Gender Equality In Islamic Countries Essay

When looking into the topic of gender equality in Islamic countries, one can see a large disparity in the rights accessible to women from the rights given to men, which is a huge subject of controversy. This is largely due to the fact that many believe in regressive cultural practices and interpret the Qur’an and other religious texts in a way that discriminates against women. Because of this, not only do women suffer, but the countries do as a whole. In order to end this barrier of inequality, Muslim countries need to provide equal rights, equal education, and equal income/job opportunities to women. “All (of) these act as fundamental barriers not just to the advancement of women, but to the overall economic development of entire societies,”(Maha

For example, a women’s share of inheritance is usually half of that of a man’s of the same degree of kinship, and before the advent of Islam, females received none. Also when looking at family laws, it is very difficult for women to get a divorce and oftentimes have to try and persuade her husband to divorce her, doing this by giving up her bride gift or threatening to make a claim against him. There are many more laws that oppress women and this needs to change because women deserve to make their own legal choices and men should not be able to get away with more. Because Islamic law relates to religion and because too many, their laws are the words of God, it is easier to justify the mistreatment of women by saying that it is warranted under scriptures like the Qur’an or the Hadith. By having Muslim governments grant women equal rights by giving them the ability to make their own decisions on who to marry, who to divorce, and provide them with the same accessibility to family finances, women would be viewed as equals rather than incapable children who need guardians or men to make decisions for