By Nurul Nabila Hasanah
PAGOH, 17 March 2021: In Islam, are women really faced with a situation of being oppressed? The answer to this question may be found in the discussion held in IIUM Pagoh campus here recently.
In conjunction with International Womens Day, the international and culture bureau of Mahallah Representative Committee (IIUM) has collaborated with Usamah Zayd Academic Consultant (UZAC) to organise a forum on the topic œIn Islam, Are Women Oppressed last Saturday (13 March).
Three speakers representing Usamah Zayd Academic Consultant, an NGO that is active in Pulau Pinang, had a serious discussion on the topic and the whole session went on smoothly, moderated by sister Hanisah.
International Women’s Day which falls on 8 March every year is usually celebrated to honour women’s achievement in various fields in social, economic and political context. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity and to raise awareness about women’s equality.
The one-hour forum was held live on Mahallah Zaid bin Harithah Facebook. The talk began with a simple briefing about International Womens Day and how the world views Muslim women as oppressed only because they cover their head and body.
Founder of UZAC, Mr. Muhammad Faiz Aiman bin Farizon said that many organisations fight for womens right and against violence towards women. Organisations such as PERTIWI help voice out womens right in society. The speaker highlighted that women should know where and how to seek help and to uplift their value.
President of UZAC, Ms. Hanim Afiqah binti Hasnan also shared the reason why Muslim women have to properly cover their aurah. “Covering your aurah is not a sign of oppression, instead it shows how much Islam respects, care and ultimately protects women,” she said.
Hanim Afiqah mentioned an ayat in Surah al-Ahzab, which stated that women have to cover their aurah as it is an order in Islam, and there are many benefits and goodness scientifically. She said: “In western countries, often women have to face issues regarding their skin problem as it is a result of exposed too much to ultraviolet (UV) and it affected their skin.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Nor Hazrul bin Nordin, the representative speaker of UZAC and a degree holder in education, spoke that in Islam, regardless of gender, men and women have their place in society and both genders need each other.
He said: “Sometimes there are some issues regarding the division of asset in Islam after death of the husband. Some argue that it is unfair to have a different distribution of assets among the heirs that prioritises male, however, it is solely to protect the wellbeing of the family after the loss of the breadwinner.”
Nor Hazrul then elaborated that men required to take care of their women. œMen have many responsibilities. They should take care of their family after their father left. Hence, they get a huge portion of an asset and it is actually not for themselves. Unlike women, when they acquire the asset, it is for themselves.
Nor Hazrul also shared with the audience a piece of du’a to avoid someone become an oppressor or oppressed in life.
“After all, Islam is fair and the rules and laws have their meaningful reasons (hikmah), even if we, as human beings, cannot foresee them,” he added. ***