Malaysia: Muslim Women Fighting for Equal Rights

Sunday June 5, 2005

Islam in Malaysia isn't as repressive as it can be elsewhere. There are Malaysians who want to change that, but there are also many who don't. One group of women has been active in promoting the idea that equal rights for women is a basic part of Islam - and they have been successful.

The Guardian reports:

The group's main form of attack - letters printed in Malaysia's newspapers - began in 1990, causing fascination and outrage in equal measure. But the letters proved difficult for Islamic scholars to dismiss since the arguments were based on careful study of the Qur'an.

Attempts to force Muslim women to adopt certain modes of dress, for example, contravened the Surah-an-Nur, they wrote. "Some men have forced women to accept forms of veiling and seclusion. Women have been made responsible for limiting men's lustfulness," they said.

This broadside has had visible impact. While headscarves are still the norm for Muslim women in Malaysia, they are not obligatory and are often worn with trousers or skirts and high heels.

"We are claiming a right for ordinary Muslims like us to speak and engage publicly on Islam, to say that Islam is not the monopoly of the mullahs or the Islamic activists," Ms Anwar said. "We as citizens of a democratic country and we as believers have a right to speak on Islamic matters."

Things like this should make it clear that an Islamic society doesn't have to be repressive and that Muslim women don't have to be second-class citizens. It's necessary, however, for Muslims themselves to be active in the process of constantly re-creating Islam as a force for equality, justice, and democracy. They can't leave the responsibility in the hands of others. They can't assume that Islam shouldn't change or that, with Islam, everything will automatically be OK.

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