A woman's position in Islam is axalted.

You must have heard countless times and from all media sources how the Muslim women are an oppressed lot. You may have believed or may be not but I am sure you sometimes get your own doubts. A lie repeated often enough becomes the truth. The place of women in Islam is greatly misunderstood. The misconception is fuelled by two reasons; IGNORANCE and failure to distinguish between the teachings of Islam and the practice of some few adherents of the faith. Today I shared with some friends the lofty position of a Muslim woman and they could not believe. Women in the west are converting to Islam in their droves after realizing the many rights and privileges women are entitled to in Islam. It is only in Islam that a woman is under the care of a male in all stages of her life. As a daughter she is under her father, as a wife she is under her husband and as a mother she is under her sons. This care is not as a result of love but is a legal one and inalienable right. She cannot be denied under any conditions. Let me enumerate some of the rights she has and explain why the misconceptions hold no water.

Women versus Men: In Islam, a man and a woman are equal but not identical. They both have distinct roles in the society. A man has rights over her the same way she has rights over him. Equality as used in today’s context in relation to gender is a fallacy. I don’t think there will ever be any equality unless the husband also takes part in carrying the child for nine months, in enduring labor pains and in giving birth. I mean he gives birth to the second child after the wife takes care of the first. Let us hear if you have seen such equality. Islam teaches equity between the genders. This means the rights of each should be granted and safeguarded.
Economic rights: The role of the husband is to provide for the family while she is to take care of the home. She is not legally obliged to contribute a penny towards the sustenance of the family. If she earns 1 million and he earns a tenth of that, she is not required to foot the bills at home. In fact she is still entitled to receive money for her prettification from him. If she decides to contribute towards the family expenses, she does so on her own volitions. Her property is for her to keep while his property is theirs. Which other religion grants women such rights?
Inheritance: A woman has a right to inherit her father, her husband and her son. This is not a will related inheritance. The man cannot exclude her even through a will. In other societies, she only inherits if included in the will and mainly due to the children. Some people misunderstand the reason why the son is entitled to twice the daughter’s inheritance. The reason is simple; if they are married, the son has a family to take care of while the daughter will be taken care of by her husband. If they are not married, the son is still expected to take care of the sister with his share of inheritance.
Status of the mother viz a viz the father: The mother is threefold above the father in status. A companion asked the prophet (P.B.U.H) who has the most rights over him and the prophet told him your mother. Whenever he asked then who, he was told your mother only the fourth time was he told your father. The reward for obeying your mother is enormous that the prophet (P.B.U.H) said paradise is under the feet of mothers.
Women and Hijab: Anything valuable is always jealously protected. Let’s take money. Have you seen where money is kept in a bank? You will go through the most stringent barriers before you access the vault. I have never seen people holding their money bare for all to see. The body of a woman is sacred, her beauty is priceless and her honor is enormous. It does not mean you have more rights when you bare it all. It does not mean you have more rights when your body is used to advertise and sell anything and everything, it does not mean you have more rights when you are used by men to gratify their eyes and desires.
Husband vs. Wife: in most societies, the wife adopts the name of her husband and discards her family name. Some women are becoming clever now and refusing to change their names but women in Islam do not have to change their names because they got married to so and so. Both the husband and the wife have equal rights to all marital benefits.
Women, education and work: Women have equal right to education. The prophet (P.B.U.H) said seeking knowledge is obligatory to every Muslim. The misconception we have is that since a woman needs are catered for at every stage by a man, some people may not see the need for her to get educated or to work. But this is a practice and not the teachings of Islam. Some of the greatest scholars during the prophet’s time were women. Aisha {R.A) is a good example. Khadija (R.A) was a successful businesswoman when she met the prophet) P.B.U.H). Many women work in Eastleigh shopping malls to sustain their families after conflicts rendered the family unit and fabric apart. However, the risks women are exposed to are huge compared to men and therefore care must be taken to safeguard them against any harm in their study or working environments. Every society has stay at home mums. As we mentioned while the man is supposed to toil and provide for the family, the wife’s primary responsibility is at home. If the husband meets his bargain by providing adequately for the family, the wife should take care of the home if asked to do so.
Women have taken freedom to mean a carefree life. A part from this misguided notion what other rights do other women have that muslim women don’t have. But I can for sure tell you many of the above rights are not enjoyed by many women outside the fold of Islam. So to you my sisters, your status is exalted. Let you not be deceived