Muslim Australians - Religion Cultural Diversity Resource Manual

Between Traditionalists
and Liberals
There is a more popular trend among
Muslims which sees no conflict
between Islam and the needs and
aspirations of Muslim women today.
Their views can be summarised as
follows:
» The Qur’an and the Prophet
taught that men and women
are equal in the eyes of God and
in society. The rights given to
women by the Qur’an and the
Prophet in the seventh century
were ignored by Muslims in
subsequent generations.
» Women should have equal
opportunities in all areas of
education, political participation,
and decision making in society.
» Women are also capable of taking
responsibility for themselves, and
do not need a man to support
them all the time.
» A woman is an independent
person, even in marriage. She has
the right to own property and
retains that right after marriage.
Her husband has no right to her
property or wealth; in fact he
should provide for her and their
children even if she is wealthy.
These Muslims respect religious
texts related to women in the
Qur’an and traditions of the
Prophet but interpret them in the
light of circumstances of today and
emphasise texts that support equality.
Polygyny
Polygyny, which is one type of
polygamy, is marriage to more than
one wife at the same time. In Islam,
it is believed that a man may marry
up to four wives. However, there
is a debate among Muslims about
whether polygyny should be allowed
today. Polygyny is practised in some
Muslim societies, but is banned in
others, for example Tunisia. In others,
such as Indonesia, it is allowed
with strict conditions and often
requires permission from the court,
which is only given once those strict
conditions are met. Other countries
such as Saudi Arabia allow polygyny
without any constraints.
Often the attitude towards polygyny
is influenced by local cultural norms
and practices. In societies where
polygyny has been widely practised
in the past, such as Saudi Arabia or
some West African countries, it can
be the norm. It is easier to ban or
restrict polygyny in societies where it
has not been practised before. While
many Muslim women find polygyny
difficult to deal with, there are other
Muslim women who do not object
to the practice, especially in societies
where it is common.
The Prophet Muhammad had a
monogamous marriage with his wife
Khadijah. They were happily married
for twenty-five years until she passed
away. In that time polygyny was not
at all unusual, and after Khadijah’s
death the Prophet married a number
of women, mostly for political and
charitable reasons. The first woman
he married after Khadijah, was a poor
elderly woman whose husband had
died and she had no one to protect
her. Some of his other wives were
married to cement political ties (as
was the custom for Arab leaders of
the time). Muslims believe that the
Prophet Muhammad had special
permission to marry these wives.
They were all called ‘Mothers of the
Believers’ and cared for after the
Prophet passed away.
Many Muslim women say that
polygyny was a practice permitted
in seventh century Arabia, but
that it is irrelevant today in many
societies, as women often have
equal opportunities for education,
employment and earning an income.
Others continue to argue that, since
it is permitted in Islam, it cannot
be banned no matter what other
changes happen in a society.
Muslim Australians:THEIR BELIEFS, PRACTICES AND INSTITUTIONS 37