Religion does not hinder the progress of women

3 March 2013 06:30 pm - 0 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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- By Dianne Silva

Starting from today the Daily Mirror will have a series of interviews on Women’s Rights throughout this week in the run up to the International Women’s Day (March 8). Interviews will be held on different angles of Women’s Rights given by a number of experts.
Today’s interview is given by Deshabandhu Jezima Ismail on the vital issues relating to minority rights.

Q: Are women in the minorities at a greater disadvantage when it comes to enjoying and fighting for their rights?
I don’t think there is a difference between minorities and the majorities when it comes to women’s rights, women in general have to fight for their place in society.
A few years ago, maybe 20 or 25 years ago, women were ignored in the fight for overall rights. However today I think that women have moved forward from this situation and they are all working together for the development of our common good.

If you take the manifested essence of the Quran, women are given many positive rights; in an ideal situation women are able to enjoy a positive lifestyle. However, the issue arises when it comes to the interpretation of these rights, in reality there is a lot of contextual misinterpretation where the ideals are not put into practice and women are deprived of their rights and persecuted.

We are all looking for reform in the system and for the implementation of these rights, but we must realise that practically these ideals get lost in the process. Therefore when it comes to the minorities it is mostly a case of interpretation that causes women to be persecuted.
In my own religion I am certainly not a believer in this idea that because you are a woman of Islamic faith there are certain rights that you cannot enjoy or that believing in Islam will hinder the progression of women—that is certainly not the case.
The women in the minorities face the same pressures of the majority, but interpretation causes the struggle to be more difficult.

" I think that in Sri Lanka women enjoy political rights and a framework that gives them the opportunity to participate in politics; however it is women who are holding themselves back. "

Q: Do you think that women in the minorities are more lackluster when it comes to exercising their political rights?
I think that in Sri Lanka women enjoy political rights and a framework that gives them the opportunity to participate in politics; however it is women who are holding themselves back. We are not moving forward and taking responsibility in the political arena, we need to be pushed to enter public office.
It is not the fault of the system that more women in the minorities have not entered politics; it is the attitude of women.
In the case of Islam some think that women are not supposed to be leaders, however this is again a contextual misinterpretation. Individuals take teachings out of context and they make it appear that a Muslim woman cannot take a leadership role in her community or country.
However if you look at the Quran there are many women who have been leaders, even in teaching and formulating the basic precepts of religion. Religion in no way stops women from progressing, it instead empowers women.

Q: Some feel that being a woman in the minority subjects them to greater violence and discrimination; do you think this is the case?
No, violence against women is experienced by all women and it is important that we firstly engage men in this fight against violence and discrimination. It is when men partner with women that we can finally see an end to violence against women, which affects all women across society regardless of their status as a minority or majority.

Q: Discrimination in terms of economic and civil rights is a fear that causes some women to confine themselves, what is your opinion on this limitation that women place on themselves?
When it comes to Islam, we believe in justice and this justice is not just legal it is economic and political as well. I think that until we see economic justice that there really cannot be any progress in terms of women’s progress towards political or civic rights; the starting point is always economic and this needs an essential area to be resolved.

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Religion does not hinder the progress of women

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