I read this article when it was first published (Malaysiakini, needs subscription), stuffed it into my drafts folder and wrote about other matters. The reason: I had no strong, immediate reaction and it worried the feminist in me. I should have been as outraged as the writer at Mr Yaacob’s comment but I wasn’t. And I needed time to figure out why.
After all, Mr Yaacob was essentially saying a female Prime Minister for Malaysia is an impossibility so women should not even aspire to be one. They should instead focus on other “rights” and leave the job of running the country to men (where it rightfully belongs, is his implied belief).
“That is the reality. Women should fight for their rights, but in doing so they should not at least for now, ask for things which do not make sense, such as wanting to be prime minister,” was (Mr Yaacob’s) so-called rationale. While quick to add that he supported gender equality, he said women’s organisations have to “be realistic” and not ask for unreasonable things.
That he said this in front of 1,000 women at a seminar on the roles of women, families and civil society in strengthening integrity, of course, is an irony the writer very rightfully highlighted. “Does Adnan have any idea when he thinks a woman can assume leadership of Malaysia? Or was his statement merely a blanket assumption based on male bias?”
To the first question, I would hazard that Mr Yaacob’s response, and that of other men in the country (especially Muslim Malay men), would be “Never”. To the second, my response is that Mr Yaacob is probably speaking from a traditional, Islamic viewpoint, and not just a culturally-biased one.
And that accounts for my own lack of reaction. Even though I think of myself as a modern Muslim female – one who subscribes to the belief that Islam is a great religion of gender equality – a part of me still fears that maybe the traditionalists are right. That we women may be able to be high achievers and contribute much to this country, but, due to some reasons that only God is privy to, we should not even think of becoming national leaders.
And this fear in me is due to the messages that have bombarded me since I was young.
Islam says women cannot rule
There is the widespread belief among Muslims that a woman cannot rule a country (some take it further that a woman cannot lead men in any way, full stop). This belief is usually based on this surah:
“And women have rights similar to the rights against them (i.e. the right of men) according to what is equitable and men have a degree over them.”[BAQARAH: 228]
That last segment of the ayat is interpreted to mean, in the traditional view:
1. QURTUBI “….. and the judges, rulers and mujahideen are among the men and this is not found among the women.” (Qurtubi, vl.5, pg.168)
2. IBN KATHEER “….. that is why nubuwat is reserved for men just as rulership …..”(Tafseer Ibn Katheer vl.1, pg.503)
3. BAIDAWI ” …. that is why nubuwat (prophethood), leading the salâh, leading a country and establishment of other sha-âir (distinguishing features) of deen (e.g. adhân, iqamah) are confined to men only. (Tafseer al Baidawi Pg.111)
The clincher is the hadith (sayings and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, pbuh) that claims a country will go to the dogs if it’s run by women:
Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said: “A nation that has entrusted its affairs to a woman can never be successful.”(Bukhari vl.5, pg.136, Bukhari vl. 4 Page 97, Nisai vl. 8 Page 227, Tirmidhi vl. 5 Page 457). Imam Tirmidhi (RA), after narrating this hadith, says: “This is a sound and authentic hadith.”
I get very upset when I read these sort of verses because they seem to imply that Islam sees women as less intelligent than men, incapable of being good leaders and who can only see as far as the next Gucci handbag. I know for a fact that these are archaic, chauvinistic and outdated beliefs. And since I strongly believe that Islam (and my beloved Prophet) rests on the basis of fairness, equality, justice as well as respect for both sexes (plus my observation that male leaders are indeed highly capable of being stupid and corrupt) , I went a-hunting for alternative views.
Gratifyingly, this article “Female Leadership in Islam” sums up the counter-arguments to the above:
On the Quranic Verses
Scholars such as (fundementalist) Sayyid Qutb and Rafiq Zakaria uphold that the verse above applies only to the family, where men are usually the providers. They restrict the privilege of men over women to within the family as the preceding and following verses deal with conjugal relations and not with the status of each sex in society at large.
The writer also points out that the only Quranic reference to female leadership (as in head of state) involves Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba, and that the reference made in the Holy Book (Surah 27,Ayat 22-44) is favourable. In my copy of Yusuf Ali:
“…and I come to you from Saba’ (Sheba) with tidings true (22). I found there a woman ruling over them and provided with every requisite; and she has a magnificent throne (23).”
On the Hadith
Syed Ameer Ali, an Indian Muslim scholar, argued the hadith pertained to Zoroastrian, not Muslim rulers.
The Prophet’s observation is said to have been made when he was told that a daughter of the emperor of Persia, Khusrow II had ascended the throne. He was slain by his son Kavadh (Qobadh II) who took over the reins. However, after a few months Kavadh died. This was in 628. Then there was utter anarchy for five years and one prince after another was crowned as emperor. They did not rule for more than a few months. Under the succession of short-term rulers, two daughters of Khusrow II – Purandukht and Azarmidukht were crowned one after the other and overthrown by Yazadegard III, a grandson of Khusrow II, in 633. It is possible that the Prophet reacted to this chaotic state of affairs and when informed of a woman, who enjoyed no status in the Persia of those days, having been crowned, opined that the act would bring no prosperity to the country. Again, we have to take into account the conditions prevailing at that time in Persia, which was a beehive of unbelief, corruption, nepotism, and immorality (135).
Scholar Rafiq Zakaria also rightly disputes that the Prophet would have such sweeping contempt for women, given his high regard for females.
On menstruation and other womanly “weaknesses”
The article also counters the arguments used by traditionalists that women are not fit to hold office due to their menstruation cycle, their inability to lead wars and prayers, and the exhortation of women to preserve their modesty.
”…thanks to modern science, women can assume greater control over their hormonal levels. There are very few accounts of women doing drastic or irreversible due to premenstrual syndrome or during their transition into menopause..In any case, as the example of Bilqis shows, all wise rulers should rule by consultation* to prevent men who may be even more unstable than menstruating women to also be kept in check. Autocratic rule does not need a woman to oppress people and make millions suffer; (G)enghis Khan, Tamarlane, Hitler, and Stalin were certainly not women suffering on account of menstruation. While concerns about menstruation and a woman’s ability to fulfil traditional leadership duties may not be important concerns today, such arguments reflect the complexity of the question of female leadership in Islam.“
Very true.
In fact, the issue of women and women’s rights seem to throw the whole Muslim community into a tizz. It may be some time yet before men like Mr Yaacob will see the light but while they and others of their ilk (men and women) cling to safe, orthodox, unproductive beliefs about a woman’s place in society, it is time that the enlightened males and females of our country – particularly those with the power to make change – revamp the leadership landscape and make it possible for capable female leaders to reach the highest office in our nation.
There is the woman
My mother, sister, daughter
She stirs in me the most sacred emotions
How can the holy book regard her unworthy
This most noble, beautiful creature
Surely the learned have erred
To read this in the Quran.
– Muhummad Ibn Tumart (1077-1130), as reproduced in “Female Leadership in Islam” (Free Muslims Coalition)
*The consul gave their opinion (the country was strong enough for war) but allowed the Queen to make the final decision (she decided against war, travelled to meet King Solomon and converted to Islam).
Note: A visit to Sisters in Islam website reveals that there is an organisation called The Women’s Candidacy Initiative which aims to create space for women to participate in politics and expand currently existing opportunities
Filed under: Islam, Malaysiana, Newsprint, Women
Ooooh I get to be the first! Is it okay to ramble?
During the 17th century, Pattani and Aceh, two prominent Islamic kingdoms, were ruled by a succession of Queens, who did not do too badly at all.
A good example was Sultanah Tajul Alam, who was installed as the ruler of Acheh in 1641, on the death of her husband, Sultan Iskandar Thani ‘Ala ud-din Mughayat Shah. Her reign ushered in half a century of rule under women sovereigns. Devoutly religious, Sultanah Tajul Alam encouraged learning and was a patron of several great scholars, including Hamzah Fansuri and Syeikh Nuruddin al-Raniri, both of whom were her teachers. She financed the building of libraries and sponsored the publications of books. Sultanah Tajul Alam had great distaste for warfare, and instead relied on her considerable diplomacy skills. Several times, she thwarted Dutch attempts to gain foothold in Aceh, through letters and sheer cunning. Her rule ended when she passed away in 1675.
There are hundreds of other Muslim women who played a role in the leadership of a country, either directly or indirectly — and all this before Mr Gucci was even born. (If there is a Mr Gucci) Go to
http://www.guide2womenleaders.com/Muslim_Leaders.htm
Someone should be kind enough to forward this link to the Chief Minister, although he is known to engage his mouth before his brain is in gear.
By the way, I like this haberdashery shop. Not as serious as getting a dip in the blue sea.
Hullo there. And I thought you didn’t read my email,
Thanks for the info, Mokciknab. The Sultanah sounds like a leader after my own heart – sponsoring the publications of books and building lovely libraries are something our govt may also want to do, given the sad state of literacy in this country. And anti-war some more – way to go.
Well, a scholar on Islam and women in Islam I am not but in writing the particularl post above, I was absolutely relieved to find that even Sayyid Qutb limited the application of the ayat to the household.
And on the CM, well, Bushisms may not be an exclusive disease.
Am glad to find a coffee fiend in you.
You did mean friend, yes? I shall fie the fiend in me by paying next time!
Mokcik…I did mean fiend, but in a good way. As in you are my friend who is a coffee fiend…comprehensible or not? More coffee and chats are always welcome!
Is it possible that our glass ceiling is self-imposed? Hukum shouldn’t be the reason that there aren’t more women leaders in the Muslim world, because it’s obvious (to me at least) that this isn’t haram.
Which leads me next to the question of what is it that’s preventing us from taking on positions of political leadership? Could it be that politics, in its current form, is an unappealing option for women in the first place? Could it be, at least in Malaysia’s case, that the whole segregation of political groups by race and gender, ensure that women are forever kept out of the halls of power?
Najah – I still believe that if there is self-imposition, it’s because of the belief that the halls of power are off limits to Muslim women. But the question of politics being unappealing is a valid one. From my observation, the consumption on time and privacy is enormous and it is possible this turns women – as well as lots of men – off.
Politics, especially in Malaysia, is no longer a gentleman’s (or lady’s) arena. I’m horribly disgusted by what’s going on now, esp with the way TDM is being treated. The last time I felt this disgusted was during the DSAI episode, and yes, the phrase what goes around comes around comes to mind, but it’s easy to lose focus on what’s at stake – the country.
I rarely make such strong statements, but I view certain factions in UMNO as goons. The thuggery prevalent in their culture is disgusting (I’m repeating myself, but I can’t think of a better word at the moment), and a culture change, at this point it seems, can only come from a total levelling of the current political infrastructure.
Going back to women in politics, if the loss of privacy, and immediate probe into her ‘honour’, is already a problem elsewhere in the world, the problem is tenfold in Malaysia. A woman must be pristine to enter politics in Malaysia to get anywhere past the first goalpost, and even then, she may not have the support structure to continue weathering further attempts to assasinate her character. Take Kak Wan (Azizah) as an example – I remember the big fuss that was made about her shaking hands with men, whether she covered her hand with a cloth when she did so, so on and so forth. Take Azalina Othman as another example, and the various rumours about her sexuality, affairs with VVIP’s wives, so on and so forth. Then there were other women politicians whose state of marriage came into question – it’s a free for all lynch-fest, with women ourselves as party to this sabotage.
Point the microscope to male politicians, and it is rare that anything remotely vicious ever lands on their desks, unless they fall into the rogue category (as in the case of DSAI).
I guess this is how Malay political culture will always be, the minority (goons) perpetuating their control over the people by winning through character assassination. It must be a lot easier than doing any real work.
Dear Najah,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. The way currents are flowing is distressing, to say the least, and I am wondering how the current political situation must seem to outsiders. The look can’t be pretty.
On women in politics – it is not just the personal life that is at stake – professional mistakes are also magnified and attributed to the whole gender. While men can be inepts in office, their inability is never a reason to not hire (or vote in) another man. For a woman, it is often different. And even though I do not agree with her on a lot of things, I do agree with our MITI minister when she lashes out at reporters who asked her how she balances work and family (She aptly retorts that they should ask that of her male colleagues as well).
On character assasinations, well, it is the onus of the voting public to make their say against this type of politics. And it is information, information, and information that will increase the sophistication level of the rakyat to the point where we can distinguish between what is personal and what is policy/decisions.
[...] There are more Eves in lofty positions in government and corporate sectors, but even with these achievements and with the capabilities wielded by females, there are Ministers who caution Malaysian women against even aspiring to be the Prime Minister of Malaysia. [...]