Abstract:
A Muslim Woman thinks her birth, position in society and status are all ordained by God.
The Quran, she believes, has specified her conduct from birth to death. But practice differs from the
precept. The experiences of the women in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime proves that Islam
has been utilized by groups to further aggravate the position of women and secure a male-dominated
society.
There is a pressing need to look at the stories and realities of the status of women and this
study is an attempt to focus on issues that cut across cultural and national boundaries - issues
challenging the traditional societies of the Muslim world. The increasing disparity between the roles
women take in the public and the private sphere and the impact of Western values and institutions
·Muslim communities led to the emergence of advocacies which reflect similarities with the feminist
movements of the West but which express an indigenous form. lt retains the supremacy of Islamic
sources as means of re-asserting the high status granted by Islam to women. As most of the Muslim
countries undergo democratization, the legal system also served as a direct mechanism of improving
the position of Muslim women through enactment of reforms. Where feminist and egalitarian
pressures organized into movements or parties have originated from women, the ensuing reforms
and policy changes appear to be more enduring. Government policies and liberalized, egalitarian laws
are necessary before Muslim women can begin to act effectively in the public arena and be granted
the freedom of choice in basic family issues. Significantly, this is a study of a society misunderstood and prejudged based on the Western
standards. What follows is directed at emphasizing the desire of such cultural and social
communities to adapt to changes in the modern world in the context of their own. What is required
is greater understanding, less prejudice and respect to the desires of these movements to empower
Muslim women based on the principles of Islam.
