WOMAN’S ROLE IN ISLAM

children and to worry that “the more women get ahead professionally; the more children will fall back.” However, it must be admitted that just as modern woman has failed to find her real position, being caught in the lure of unnatural freedom, similarly a woman in the present Muslim society has been largely denied rights that Islam has granted her, for instance, a woman becoming a victim of a man’s maltreatment or her failing to receive her share in her parent’s property, etc. Now the question arises as to the solution to this problem. The solution to it lies in education. It is a fact that present-day Muslims, both men and women, have been lagging far behind in education. There was a time when, during the Abbasid period (AD 751-1258), the highest point in Muslim culture, literacy was almost one hundred percent. Not only men but women as well received the education prevalent at that time. It is at this point—the point of education—that Muslims should begin a new Islamic life. If Muslims were to concentrate on this, and strive towards the goal of hundred percent literacy, that alone would suffice to bring about their overall reformation. Once that goal is attained, all other problems could be set right. Intellectually as well as pragmatically, Muslims would become a developed community. With the efforts of Sir Sayed Ahmad Khan (d. 1898) and his colleague, Maulvi Samiullah, an educational movement was certainly launched among Muslims. However, due to certain shortcomings, this movement could not be a success. First, Muslims set a university as the target for their educational struggle. But when this university came into being, the hard reality dawned upon them that most students were not qualified for admission. The solution was sought in the form of reservations, which, ironically, only compounded the problem. With “reservation,” all candidates, whether or not they qualified, had to be granted admission. And as a result, the Muslim university ultimately came to be a factory turning out people who had academic degrees but no real qualifications. This concept of the Muslim educational institution has clearly proved inadequate, if not actually counterproductive. It will continue to be so until education is placed at the forefront. There can be no compromise Literacy, the acquisition of basic general knowledge, and some experience with problem-solving have an intrinsic value for the individual and for society which cannot be overestimated.