Rana Sobh: Respect for women basic tenet of Islam

I applaud Johann Hari's creative attempt to explain the terror attack in London but I am bemused by his solution. Hari's theory obviously stems from his ignorance, or denial, of the real roots of the problem.

I can understand his frustration, and that of many others, in failing to explain what drives certain young men - like those involved in the London attack - to kill and to die.

But to have Muslim women's inferiority and weakness blamed for those kinds of acts defies comprehension. Muslim women are not inferior and weak, but I will come back to this point later.

If sexual repression explains what is happening then you would expect terrorist attacks to take place everywhere and every day. Why not think of a more straightforward - although less palatable - explanation such as Britain's involvement in the invasion of Iraq and the murder of thousands of innocent people there.

Doesn't that seem a more robust theory than Hari's?

Don't get me wrong - nothing in Islam justifies the killing of innocent people.

The word jihad, commonly used in media to represent the holy war against the non-believers, is better translated as legitimate resistance against occupation and the right to practise your faith.

Jihad in no way means killing innocent people to free Muslims everywhere, as noted by Hari. Extremist ideologies are fraudulent and are rejected by almost all Muslims.

I believe the best way to undermine the confidence and beliefs of jihadists, as mooted by Hari, is not to trigger a rebellion of Muslim women but to portray extremists and their ideologies as perversions of Islam which are rejected by almost all Muslims - most importantly, to prevent the superpowers meddling in the affairs of Muslim countries.

Most of us know that this would be a magic recipe to end terrorism but prefer not to contemplate that obvious truth.

Since Hari believes in women's helpful role in ending terrorism, he raised the issue of women's status in Islam. It is essential for Muslim women of New Zealand to clarify and correct some of the common misconceptions about women's rights in Islam.

Islam has a civilised attitude towards women and expects men to treat them kindly and fairly. Islam gave women legal rights to marriage and divorce, to education, and protected their inheritance rights and independent personal development.

Although it is absurd to expect the 6th-century Prophet Muhammad to be feminist in the 20th-century sense, what he achieved for women in the context of his time was amazing.

In the concept of the Koran, a woman has the right to argue even with the Prophet. No one has the right to tell her to be silent and she is under no obligation to consider her husband the one and only reference in matters of law and religion.

Some shameful social practises of some societies, originating in local customs and traditions, clearly contradict Islam's teaching. Islam cannot be blamed for disgraceful behaviour - ill-intentioned people and ignorance are to blame.

Equally reprehensible are those self-interested Muslims and non-Muslims who encourage such practices and then work to make the world believe that those customs are part of the Muslim faith.

Another related issue which is misunderstood is the wearing of the hijab (veil or headscarf) by Muslim women. What the West sees as a sign of oppression to women is experienced by most Muslim women, including myself, as a sign of liberation and dignity.

In Islam, a man or a woman should stand out by their intellect, intelligence, talents, skills and moral behaviour, not by their appearance or physical attractiveness.

Islam respects and protects women and wearing the hijab allows women to be judged on their intellect and integrity rather than their physical exterior. It limits the way men treat women as sex objects and allows them to be treated as equals.

Observe women being used in advertising and at their half-naked bodies revealed in most commercials. Can this be freedom? I call it anarchy and humiliation.

Aren't women oppressed in this materialist world? It is hard to believe how many women are sexually assaulted or raped in some countries. A culture of modesty is badly needed - modesty in the dress, speech, and manners of both men and women.

The Koran is quite clear that such covering is essential for modesty, and that modesty is important:

"Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty and say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what ordinarily appear thereof; they should draw their veils over their bosoms." (24:30-31).

In New Zealand, as in many other Western countries, women's status in Islam is completely misunderstood, as are many other aspects of the faith. This misunderstanding is caused by ignorance about Islam coupled with a relentless emphasis on extremist ideologies perpetuated by the media.

There is no place for extremism in Islam, which is truly a moderate religion that promotes peace and equality between all people, both men and women.

I do agree with Hari that in some countries Muslim women should rebel to get the rights given to them by Islam but denied by self-interested people who are absorbed by power and control.

* Rana Sobh is a PhD candidate in the department of marketing at the University of Auckland.