For decades, Islam has been a male-dominated religion in the sense that women had no say in any capacity and were reduced to mere subordinates to their husbands. This is besides the fact that the first person to convert to Islam was a woman – the wife of Prophet Muhammad. In addition to this, women made significant contributions when it came to sharing Islamic teachings with children to enhance their understanding of their religion. However, their roles were limited as they were hardly allowed to speak in public in religious forums. Further, they were forced to suppress their opinions in regards to their religion and were accorded no platform whatsoever to interpret the Islam laws and scriptures (DeLong-Bas 1). Recently, all this seems to have changed owing to the rising literacy levels, increased conversion to Islam from other religions, women’s entry into the corporate world, and promotion of equal education opportunities for all genders. Consequently, the rise of modern Islam has increased the involvement of women in religion and expanded the scope of religious activities that they can engage in.
To start with, modern Islam has given women the chance to recite, teach, and interpret the Quran. Traditionally, women were actively denied this aspect of religious life. However, their need to understand religion propelled them to seek adjustments where girls would be taught the Quran in various education levels, and women would be allowed to participate in prayer sessions and Quran interpretations publicly (DeLong-Bas 2). At the beginning of the 20th Century, Indonesian women were urged to read the Quran, a substantial change from traditional restrictions. This support opened more doors for Muslim women in Indonesia who established programs that aided their growth economically. Further, the programs allowed them to promote their campaigns for women’s rights. As modern Islam progressed, women were also allowed to legally contest for adjustments of particular Quran verses that implied women were inferior to men.
The progress made in Indonesia by Muslim women is evidence of the milestones that women have achieved over the years since the rise of modern Islam. To date, women in Indonesia can recite, teach, and interpret the Quran publicly. The country has experienced a significant increase in the number of female Imams and female experts in Islamic law. Further, the presence of Islamic boarding schools where girls are taught Islamic studies and how to effectively interpret the Quran shows progress in terms of women and Islam. The willingness of male parents to take their children to these schools is a mark of growth as well (Palmieri 19). Besides Indonesia, countries in the West have also embraced the religious elevation of Muslim women. Amina Wadud’s interpretation of the creation story in her published work exemplifies this as she goes ahead to express men and women as equal creatures since creation. Her published work signifies a very significant change in Islam as a religion.
Additionally, modern Islam has promoted women’s participation in public worship. Traditionally, women faced a lot of hindrances when it came to public worship. To begin with, they were not allowed to share a prayer room with the men. In addition, they were rarely accorded a platform to conduct prayer unless it was a female setting (Palmieri 33). Further, the sermons in the mosques were only to be delivered by men as they were viewed as the more knowledgeable of the two genders. However, with modern Islam came liberation. Women began to lead prayers regardless of whether there were men in the crowd or not. For instance, after the end of apartheid in South Africa, one of the adjustments against discrimination was the inclusion of women in public worship.
