A Clarification of a Misunderstanding

A CLARIFICATION OF A MISUNDERSTANDING An anthology of the Quran prepared by English orientalist Edward William Lane (1801-1876) was published in 1843. It carried a foreword by way of introduction to Islamic teaching, which, among other things, stated that “the fatal point in Islam is the degradation of woman.” This ill-considered observation gained such currency that it was commonly repeated as an established fact. More than a century and a half has elapsed, but this conviction has only deepened. It has even been quoted as gospel truth by a prominent person in one of the court cases. Suppose a doctor tells his patient that his eye is a delicate organ of the body to be treated gently and with great care, unlike his fingernails, which can be cut and filed if necessary. The doctor’s instruction does not mean he degrades the eye vis-a-vis the nail. He is only pointing out the difference between the nail and the eye. If all laws in Islam are based on this fundamental reality that men and women are of two different genders, it is because their distinctive differences are established biological facts. This being so, male and female spheres of activity cannot be the same, whether in family or social life. There must necessarily be differences in the kind of work they do and their places of work. All scriptures have held the same concept of women without ever being doubted. In modern times, it has been challenged by the women’s liberation movement, which