Intermission notice

Work requires me to head elsewhere on the globe for a week from this weekend. So my friends, bear with me during this intermission and do drop by for visits from time to time :).

Does Islam encourage submission of women to men?

A question triggered off by an earlier comment from strangeknight on how ‘arabisation’ of malay culture has possibly changed the perception of gender performativity amongst muslim women in Malaysia. Given that ‘arabisation’ of cultures is often associated with the spread of Islam – see quote from Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister and wiki’s definition – this really sets me thinking as to whether Islam does in fact, encourage the submission of women to men.

It ain’t quite surprising that the evidence refuting an affirmative to my question has to come from the research findings of a presumably Muslim Malaysian woman.

In her research tracing the genealogical interpretation of Islamic teachings pertaining to women’s role, Raihanah Abdullah^ argues that the original intent of Islam was to ‘improve the position of women’ over their ‘inferior status … during the pre-Islamic period’.

So in comparison to the pre-existing ‘practices and customs of the pagan society’ where

1. Women were considered as property and not given any rights to determine their own lives
2. Female infanticide prevailed for the reasons of shame and poverty
3. Women were perceived as not being able to contribute to their own tribes
4. Unlimited polygamy and divorce as well as payment of dowry to the father

contributed to the inferior status of women in the pre-Islamic period, the Qur’an revised these customs to suit the spirit of Islam which advocates ‘principles of equality, justice and humanity in an Islamic society’. Hence,

1. A Muslim man may marry up to four wives simultaneously (ie restricting polygamy)
2. Muslim women have rights to their dowries

And to protect married women’s status in a family unit

3. Muslim women have rights to inherit property from her male relatives and husband; the right to a bequest and the right to possess and manage her own property during marriage and after divorce.

Quoting a direct verse from the Qur’an, Raihanah interpreted Islamic teachings as recognising the equal rights of women and men – both ‘men and women are equal with respect to moral and spiritual obligations’.

Further as Raihanah argues, such equality between men and women extends to social, economic and political spheres. Raihanah seals her point in quoting the ‘dynamic, influential and enterprising’ wives of Prophet Mohammad as examples, in particular, the authoritarian figure of Aisha in Quranic and legal studies.

Therefore for Raihanah, women’s status deteriorated not as a result of the spread of Islam. Rather, the limiting of women’s rights really began by the ‘end of Umawi period and early Abbasid’ when gender prescriptions were adopted from Byzantine, Persian and Sasanian civilisation. For the elites of these societies, ‘harems, concubines and confining women to their private homes were regarded as symbol of [their] social status’.

These were the same social norms that were applied to Middle Eastern countries now or as I daresay – as implied in Raihanah’s research – operating in Malaysian societies. All these work to restrict Muslim women’s roles not just only in their religious participation but also in social, economic and political spheres.

So, if Raihanah is spot on in her genealogical interpretation, Islam has indeed been very wronged. It would appear we all need to replace these coloured lenses we’ve been using to assess the religion and its followers.

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Some may argue Raihanah’s exercise is possibly an attempt to externalise the flaws of Islam. However, the beauty of Raihanah’s research lies exactly in her unflinchingly confrontation with the historical evolution of Islamic norms, her honest attempt to debunk the (mis)interpretation of religious teachings to support the cause of ruling minority.

That again, is exactly why we need to reassess the claims of so-called traditions and their relevance in our social, economic and political contexts.

Let’s not take things or judge others at face value.

^Findings and quotes from Raihanah Abdullah’s paper, ‘Muslim Women in Malaysia’ published in Women in Malaysia: Breaking Boundaries.

Tea, Coffee, Wine, or Cocoa?

It’s a sorta typecasting exercise, but I still love the lyrical phrasing of this quote I came across on a tea cup this morning:

There is a subtle charm in the taste of tea which makes it irresistible and capable of idealisation. Western humourists were not slow to mingle the fragrance of their thoughts with its aroma. It has not the arrogance of wine, the self-consciousness of coffee, nor the simpering innocence of cocoa.

Kakuzo Okakura in The Book of Tea.

What a way to augment the pleasure of having my morning tea :D.

Wedded during Japanese Occupation

Visited Ford Factory – the historical building that witnessed the surrender of British colonists to Japanese invaders during World War II.

Refurbished to document the Japanese Occupation, this latest ‘museum’ is open for free visits till 16 February 2006.

Much has been said on the atrocities of the war, but what is arguably more valuable is the portrayal of everyday life during the occupation.

Here I’ve elected to feature the wedding gown, which is exhibited amongst other day-to-day items. The gown is notable for its simplicity, which is reflective of thrift exercised to cope with a general shortage of and inflationary pressures on prices of daily necessities and resources. The bride-to-be also noted the austerity of the wedding proceedings despite her hefty outlay of S$40,000. What is interesting to note is despite the difficulties in putting together a wedding during the occupation, women (and men) persisted in adhering – as far as their resources would permit – to their traditional rituals. Now considering the percentage of post-modern women (and men) who prefer to skip the customary or even getting their marriages/unions legally registered at all in this time of abundance, I really wonder whether liberation from colonial rule – as a nation and individuals – has rendered traditions obsolete.

Happy 2007!

Captured this wonderful moment from the balcony of ex-Supreme Court/City Hall.

May the coming year bring more peace and less strife, more joy and less sorrow for all around the world.