What the contemporary world expects of the Muslim woman
 

by Ali Shariati

From the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, and particularly after the second world war, the special problem of the social rights of women and their specific peculiarities and personalities have been proposed as being a violent accident, vigorous, spiritual or psychic shock and a revolutionary crisis in scientific centers as well as in the social and political currents and movements of the world.

Thus, the traditional societies, the historic societies, religious societies, either in the East or in the West, the tribal, Bedouin, civilized, Muslim and non Muslim societies, in whatever social or cultural stage of civilization they may be, have all been directly or indirectly influenced by these thoughts, mental currents and even the new social realities.

They have frequently been confronted by a peculiar modernism which has been announced under the guise of 'freedom of women' either by relying on old traditions or by performing very firm and blind struggles.

Thus none of those have succeeded in standing against this attack and preventing its progress. The other group who are a majority of sorts, are mainly the new educated class, the pseudo-European, pseudo-intellectual who strongly and vigorously welcomes this crisis.

They themselves even act as one of the factors and elements that strengthen this severe corruptive and destructive transformation.

Upon the appearance of Freud, who is one of the agents of the bourgeoisie and it is through the liberal bourgeoisie spirit that scientific sexualism is found, it must be taken into consideration that the bourgeoise is generally an inferior class. Although feudalism is an anti human system, nevertheless, it relies on the aristocratic, elite, nobles and moral values even though these moral values are of the type that lead to a decline (rather than values which elevate mankind). But, ascending human values and believes in nothing except money.

Therefore, a scholar or scientist who lives, thinks and studies during the bourgeoise age and while it is progressing, when it reaches economics, it measures the collection of cultural and spiritual values, the sacrifices of mankind, the martyrdoms, authenticities, struggles, efforts, fights, emotions, literature and art, everything, with the scale of naked economy, business and consumption and nothing else.

One who enters and studies psychology or anthropology, looks at all of the dimensions, manifestations and appearances of the mystic and deep spirit of human beings - that which religion believes to be the spirit of God, the manifestations of metaphysical and divine virtues - only as unsatisfied sexual complexes.

However, Freud, a modern bourgeoise, armed himself against all moral and human values, all the high and ascending manifestations of the human soul and called it realism.

But he does not describe realism from the bourgeoise point of view, but rather he describes it from the point of view of the scientist, scholar, philosopher, psychologist, humanologist and anthropologist, which are directly related to the bourgeoise class - for all of these bring the human being down to the level of a sexual and economic animal!

Thus, the bourgeoise, by alienating all values and virtues, instead of all religions, all schools, all cultures and all human values, made only one religion, one school, one temple and a messenger for all miserable men of this age and all of them must be sacrificed in his presence.

This messenger was named Freud. His religion was sexuality. His temple was Freudianism and the first one who was sacrificed on the threshold of this temple was woman and her human values.

We who live in the East always speak about western colonialization, but I would like to explain that it does not mean that western colonialization only colonializes or exploits the East. It is a universal power and class that exploits and colonializes both the East and the West.

If I had the opportunity, I would explain that this power has alienated the European masses even more than the eastern masses. The European has been captured by colonialization, leisure, unemployment and misery and will continue to be so in the future.

An aware intellectual is a historian, traditionalist, Islamologist, chronologist and sociologist whose most important culture mission and responsibility is to take Islam as a living idea, faith and content, from the old traditional mould which do not belong to Islam but are rather tribal customs and put those in new moulds which are in accordance with the necessities of the present age. The everlasting, living, moving, progressive Islamic contents must be protected and put into the moulds which meet the necessities of each age.

From my own experience, not as a scientific research or study. I have to announce that even the most progressive, intellectual, rebellious and revolutionary ideas when confronted by the pure Islamic values and virtues - which are introduced having been separated from tribal, national, inherited ancient and ignorant customs, will be attractive and people will submit easily to them.

The intellectual who sees all of the deprivations and abolished rights of women and at the same time sees the opposite side, which relies upon these effects and abjectness, invites her to social freedom, class advantages and sexual liberty, cannot make a distinction between these two and becomes confused.

When the religious group of a community who are acquainted with religion and believe in it, are unable to separate and distinguish between the religion and the local, tribal customs, how can we expect that young, modern intellectuals who are willing to fight against ancient customs, to make a distinction between religion and ancient social customs?

Therefore, you see how problems are confused, how rights are abolished, how great talents are sacrificed in the name of religious traditions and how many great religious values and Islamic virtues are sacrificed in the name of intellectualism and fighting with ancient traditions!

Thus the responsibility of those who understand both the present society and Islam, who live in the present century, is very heavy. They must bear the heavy burden of a distance of many centuries of 10,12,14 and 20 centuries of emotions, feelings, ideas and faith. It is not an easy task to travel such a long distance and discover the truth which exists beyond it.

In the same way that western colonialization stupefies the minds of their own youth and young generation through narcotics so that they do not understand what is going on there in favour of universal colonialization, in the same manner they design and introduce Freudianism and sexual liberty in eastern countries. They export sexual liberty and products into the eastern countries and their place, they import their raw materials. In place of the diamonds, gold, rubber, oil, etc. which they take from the east, in order not to be obligated to the easterners, they give sexual liberty to them.

When a young man or woman is amused with sexual liberty, they will become occupied by it and will not think about other things, problems and freedoms. And when they have matured, they will be so involved with routine life, instillment payments and other difficulties that they will never come to look and think about other problems!

The woman of the Third World must be a woman who selects, who makes a choice. It is the woman, who neither accepts the inherited, mould nor the imported imposing and tradition anti-human mould. She recognizes both of them. She knows and is aware of both of them.

The one which is imposed upon her in the name of tradition, the one which she inherits is not related to Islam at all but is related to customs of the period of paternalism and even slavery. And the one which is imported from the West is neither science nor humanity nor freedom nor liberty. It is not based on sanctity and respect of a woman at all. But it is rather based on the low tricks of the bourgeoise - stupefying, stultifying, decaying and decline.

She wants to select, to choose, but what? which model? Neither the model of the traditional, strict woman, nor the model of the modern imposed woman. But the visage of a Muslim woman. Fortunately both material and history are available in order that the third figure be recognized. And even more narrative than history, more sensible than objective material, more logical than scientific arguments are objective figures of the exemplary personalities who exist in the name of the Imam (leader) and who are symbols in our Islamic history culture.

All of them are gathered in a family. All live in a small room, a family whereby each of its members is a symbol, a model. Being Hasan is patience and peace. Being Zainab is the heavy social mission of justice and truth. Being Fatima is being a woman. And being Ali is having all virtues!

I do not intend to once again repeat the life of Fatima as a model. All I knew in this respect I have already said and written. But I would like to mention once again that it is not sufficient only to understand and repeat the historical biographies.

We must set forth this problem for discussion, how to describe, how to understand, how to learn lessons from Fatima's life.

When the Prophet of Islam says that Fatima is one of the four great women of the world, when he gives her consolation towards all of the pains, miseries and disturbances of her life, that instead of those, she will be selected as the woman among women of the world, he is not intending to superficially greet her or to give her consolation. He is quite serious in this respect.

He recommends her to of being Fatima. Fatima's sisters did not have such a responsibility and were living with their husbands as other ordinary Muslim women. But Fatima is exceptional. Thus the Prophet by calling her 'the woman among women of the world' is not intending to make an idol for his followers to worship and praise or to introduce her as a victim in order to mourn for her. But he intends to introduce her as a model and a symbol, to learn lessons from the manner of her life and act according to it. This is the meaning of being the woman among women of the world.

How can we learn from Fatima's life? You all know the various dimensions of her life and thus there is no necessity to repeat it here. The only point that I would like to make is that we should try to learn from this great personality.

What lessons? A lessons to be learned about the highest manifestation of motherhood in Islamic history the high symbol of a woman in the house, in a marriage, in a companionship, in motherhood,in training children, having a husband like Ali, training and nourishing children like Hasan, Hussein and Zainab.

A woman, then, throughout the whole of her life, from her childhood to her marriage, from her marriage to the end of her life, feels herself responsible, as a committed person, part of the destiny of the community, defending what is right, supporting justice in thought, idea and faith and in confronting usurpation, oppression, deviation, which exists in her society. She is ever present in all social problems and confrontations.

She does not remain silent up to her death even though she knows that she will not succeed in this fight. This is the meaning of social commitment and responsibility. This is the lesson that can be learned from Fatima's life.