In today’s day and age, Islam is viewed in an essentially
negative light. Everywhere we look, Muslims are branded as terrorists or
extremists. We are seen as a religion that oppressors it’s women and limits its
people. For a person with limited knowledge of the religion, indoctrination by
the media is inevitable. Growing up with this concept allows for the growth of
a new culture dubbed “The American Idiot”. These misconceptions are bred
through the media coverage of the extremists of the religion, of people who
misinterpret the way of Islam and essentially live exceptionally conservative
lives and as a result try to impose it upon the majority of individuals.
Islam is a way of life, not merely a religion. It deals with
all aspects of life: business, the pursuit of knowledge, health, social well-being family and the list is endless. The main misunderstanding
surrounding our religion, one of great debate, is the role of women and the perceived
gender inequality. Many people will see a woman wearing a head scarf or
covering her face in the “ninja” fashion and assume she is oppressed. Furthermore,
many individuals have visited “orthodox” Islamic countries and have witnessed
women staying at home, not being educated or even driving.
It is important to understand that these facets of society
that we encounter today in no way reflect the crux of Islam and the role of
women. During the time of our Prophet, women played a central role in the
fabric of society. What we today call Wall Street existed in a different way
during these times. Women played an integral part in running the market and trading
places of Medina (City in Saudi Arabia) and many were exalted entrepreneurs. Women
were encouraged to pursuit knowledge and the practise of preventing one’s daughter
from receiving an education never existed and needs to be expelled from many homes. Women are
just as entitled to education as men, and striving to gain knowledge from the
cradle to the grave is a practise of Islam. Women in this time were vibrant,
out-going, interacted with men within the bounds of modesty and strove for
excellence in every way.
It pains me to realise that as a nation that should be
moving forward, we are moving backward. Where Muslims should be setting an example
and dispelling the idea of “oppression”, many extremists still exist who only exacerbate
the problem. As a youth growing up in a world entrenched in Islamophobia, I feel
it is our duty as the next generation to not only dispel these notions, but to
make change a part of our lives. We should strive to emulate the societies of
the past.
Where once mosques were a communal building for children to
run free in, for prayer and for general socialising, it is now just a desolate
building devoid of the warmth and vibrancy that it once held. Why have we
strayed so far from the path of our Prophet? Why have we allowed the notion of
conservancy completely change the dynamic of Islam? Being conservative breed’s
modesty and humbleness but all good things must be served in moderation. Many individuals
have taken this idea to the extreme, tried to impose it on others and have led
to Islam not only gaining a bad reputation amongst the female activists of the world, but
also to creating a new religion that is far placed from Islam.
It is important to differentiate between that which is true
and that which is an exaggeration and extrapolation of the truth. All religions
have extremists who serve to overthink and change basic principles of belief. It
is important to bear this in mind when being faced by all sorts of media propaganda
and brain washing. Islam is NOT a religion of oppression, its women are FREE to
pursue education and live their lives and above all it is not merely a religion
but a way of life.
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