True or false: Islam opposes women’s rights, such as equal rights for men and women? During her PhD research, Saskia Glas looked at survey data on tens of thousands of people from Arab countries where Islam is the most important religion and yes, she readily admits that women in these countries ultimately have fewer rights than women in western countries, for example. And the more often Arab people attend mosque services, the less likely they are to support such ideas as equal rights for men and women.
Personal religiosity and a personal interpretation of Islam
But this is only part of the story. “Because some kinds of religiosity have a positive influence on the way that we think about equality,” says Glas. “Arab women who are deeply religious arrive at an interpretation of their religion in which they applaud values such as equality and charity. And if you take this approach, it’s not surprising that religious people may also be open to the idea that men and women are equal.”
You might well say: It’s great that these people feel that way, but what good is it if they live in an Arab country where they’re not allowed to cross the street on their own? “But this sort of attitude does nothing to advance the cause. If the public debate in both the West and Arab countries always begins and ends with the concept that Islam and women’s rights are mutually exclusive, this offers no opportunity whatsoever for opening up the discussion about a different interpretation of what religion is or can be, while this is certainly an important discussion to have. If people start to feel more comfortable about experiencing their religion at a more personal level, if they discover that there’s more than one possible interpretation of their religion, their perception will often become more emancipated and more progressive.”
Better educated women are good for the family
Not all women’s rights are as sensitive a topic for religious Muslims, notes Glas. When comparing views on the right to education and the right to play a leading political role, she found that the response was very different. “Political leadership is not only more difficult because it may threaten the role of the woman in the family but also because a woman who is superior to men is not a widely accepted concept. But it’s not totally inconceivable. I found clear differences in acceptance among religious Muslims, especially in those countries that are more democratic, such as Tunisia. A high level of education is less problematic there. In fact, religious Muslims generally applaud this concept precisely because a well-educated woman should be a better mother and partner.” As a modern Western woman, you can think what you like about such an explanation, Glas believes. “But even if you provide educational opportunities for women according to their role in the family, this will lead to choices that cannot be totally predicted. Even so, I do believe that there is an empowering aspect to this issue.”
Social development is about opinions
Glass obtained her PhD on 2 September. One week earlier, Glas and her co-supervisor Niels Spierings learned that their article Support for Feminism Among Highly Religious Muslim Citizens in the Arab Region, which was one of the chapters from Glas’ thesis, had been awarded the Best Article Award for 2020 by the European Journal of Politics and Gender (EJPG). This is positive acknowledgement from fellow peers confirms Glas, who will hopefully be able to draw attention to her claim that Islam and women’s rights can go hand in hand. “I also could have researched how many women are in paid employment, at what level, etc. and then checked to see whether progress is being made. But societal discussions focus much more on views and opinions. Public opinion does matter; it means that regimes must allow liberties. This is precisely why I think it’s so important that we do not say that Islam is patriarchal, sexist or misogynistic, and be done with it. It’s more nuanced than that, other views are possible. So, let’s talk about this and see how we can promote it instead of cutting off the debate before it’s well and truly begun.”
Saskia Glas will be continuing her research on Islam and women’s rights at Radboud University and will subsequently be focusing on the views of religious Muslims in Western countries.
Foto: A young Muslim couple and their toddler at Masjid al-Haram, by Mohammed Tawsif Salam - Own work, Wikimedia Commons