Islam on the concept of "Women Empowerment" - Sheikh Assim Alhakeem

Summary

The speaker discusses perspectives on women's rights, status, and identity in Islam. He asserts that Islam grants women a high status and protects their dignity, contrasting this view against perceptions of women's equality in the West.

Takeaways

• 🤔 Claims Islam protects women's rights and status more than other religions
• 😐 States Islam requires women to wear hijab and men to lower gaze to protect women's honor
• 🙏 Says Islam punishes false accusations to protect women's reputations
• 👥 Argues Islam does not support total equality between genders
• 📖 Cites Quran verses stating men and women are not alike
• 😤 Rejects accusations of being male chauvinist
• 🤝 States Islam gives women high status while recognizing gender differences
• 🚫 Opposes Western feminism that promotes women acting like men
• 💪 Defines Muslim woman's identity as linked to modesty and bashfulness
• 🤵‍♂️ States Muslim man's duty is following Quran and Sunnah regarding women

Q & A

What is the primary issue being discussed in the transcript?

The primary issue discussed is the concept of women's empowerment in Islam, particularly in the context of Muslim women's rights and their roles in society.

What is the speaker's stance on women's empowerment in Islam?

The speaker asserts that Islam does not go against women's empowerment but has a distinct perspective on it. They emphasize that empowerment in Islam is not about achieving equality with men in all aspects but about respecting the unique roles and identities of men and women as defined by Islamic teachings.

How does the speaker interpret the concept of equality in Islam?

The speaker suggests that Islam does not advocate for absolute equality between men and women in every aspect. They reference a verse from the Quran stating that 'a male is not like a female', to highlight that Islam recognizes the differences between the genders and assigns them different roles and responsibilities.

What does the speaker mean by a Muslim woman's identity being her 'bashfulness'?

In the transcript, the speaker indicates that a key aspect of a Muslim woman's identity is her 'bashfulness' or modesty. This concept is linked to the idea of maintaining a woman's dignity and respect in society, which the speaker feels is lost if modesty is not upheld.

What is the speaker's response to being called a 'male chauvinist pig'?

The speaker denies being a 'male chauvinist pig', asserting that their views are based on Islamic teachings rather than male chauvinism. They claim to follow the Quran and Sunnah (the teachings and practices of the Prophet Muhammad) in their views on gender roles.

How does the speaker describe Islam's treatment of women?

The speaker describes Islam as a religion that highly respects women, more than any other religion. They mention specific Islamic practices like the hijab and the requirement for men to lower their gaze, which are seen as protective measures for women's dignity and respect.

What is the Islamic punishment for slander against a woman, as mentioned in the transcript?

According to the transcript, in Islam, if a person slanders a woman by falsely accusing her of immoral behavior and cannot produce four male Muslim witnesses to substantiate the claim, the accuser would be punished with 80 lashes. This law is mentioned as a means to protect a woman's reputation.

Has there ever been a recorded case of the required four male witnesses proving such slander in Islam?

The speaker mentions that, to their knowledge, there has never been a recorded case where four male witnesses have come forward to testify and provide graphic evidence of a woman's immoral behavior, as required by Islamic law.

What are the speaker's views on the situation of women in the West compared to those in Islamic societies?

The speaker contrasts the treatment of women in the West with that in Islamic societies. They point out the high rates of rape, slander, and disrespectful talk about women in the West, suggesting that Islamic societies, through their laws and practices, offer better protection and respect for women.

What does the speaker imply about the requirement for a woman to travel without a mahram (male guardian) and marry without a guardian?

The speaker implies that the Islamic requirements for a woman to have a mahram for travel or a guardian for marriage are not about restricting women's freedom, but about ensuring their safety and upholding Islamic principles of modesty and protection.

Outlines

00:00

🙋‍♀️ Empowerment of Muslim Women

The paragraph discusses the concept of women's empowerment, especially among Muslim women. It analyzes what Muslim women mean by empowerment - ability to travel independently, marry without a guardian, do what men can. The speaker argues these go against Islamic teachings on gender differences and roles. He states that equality between men and women is not endorsed in Islam as per the Quran. A Muslim woman's identity stems from her bashfulness and modesty which the hijab represents. Islam gives women a high status and protects their reputation.

Keywords

💡empowerment

The speaker questions what the interviewer means by 'women's empowerment', implying that it goes against Islamic principles. He associates it with controversial ideas like women traveling without a male guardian and having total equality with men. Later he explains the Islamic conception of women's status being tied to modesty and differentiation of gender roles.

💡equality

The speaker denies that total equality between men and women exists in Islam. He cites a Quranic verse that states that males and females are fundamentally different. He sees the Western notion of equality as erasing this difference and women's unique identity.

💡identity

The speaker argues that a Muslim woman's identity stems from her 'bashfulness' and modesty. He contrasts this to Western women who he says lose their identity and become 'doormats' through adopting notions of total equality.

💡respect

The speaker argues that Islam respects women more than any other religion. As examples he gives the requirements of hijab for women and lowering the gaze for men.

💡protects

The speaker argues that Islam goes further than any other system to protect women's reputation. As an example he discusses the strict requirements for proving accusations of sexual impropriety against women.

💡status

The speaker claims women have a 'very high status' in Islam, DISTINCT from total equality with men. He sees issues like hijab and gender differences as contributing to, not detracting from, their status.

💡slander

The speaker discusses the severe punishment in Islam for slandering a woman's reputation with sexual accusations that lack extensive proof.

💡rape

The speaker contrasts the 'amounts of rape' in Western societies, with the protection of women's honor under Islamic social norms and legal punishments.

💡fornicating

Part of the speaker's argument about Islamic law's protection of women's reputation centers on the high bar for proving any charge of a woman 'fornicating' with a man.

💡reputation

The speaker returns often to the theme of Islam offering the greatest protection of a woman's reputation from false accusations about her sexual conduct.

Highlights

Discussion on women's empowerment and its relevance to Muslim women.

Clarification that Islam does not oppose empowerment but questions the interpretation of empowerment.

The assertion that Islam distinguishes between genders and assigns different roles.

Emphasis on the unique identity of Muslim women tied to modesty.

The claim that no other religion respects women as much as Islam does.

Description of the hijab as not only an obligation for women but also the directive for men to lower their gaze.

Islam's stance on protecting women from slander and the severe consequences for failing to prove accusations.

The highlight of the lack of recorded cases where four male Muslim witnesses have testified to witnessing fornication, emphasizing the protection of women's reputations.

Transcripts

now a lot of the women have this

issue and even CNN all these channels

are talking about which is women

empowerment even among Muslim women they

say we have to empower ourselves we have

to do this we have to do that are you

living Islam Islam doesn't go against

empowerment what do you mean by

empowerment to be in independent to be

able to travel without a m okay to be

able to marry without a

guardian to be able to do whatever a man

can do so mashallah so you get pregnant

this year next year I'll be pregnant

what are you talking about said equality

there is no equality in Islam Allah

stated this in the

Quran are you crazy Allah says a male is

not like a female so where is your

identity a muslim's woman identity is

her bashfulness once the bashfulness is

taken away she has no identity she's a

door mat like any other door mat in the

west she are you male chauvinist Pig no

I'm not a pig alhamdulillah but am I

male shist neither of that I am a Muslim

I Implement Quran

and Sunnah women have a very high status

in Islam and this what gives them their

identity no other religion respects

women as Islam does Islam respects women

to the extent that Islam orders women to

wear the hijab but at the same time

orders men to lower their Gates so even

if a hijabi woman comes to you or you

see her cross cross the street you are

obliged to lower your gaze Islam

protects women even from a word of

slander when I watch the news I see the

amounts of rape slander trash talk about

women in the West in Islam if one man

says about a Muslim woman that she goes

out with men

that she's a prostitute this single word

if I fail to present four male Muslim

witnesses to testify that what I had

said is actually accurate and true and

that they describe graphically the

Intercourse that they had seen with

their own eyes if I fail to do this and

since Islam till date no one has ever

proven this by the way no case recorded

of four male Witnesses coming and

testifying that this person was

fornicating with that person ever if I

fail to bring these Witnesses then I

will be flogged 80 lashes for such

slunder imagine that this is to protect

a woman's

reputation