The Rights of Women in Islam

Ofsted finds misogynist material in Muslim faith schools in the UK

According to recent newspaper reports Ofsted has found inappropriate material in books in the libraries of some Muslim faith schools in the UK. Misogyny is not restricted to Muslims. Judaic Law only allows a husband to divorce his wife, and so some wives have had to withdraw reports of domestic violence and other criminal acts by husbands to enable them to get a divorce. In Malta, the kidnapper of a woman escapes prosecution if he marries his victim. Cameroon is one of 18 countries where women cannot get a job if their husbands feel it is not in their family’s interest. In the United States, men and women are viewed differently under nationality law. A child born out of wedlock to a foreign mother and an American father has to endure a gruelling process in order to become an American citizen. At least 22 countries do not allow married women to pass citizenship to their children as fathers can, and 44 countries do not allow married women to pass citizenship to their spouses as married men can.

The authorities need to address every area of discrimination in all spheres of life. However, the best places to start are the home and the school. The Holy Quran states that “women have rights similar to those against them in a just manner ….” (2:228), and this what Muslim faith schools should be teaching. The authorities should take steps to ensure that children from every background are taught the human values of respect, tolerance and consideration for others, regardless of any such distinctions as those of gender, colour, religion, sect or nationality. Schools — regardless of which faith runs the school — teaching or storing misogynist or hate material, should be heavily punished and given notice that their licences are to be revoked.

The Ahmadiyya Association for the Propagation of Islam (Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam) was established in Lahore in 1914 to promote the informed understanding of Islam in the West. In the UK it operated the Shah Jehan Mosque in Woking until the early 1960s. Its new headquarters is at Dar-us-Salaam, 15 Stanley Avenue, Wembley, HA0 4JQ, UK. In 1924, in Berlin, it built the first mosque in Continental Europe of the modern era. The Berlin Mosque is now recognised by the German government as part of the German national heritage. From its European and other centres around the world this organisation has taught that Islam promotes peace, harmony and mutual respect between all communities and nationalities.

• Submissions in 2016 to UK Parliament Inquiries:
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