Essay, Research Paper: Muslimand Jewish Women

The position of women in Islam and Judaism has always been a controversial issue. Jewish and Muslim women feel inferior to the men within their respective religions. Women believing in these two religions remain subjected to unequal rights and privileges than those of men. Profound similarities and differences occur in both of these Abrahamic traditions in regard to their philosophies and doctrines on the treatment of their women.
The primary role for both Jewish and Muslim women is as a wife, mother and a keeper of the household. They are responsible to act as a safeguard for their husband and family, and should offer love and affection, consolidation and peace. The women should receive esteem and respect from all family members and her opinions remarks and suggestions should all be taken into account.
Jewish and Muslim women bear similar rights and obligations. Marriage in both religions is seen as a duty to be fulfilled by every Jewish and Muslim man and women. In Islam there must be a direct written proposal and acceptance of marriage from both man and women. They give their mutual consent willingly. The same gender equality in terms of marriage is applied in Judaism. In terms of divorce, a Jewish woman cannot ask for a divorce, she can only receive a grant from her husband. In contrast to this, Islamic men and women are treated equally in this decision and share the same rights when it comes to divorce.
The legal rights of women in Judaism and Islam are quite similar, but differ slightly on certain aspects. Both Muslim and Jewish women have the right to buy, sell and own property. Both are entitled to an education. Muslim women are encouraged to pursue an education. In ancient times both women and men attended Muhammeds lectures. Jewish women are not exempt from education although, Judaism considers the women s occupation to be the caretaker of the household, therefore education is not promoted for Jewish women. Women carry the same responsibilities as men in a criminal court of law. The issue bearing witness differs in the opinions of Judaism and Islam. The Quran has instructed the believers dealing with a financial transaction to get two male witnesses or one male and two females (2:282). However it is also true that the Quran accepts the testimony of women as equal to that of a man in other situations. On the other hand, women were not allowed to bear witness in early Jewish society . They cannot give evidence in rabbinical courts.
The status of women in the synagogue and the mosque raises controversy in reference to the inferiority of women and their respective place of worship. Orthodox Jewish men in their daily morning prayers recite, " Blessed be God King of the universe that Thou has not made me a women." The women, on the other hand, thank God every morning for "making me according to Thy will" . There are different views on this statement. One view is that the prayer does not indicate that it is bad to be a woman, but only that men are fortunate to be privileged with more obligations. The corresponding women s prayer be seen not as a statement of stooping to a lower status, but a prayer of gratitude towards God for making women closer to God s idea of spirituality and for the joys of being a women in general. Others see this statement purely as a testament to the oppression and degradation of women in Judaism. The second thing to understand women s status in the synagogue is that the separation of men and women during prayer. According to Jewish law, men and women are to be separated during prayer behind a divider known as the mechitzah. The main reason for this is that during payer, your mind is supposed to be focused on God, not the opposite sex. Incorporating men and women during prayer, can provide distraction for both sexes. Many feel that this separation provides women with an inferior place in the synagogue. The women s section is often placed, off to the side, above or behind the men s section of worship. This sometimes makes it difficult for the women to see what is going on and often makes it more difficult to hear the service. Women cannot participate actively in the service and are not obliged to attend them, like the men. This can result in disinterest of prayers amongst Jewish women, and often women decide to stay home while the men attend synagogue.
The organization of Jewish prayer as mentioned above, is similar to that of the Muslims. Muslim women are also not obligated to attend prayer services. If she decides to, she must stand in a separate line behind the men. This too can be seen as an attempt to prove that Muslim men are superior to women. Like Judaism though, it is just a means of organization and not a classification of importance. The order of the lines in a Muslim prayer is arranged to eliminate distraction, to keep one s mind on God. Muslim prayer contains many actions of turning and bowing. It is forbidden during this time for members of the opposite sex to touch or make eye contact. The women stand behind the men to avoid this. It is also possible for the women s dress to shift and expose a part of her body while fulfilling the actions. Therefore the position women stand in during prayer time is meant to keep everyone s mind pure and focused on his or her prayer.
While comparing the role of women in the Torah and the Quran, it is noted that the Quran treats its females as complete equals with its males. There is no mention that the women are to be treated as a lower human being. In the Torah, however, there are many mentions of the superiority of man over woman. While it might not directly state this, the Torah indirectly refers to the inequality of women. The image of the oppressed Muslim woman does not come from the Quran itself, but from the books of the Hadith and Sunna. These books were written 200 years after the prophets death and do not contain the same authority as the Quran. Within these books the Muslim woman is described as deficient in moral status. Through this, Islam has gained its bad reputation of oppressing women.
For example, looking at the early treatment of daughters in ancient times, it is understood that the Torah and the Quran engage in different opinions. For example the bible states that the period of the mother s ritual impurity is twice as long if a girl is born than if a boy is (Leviticus 12:2-5). In early times, the birth of a son in the conception of Judaism is honored more over a daughter. It is the sons who will carry on the family name, become leaders and serve for his nation and religion. On the other hand the Quran considers the birth of a female a gift and blessing from God, the same as the birth of a male. "To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He creates what he wills. He bestows female children to whomever he wills and bestows male children to whomever he wills." (42:49). It is evident that the Quran s view on gender is one of total equality and that of woman is no different than man.
The veil known as the "hijab" is considered to be in the West, a symbol of Muslim women s oppression. Muslim women wear the hijab and dress modestly to ensure their security. In early times, as well as today, women were subjects of extreme abuse and molestation. " Il Faut apprendere a detourner le regard, lorsqu un homme vous regarde, eviter de le toucher, et meme de le froler, accepter qu il ne vous serre pas la main pour vous saluer et, par une faculte d abstraction puissante, ne vous voient meme pas " Women could not go out in public without being harassed by members of the opposite sex. Muhammed wanted to free women of this, and ensure them protection and peace of mind and body. That is why it is ordered that Muslim women cover their bosoms, their heads and lengthen their garments. It is a direct response to sexual aggression. The origin of the hijab comes from the Hadith, not the Quran. It is said that this religious head covering, the hijab, is stemmed from early Judaism. It was Custom of a Jewish woman to go out in public with a head covering. Most religious women still cover their heads, especially in synagogues, at weddings and religious ceremonies. The Jewish head covering is a cultural tradition, not a religious one. Muslim women are obliged to cover their bodies, mainly their bosoms in a modest fashion. Like the hijab, the Muslim "Khimar" meaning; dress, coat, shawl can be compared to the modest dress of religious Jewish women. Religious Jewish women are expected to dress modestly in long skirts and long sleeves. They are not allowed to show their bosom. In fact, their shirts must cover their collarbone. It is rational for both of these religions to have modest dress codes, considering the amount of violence, rape and sexual harassment that there is towards women.
Today s Jewish and Muslim women are living a life more free than those of their ancestors due to the fact of increased general women s rights in our society. It is still debatable in some places whether or not women should wear the hijab out in public. Some young schoolgirls have even been discriminated against for wearing the hijab on a daily basis. Jewish women can still look fashionable while dressing modestly in their lengthened clothing. Today, in North America it is not so easy to spot the women of Judaism and Islam. They are integrated in society, are receiving secular and religious education, they hold jobs, have families and are devoted wives to their husbands, while still practicing their respective religions.
The position of women in Judaism and Islam is discussed through many different opinions and views. The Women of these religions have been given certain rights along with certain disadvantages. Although some may feel that these women are oppressed by their religion, much of the discrimination against them has risen from today s society and foreign cultures. Jewish and Muslim women will always be considered inferior to men, as long as women in general continue to struggle to hold their place as equals in society.