to know that like any other religion, there is no uniform practice of Islam. Various factors such as culture, education, politics, economics and upbringing affect the way women see their life and themselves. Therefore, any uniform depiction cannot address the diversity of Muslim women worldwide. Since the medium of cinema is a popular one with worldwide reach, it is important to be cautious while using it to address the minority and their life.” (salam, 2018)

The discussed films gives an image of how the identity of Muslim women were misappropriated in cinemas and Medias. As far as the religion concerned, an ideal woman is who capable of following her dreams and claiming her own spaces along with her religious ideals and practices. KL 10 pathu is considered as one of the significant movies of the recent times in Malayalam cinema. People of Islam and other faith are coming forward to reclaim the spaces and identities with the reality of the Muslim women and the entire musilm community.

Works Cited

1. Altheide, D. L. (2001). Consuming Terrorism. In Symbolic interaction (pp. 289-308). Wiley.
2. Mohammed, J. (2010). Muslim Cinema: An Introduction. my favorite review.
3. salam, N. K. (2018). Muslim women in malayalam cinema :within and beyond stereotypes. Literary Herald.
4. Salim, A. K. (2018). Trends in the portrayal of muslim women in malayalam movies. Paripex.
5. Sheehan, J. (2001). Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People.
6. Telegraph, T. (9 October 2015). Polygamy, Not my Problem -A Muslim woman.

Freud’s psychoanalytic theory is a personality theory which says that people go through different life stages of development, It basically focuses on the unconscious factor in which our drives are present which are the reason for our motivation, human mind also has three provinces which include:

• ID- pleasure principle, present entirely in unconscious. Has all our impulses, desires and pleasures.
• Ego- Reality principle, operates both in subconscious and conscious, it basically tries to fulfil id’s desire in an acceptable manner.
• Superego-Moral principle, operates unconscious and subconscious. Basically controls impulses and it demands for perfection.

Nafs seeks desires and like ID. It needs to be controlled so that destruction could be avoided as otherwise it could lead to issues for a person such as relating it to Islam a person might not be able to go to heaven if they’ve done zina or murdered someone. Therefore just like Freud’s defence mechanism-sublimation where one turns their unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable behaviour. Such as if a person is really violent they could do jihad in the name of Allah.

Qalb is the essence of a man. Pulled by both ROH and NAFS in opposite directions. A persons like should be balanced and Islam doesn’t believe in extremism in either directions.

Freud said that personality development occurs in 5 stages: Oral, anal, phallic, latent and genital stage. By the age of 5 most of a persons personality is already formed. Islam’s view of personality is that its generated from the self. Nafs Ammarah is the lower self which has our negative desires or drives. Animalistic self similar to ID. Nafs Lawammah is the self reproaching self which corresponds to the selfs when it becomes aware of the wrong doing. Nafs Mutmainah is the peaceful self in which is at peace and content that Allah is pleased.

Also we can relate God/Allah of Islam to Freud’s thinking of the father. In the later development stages. God/Allah is thought of as the most PERFECT in Islam. Muslims try to achieve God’s attributes in some degree. While looking into Freud’s concept of how a male child in the later part of the phallic stage starts to look at the father as an ideal. Also, as Freud believes having family problems in early life or not having a father can greatly affect a child’s life in their later years, same way Islam says that if God isn’t present in a persons life their life will be in shambles and therefore lead to issues or anxiety.

Also Islam says that when a person reaches puberty they should get married to fulfil their needs relating that to Freud’s last stage of development genitals in which a person has mature sexual interest. To avoid anxiety from ID a person indulges in sexual acts but these could be not acceptable in some societies and religions such as Islam. So either they can suppress it by excessive praying(sublimation) or get married to fulfil their needs. Also, Freud and Islam both say that dreams can be interpreted and they have both hidden(zanier) and manifested(batin) meaning.