Women and religion

The study of women and religion typically examines the role of women and their
roles within particular religious faiths, and religious doctrines relating to gender,
gender roles, and particular women in religious history. Most religions elevate the
status power of men over women, have stricter sanctions against women, and require
them to be submissive. While there has been changes towards equality, religions
overall still lag the rest of society in addressing gender issues. There are
fundamentalists within every religion who actively resist change and believe that they
should continue to follow what they already have known for years. 
So, we prepared an information based on women’s right in Islam.

Women in Islam
The experiences of Muslim women vary widely between and within different
societies. At the same time, their adherence to Islam is a shared factor that affects their
lives to a varying degree and gives them a common identity that may serve to bridge
the wide cultural, social, and economic differences between them.

Gender roles
Gender roles in Islam are simultaneously colored by two Quranic precepts: spiritual
equality between women and men; and the idea that women are meant to exemplify
femininity, and men masculinity.
The emphasis which Islam places upon the feminine/masculine polarity (and therefore
complementarity) results in a separation of social functions. In general, a woman’s
sphere of operation is the home in which she is the dominant figure – and a man's
corresponding sphere is the outside world. Women are highly respected in many
aspects of domestic life such as being praised for their knowledge as ritual specialists
or caretakers.
However, this separation is not, in practice, as rigid as it appears. There are many
examples – both in the early history of Islam and in the contemporary world – of
Muslim women who have played prominent roles in public life, including being
sultanas, queens, elected heads of state and wealthy businesswomen. Moreover, it is
important to recognize that in Islam, home and family are firmly situated at the centre
of life in this world and of society: a man's work cannot take precedence over the
private realm.

Female education
Both the Quran – Islam's sacred text – and the spoken or acted example of
Muḥammad  advocate the rights of women and men equally to seek knowledge. The
Quran commands all Muslims to exert effort in the pursuit of knowledge, irrespective
of their biological sex: it constantly encourages Muslims to read, think, contemplate
and learn from the signs of God in nature. Moreover, Muḥammad encouraged
education for both males and females: he declared that seeking knowledge was a
religious duty binding upon every Muslim man and woman. Like her male
counterpart, each woman is under a moral and religious obligation to seek knowledge,
develop her intellect, broaden her outlook, cultivate her talents and then utilise her
potential to the benefit of her soul and her society. Women are entitled to seek an
education just as much as any man, and  everyone's duty, whether you are a male or
female, to seek knowledge. Many women throughout the Muslim world take this
opportunity to receive as much education that was permitted under the law. The
interest of Muḥammad in female education was manifest in the fact that he himself
used to teach women along with men. Muḥammad's teachings were widely sought by
both sexes, and accordingly at the time of his death it was reported that there were
many female scholars of Islam. Additionally, the wives of Muhammad – particularly
Aisha – also taught both women and men; many of Muḥammad's companions and
followers learned the Quran, ḥadīth and Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) from Aisha.
Notably, there was no restriction placed on the type of knowledge acquired: a woman
was free to choose any field of knowledge that interested her. Because Islam
recognises that women are in principle wives and mothers, the acquisition of
knowledge in fields which are complementary to these social roles was specially
emphasized.

Female employment
Some scholars refer to verse 28:23 in the Quran and to Khadijah, Muhammad's first
wife, a merchant before and after converting to Islam, as indications that Muslim
women may undertake employment outside their homes.
Traditional interpretations of Islam require a woman to have her husband's permission
to leave the house and take up employment, though scholars such as Grand Mufti Ali
Gomaa and Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Ebrahim Jannaati have said that women do
not require a husband's permission to leave the house and work.
Islam faith states that in the eyes of God, men and women should be equal and are
allowed to fulfill the same roles. Therefore, they also are required to complete all the
duties of a Muslim worshiper, including the completion of religious traditions,
specifically the pilgrimage to Mecca. Islamic culture marked a movement towards
liberation and equality for women, since prior Arab cultures did not enable women to
have such freedoms. Now, women in Islam are even entitled to their own right to land.
There is evidence that Muhammad asked women for advice and took their thoughts
into account, specifically with regard to the Quran. Women were allowed to pray with
men, take part in commercial interactions, and played a role in education. One of
Muhammad’s wives, Aisha, played a significant role in medicine, history and rhetoric.
Women, however, did not hold religious titles, but some held political power with
their husbands or on their own. The historic role of women in Islam is connected to
societal patriarchal ideals, rather than actual ties to the Quran. The issue of women in
Islam is becoming more prevalent in modern society.
Modern era
According to a 2012 World Economic Forum report and other recent reports, Islamic
nations in the Middle East and North Africa region are increasing their creation of
economic and employment opportunities for women; compared, however, to every
other region in the world, the Middle East and North African region ranks lowest on
economic participation, employment opportunity and the political empowerment of
women. Ten countries with the lowest women labour force participation in the world –
Jordan, Oman, Morocco, Iran, Turkey, Algeria, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and
Syria – are Islamic countries, as are the four countries that have no female
parliamentarians.
Women are allowed to work in Islam, subject to certain conditions. For example, an
acceptable circumstance is if a woman is in financial need and her employment does
not cause her to neglect her important role as a mother and wife. It has been claimed
that it is the responsibility of the Muslim community to organize work for women, so
that she can do so in a Muslim cultural atmosphere, where her rights (as set out in the
Quran) are respected. Islamic law however, permits women to work in Islamic
conditions, such as the work not requiring the woman to violate Islamic law (e.g.,
serving alcohol), and that she maintain her modesty while she performs any work
outside her home.
In some cases, when women have the right to work and are educated, women's job
opportunities may in practice be unequal to those of men. In Egypt for example,
women have limited opportunities to work in the private sector because women are
still expected to put their role in the family first, which causes men to be seen as more
reliable in the long term. In Saudi Arabia, it was illegal for Saudi women to drive until
June 2018; it is still illegal for them to serve in military and other professions with
men. It is becoming more common for Saudi Arabian women to procure driving
licences from other Gulf Cooperation Council states such as the United Arab Emirates
and Bahrain.
According to the International Business Report (2014) published by global accounting
network Grant Thornton, Indonesia – which is the world's largest Muslim country by
population – has ≥40% of senior business management positions occupied by women,
a greater proportion than the United States (22%) and Denmark (14%).

Financial and legal matters

Both men and women have an independent economic position: 'For men is a portion
of what they earn, and for women is a portion of what they earn. Ask God for His
grace. God has knowledge of all things.' Women therefore are at liberty to buy, sell,
mortgage, lease, borrow or lend, and sign contracts and legal documents. Additionally,
women can donate money, act as trustees and set up a business or company. These
rights cannot be altered, irrespective of marital status. Quranic principles encourage
women to own, invest, save and distribute their earnings and savings according to
their discretion. These also acknowledge and enforce the right of women to participate
in various economic activities.