Scholar: Oppression of Women in Muslim Countries Not Widespread

By Sam Gardner Nov. 13, 2006

The oppression of women in Islamic countries is caused by men misinterpreting the Quran and is not as widespread as portrayed by the mainstream media, a Fulbright scholar from Morocco told a University of Central Florida audience last week.

Fatima Amrani Zerrifi said the true interpretation of the Quran is not oppressive and instead lifts women up. The author and educator at Sid Mohamed Ben Abdellah Fes University in Morocco spoke to a crowd of about 50 students and community members on Thursday, Nov. 9.

Amrani gave an hourlong presentation, sponsored by the Women’s Studies Program and Office of Interdisciplinary Studies, that snubbed theories that there is gender inequity in Islamic culture. She said Mohammed was one of the first feminists.

“If I, as a Muslim, told you it (oppression) didn’t exist, I would be a liar, but it is a very small minority,” Amrani said. “But you never see a normal, civilized Muslim speaking his mind on TV.”

Amrani, who specializes in women and gender studies research, as well as women in Islam and gender mainstreaming, is a strong supporter of the Islamic Feminist movement.

The feminist movement calls for educated women to question men to explain their interpretations of the Quran.

“If you are secluded for a long enough time, you become ignorant and dependent on the man,” Amrani said.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, Amrani said, the enemy of the west became Islam and that’s where the accepted negativity originated.  However, Amrani states that the majority of non-Muslim converts since Sept. 11, 2001 have been women.

Amrani asks, “If Islam is so negative, why is it the fastest-growing religion in the world?”

She said there are 57 Muslim countries in the world and 1.5 billion Muslims who are as diverse as other groups. Oppression, she said is a result of the cultures of each country and not the Muslim faith.

The veil and body coverings, commonly found among Muslim women, are not required by the Islamic religion and are a Jewish tradition, Amrani said. Each Islamic country has its own veil of different patterns and fabrics. Amrani recalled one discussion with a young girl who explained her veil and clothing choice quite simply.

“I want to be appreciated for who I am, not because I have a sexy body,” she said.

In a religion whose name means “submission to God,” the commonly accepted oppression of women is being converted to a sense of female appreciation. According to Amrani, though, it is a slow process.

“It is easy to change our habits, but it takes ages to change our mentality.”

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