Is Allah Sexist?

The other night I was talking with family about equality of women in the religious sphere. The conversation started with a reference to Eric Michael Dyson's 'Making Malcolm' book where he accuses both Malcolm and Martin as being sexist. The indictment in the book caught me off guard because it is something I've never considered in my reading or critique of either.

Our family friend, who is a 'womanist' and intellectual, began to provide support for Dyson's position. As she referenced the place of women in the religious tradition, I began to see the legitimacy of such an accusatory statement. She continued and posed the question, could a woman be an Imam in Islam?

Before I could answer, my daughter quickly retorted a common but flawed Muslim response, that a woman could not perform all the duties of an Imam because of her menstrual cycle. In the midst of her answer and the anticipation of my sister's refutation of such a medieval notion, I had a semester of thoughts. I quickly scanned every familiar verse and hadith on the subject. The reform efforts of women leading mixed congregations in prayer (salat). The position of women in Quran and it's mostly patriarchist interpretations. The oppression and inequities enforced on women in Muslim countries and the undiscerning sexism in my own Mosque and Muslim community.

Then I thought of the response of my daughter whom my wife and I have always taught she could achieve anything, that ceilings were meant to be shattered, yet, she defended a limitation that we've never submitted or even conceded as an improbability. I knew where it had come from but didn't realize the power of influence from which it came.

Sexism, is discrimination based on gender, prejudice + power. The struggle of women throughout history dates back to Eve from bearing the blame of 'temptation', through the early women movements and continuing through the 21st century as women continue to be subjugated to socioeconomic inequities.

Inside the hallowed walls of faith, particularly, those of the Abrahamic traditions, patriarchy remains dominate. Those who choose to see 'man' prioritized in scripture continue to render women as secondary patrons. In most cases, partriarchy is so entrenched that male members rarely recognize any inequality. The subtlety of religious-sexism has become engrained in the mosque/church culture, denomination/sect and even the hermaneutics of the texts.

The Islamic tradition is particularly challenged with sexism and some would argue having the larger 'elephant in the room'. Of the three Abrahamic faiths, Islam is theologically the more liberating. In the Muslim text woman is set as equal to man, given rights over her husband, property and inheritance. The equal rights of women are well documented in the fiqh of Quran and hadith (traditions of Muhammad).

However, pre-Islamic traditions and cultural influence blur the equity of the Quran in the treatment of women. This most unfortunate behavior is played out too often in Muslim countries with unfair, unequal laws against women from illegal driving to not being allowed in public after dark to not being deserving of education. Men, dictating and interpreting how women should live and function in society has created a blasphemous list of injustices against women that are too frequently mis-charged to God. Much of this discriminatory behavior has crossed the seas with those of 'authority' providing their interpretations.

The blame of sexism in American Mosques isn't solely an immigrant product. Sexism has been a long-time partner in American and African-American culture. We've seen it played out in advertising, music, hiring, salaries, purchases, jobs, etc, etc. Although we rarely acknowledge the possibility, we all bring our own 'bags' of 'isms' to our places of worship and in too many venues, the bags of sexism are still being carried where they were banned long ago.

We can continue this thought with more specifics and offer examples and solutions but this writing isn't about what dress is oppressive or should walls stand between men and women. Those are products of the issue of sexism and it's ignoring in Islamic spaces. We as Muslims must do a better job at giving attention to the subtle practices of sexism within our walls. We are very adept at responding to criticism of unfair treatment of women by stating Quran and Hadith but it's in the application where we become decrepit.

I purposely haven't given any anectdotes, I'll leave that to the reader, the believer, the Saint, the Minister and the Imam. Or maybe I'll write in more detail at a later time but for now, it's about changing the culture within the walls of faith and the focus on the response of my daughter.

My daughter who served as Commander of the largest JROTC command in St. Louis. She successfully led and trained young men and women in discipline and order. From Senior Class President to being the protective 'big sister', she embodies the dignity and courage of her fore-mothers. Yet, in the space where women are to be anointed, my daughter inhaled faith and with it, it's latent patriarchy. For her and all of the daughters, we must change.