http://www.arabnews.com/?page=9§ion=0&article=67656&d=29&m=7&y=2005&pix=community.jpg&category=Features
Friday, 29, July, 2005 (22, Jumada al-Thani, 1426) Why This Male Guardian's Consent for Everything? Jawahir Al-Subaie, [EMAIL PROTECTED] There is an underlying presumption that men are to be completely trusted with the power to control the lives of women. Women are not able to study, work, travel or even have surgery without the consent of their male guardian. The Qur'an states that "Men are the protectors and maintainers of women," but it does not state that men have the right to dictate the lives of women. Acquiring an education is a God-given right for both men and women. Yet women require permission to study whereas men don't. One of the greatest intellectual minds was that of the Prophet's beloved wife, Aisha. She exerted immense influence and was more knowledgeable than most men. Abu Al-Ashari, a companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him), said: "If we companions of the Messenger of God had any difficulty on a matter, we asked Aisha about it." Aisha did not require permission to learn so why is this not the case for women here? If a woman chooses to study then it is her right to do so. There is no need for a male guardian to consent. There is not one verse in the Qur'an which gives any man the right to prevent a woman from studying. It is true that more girls are being educated today than ever before, but there are still many who are being forced to stay home as their families feel that education is unnecessary. Other girls who are fortunate enough to study still have to struggle with their families in order to continue further education. Boys are not forced to endure these obstacles because they have the right to study without a male guardian's consent. This double standard must end. Just as women should have the right to study without acquiring consent, they should have the right to work if they choose to. Since Islam prohibits men from forcing women to work then this should also imply that men do not have the right to prevent women from working. If a woman wants to earn a living for herself then why should anyone stop her from doing so? After all, if her husband divorces her, who will compensate her for all those years spent home? Will her ex-husband continue to support her for the rest of her life? Unless every woman is guaranteed full financial support for the rest of her life then no man should have the right to prevent her from working. Also why do women require consent to travel? As long as a woman is accompanied by a "mahram" then why must she have consent by her male guardian? Furthermore, women requiring consent by a male guardian to have surgery is not only absurd but is also a slap in the face to every woman. This is a law which has no basis in Islam. This obsession with the male guardian's consent has ruined the lives of many women, especially "hanging" women. Islam never granted men the right to decide if a woman should study, work, travel or have surgery. Therefore, men should not be granted such power. Men are not perfect, and the assumption that they are, must end. Women should be given the right to choose how to live their lives as has been granted to them by Islam more than 1,400 years ago. * * * (Jawahir Al-Subaie is a Management and Information Systems student. She is based in Alkhobar.) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/