The point of this column though is not only to praise Ms Kasana but to take issue with the following quote approvingly posted by her regarding the question of whether or not women can lead men in prayer: “People have no idea how many of these issues were already examined and discussed. And incredible erudition and energy went into this. So if you look, I would argue that the Islamic tradition has within itself all of the needs to renovate the house. But it’s going to take an immense amount of intellectual energy. It’s going to take very, very highly qualified people which necessitates institutions that can train and produce the types of people that are needed to engage in this activity.”
I both agree and disagree with this quote. I completely agree that “people have no idea” about the intellectual history of Islam. At the same time, I disagree vehemently that determining whether or not women can lead men in prayer requires “very, very highly qualified people”.
Let us begin with the first point. It is correct that most people have little idea of the immense scholarship erudition that informs Islamic history. For generation upon generation, indeed for century upon century, some of the brightest minds in the world have lavished their entire attention upon exegesis of the Holy Quran, upon analysis of the hadith and upon study of the shariah. Many people know that Al Azhar in Cairo is the oldest university in the world. But as George Makdisi has detailed, the entire model of western scholarship is infused by Islamic precedents. For example, the concept of independent colleges funded through permanent endowments — as illustrated by Oxford and Cambridge — was explicitly drawn from Islamic models. Similarly, the concept of the doctorate — in which a student ascended to scholar status by presenting an original thesis — was explicitly taken from Islamic academic norms.
Instead of the world of the scholar, we now live in the age of the dilettante jihadi. Islamic scholarship had been on the decline for centuries, but it is the last four decades which have seen the most damage. The reason for this is simple: the empowerment of OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries) in 1973 and the great oil spike of the 1970s meant that the Middle East (and Saudi Arabia in particular) became the cash focus of the entire world. As a consequence, vast amounts of oil money have flowed ever since into the coffers of those willing to toe the Wahabi line. Those who want an in-depth view of the destruction of Islamic scholarship can do no better than to read The Great Theft, Khalid Abou alFadel’s passionate polemic about the destruction wrought by Saudi money. The less diligent can simply look around and see the world which emerges when every militant moron gets a free soapbox.
At the same time, I don’t agree with the assumption that questions like whether or not women are competent to lead men in prayer require expert analysis. Seriously, why do you need to be an expert to answer such questions?
Let me present this issue differently. Over the last few months, parliament has enacted two different laws dealing with international arbitration, one implementing the Washington Convention of 1966 and the other implementing the New York Convention of 1958. The overwhelming majority of our parliamentarians have no knowledge whatsoever of arbitration, international or otherwise. And yet nobody would suggest that this lack of expertise somehow renders our new laws invalid.
One response to my example is that there is a fundamental difference between a ‘technical’ law (such as the new arbitration laws) and a ‘moral’ or ‘religious’ law such as one dealing with the possibility of female imams. Not surprisingly, I would disagree with any such distinction.
The arbitration regime of Pakistan may not deal with any moral issues of great import but other laws certainly do. Take, for example, the draft bill pending in parliament regarding organ transplantation. Whether or not people should be allowed to donate organs (and if so, under what circumstances) certainly involves profound moral questions. Why is it that we are comfortable with parliament deciding such issues? And given that we are, why should we be uncomfortable about parliament deciding other moral issues?
Let us leave aside all these hypotheticals and come back to the basic issue: should women be allowed to lead men in prayer? Obviously the answer to this question depends on how one thinks of women. Equally obviously how one thinks of women is something that depends on the society in which one lives. Given that society changes, and given more specifically that our 21st century lives differ radically from 7th century life in the Arabian peninsula, why do we need a religious scholar to tell us how to think about women, especially when that scholar’s sole claim to fame is his supposed ability to divine what Islamic society would have thought of this question had it been posed 1,400 years ago?
At least in my view, all moral questions are the same from a societal perspective. Whether or not women should be allowed to lead men in prayer is thus no different from the question of whether or not men should be allowed to beat their wives, which is in turn no different from the question of whether or not men should be allowed to keep other humans as their slaves. Each one of these is a moral question. In each case, we have every right to seek guidance from religious scholars and religious texts. But in each and every case, the laws that actually bind us are only those that we — as a people — chose to accept through our freely elected representatives. This is because the free consent of the governed is the fundamental manner in which a democracy determines moral issues. Why then should we demand religious expertise to determine any moral question, even if that moral question has religious overtones?
Published in The Express Tribune, August 31st, 2011.
COMMENTS (36)
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Of the many gifts granted to a human being at the time of his birth by the Lord, one of the most important is the innate ability to reason and question.
I know several people who would seek a Mullah's interpretation of this article before they can even form an opinion on it.
This is the malaise that afflicts Muslims and Muslim societies. We have lost the ability to have free discourse and apply reason at the individual and societal levels. Barely literate, intellectually impaired mullahs have suddenly morphed into fountainheads of wisdom and have assumed leadership of thought. The results are for all to see.
Most of us will disagree with this article, but on what basis that we have to need some kind of a mullah to resolve this contentious and controversial issue. First of all, why we need woman to lead men in prayers? is there a shortage of men in this society to lead prayers. Little bit funny, but a plausible argument. We live in a society where these kind of issues cant be resolve because I believe that we are not Muslim; we are either sunni or ahle-tasih. Above writer did not discuss this issue from this angle that layman also do not want to resolve issues, in fact, want to remain persistent with their own version of Islam. Pardon me for this opinion of mine that here in Pakistan lives two kind of people- radicals and liberal- but we need moderates in order to solve all issues relating to religion.
@Ali Tanoli: Sir for your kind information Relax, Reason and then comment.
in prayer your attention should be towards God. any sweet voice can distract from Namaz. for example ringing cell phone . if a woman will lead the prayer, men behind her will not be able to concentrate on their prayer rather than thinking about her or her sweet voice .
@Mirza Aslam Beg:
So what are you suggesting, that an African female convert is less qualified to lead a Muslim prayer, because she is African or a female or a convert. Because the rascism deeply imbeded in your resistant ot modernity brain does not have any answer. If you are objecting to the fact that she is a female, thats what this argument is all about. And if you are objecting to her being a convert to Islam, that certainly takes it to a new level of bigotry.
Before I moved on, I used to read translations by Marmaduke Picthall, Muhammad Asad and their kind, you think I should reexamine the authencity of the translations specially since they were converts, or just simply continue to reject what appears to me as the inexplicable divine created by the human mind?
@Truth Prevails:
Catholicism is loosing out to conversions to Protestant denominations for the same reason. The Catholics are out of sync with modernity. But they probably have more of a chance of Catholics having a woman pope than Muslims having a female prayer leader for the same reason.
The proponent of this idea is Amna Wadud, a convert African Muslim scholar who is an exceedingly controversial person. She did lead the prayer in USA at least once, which I am aware of.
In my considered opinion people like Mehreen Kasana would do well to concentrate on more important gender issues such as right to education, right to move freely, right to work, right to sustenance, right to respect, right to justice, right to inheritance, right to ownership, right to privacy, right to protection from slander/backbiting/ridicule, right to develop one’s aesthetic sensibilities & enjoy the bounties created by God, right to good life, – HAVE ALL THESE RIGHTS BEEN ACHIEVED ALREADY?
@Khalid Khalil:
Nonsense, women are in no way genetically inferior to men. Physically maybe, but in today's world of drone warfare, probably the person sitting and coordinating the drone attack in Nevada US is possibly a woman, incinerating physically well endowed warriors, well connected to their tribal instincts but out of touch with a modernising global world.
In the US, one group of progressive American Muslims have already had a Friday prayer session led by an African American woman Muslim scholar by the name of Amina Wadud, in 2004 in Manhattan. Over fifty men and women participated in the effort and connected to their Divine without any problems.
There are laws being enacted globally and in place in India, China, Europe, and the US where discrimination against women is a serious offence. And increasingly women are becoming Ministers, Rabbis, Monks, and Priestesses with significant member followers in the religious groups that they belong to.
Only in Muslim societies there exists practices from the middle ages, of the right for men to take four wives, forcing women to wear the burqa, instant divorce at the whim of a man not found acceptable in all the societies that you quote.
Quran does not prohibit women to lead prayers, but the following attached explanation may help the inquisitive mind to form an opinion based on merits of different situations.
http://www.scholarofthehouse.org/onwolepr.html
@Shakir Lakhani: Absolutely Correct ... Why don't these christian's make female a pope ? Answer awaited Christians and their friend (here n hereafter) Mr. Feisal Naqvi ...
Why can't a woman ever be a pope?
@Author,
As much as I, and many other Liberals would agree with what you have said, the article essentially stresses on the need to separate religion from the state and that, to many, may come across as a "secular propaganda".
This idea of choosing between two mutually exclusive ideals - democracy (as a derivative of secularism) or religious ideology - is the biggest hurdle many "westernized" people have, something that should be open to debate.
It seems the basic principle behind the issue of allowing women to read prayers, or anything else for that matter, is to know where to source our decisions from as decisions, as much sovereign as we like to think, are made within a framework. Where do we source or morals from? Come up with our own or find them in divine texts?
if everyone will start to interpret the constitution according to their own common sense then we will have chaos….so if we go to the supreme court for the interpretation then following the same analogy when it comes to religion we should go to the people who are experts in the field…therefore I respectfully disagree with the article
women can lead men! FULL STOP (remember UK, Turkey, Ukraine, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Phillipines etc etc etc oh and there are some muslim countries there too)...whether or not in prayer, who cares.....? being a woman, i dont care. you know why? well, simply because this moot question can only be taken up for drawing room discussions or bar dinner debates....either way it is resolved, this won't change the state of woment in Pakistan or the rest of the world (which i can tell you, is worse than Pakistan, contrary to general perception).....
In Hinduism, there is the tradition of sati according to which the woman is burned alive when her husband dies. This practice was first stopped in India by the Mughal emperor Akbar.
yet another masterpiece by Raza Rumi. excellent write up. simply amazing. wow. awesome job. keep it up Raza Rumi.
Who gonna lead prayers during seven days of woman period time this is one thing second women get pregnent and during that tme and after child born how can they do these things even god forgive there prayer he know every thing he is creator of human and universe. yes women were ruler of countries in the history they can rule but they some places are just for men and one more thing on above kaniskha mention in hinduism women can be a priest please we know history of hinduism and there civilization even now happend in india and in nepal with women we know very well one of my nepali friend told in neppal even now in the villages ares can not cook the food during there that time of the month and in india what happening to widows just go to internet and type widow of india u can see that clip and we know other peoples history too islam is the first reliegen in the world who give women a rights it was a islam who give propery right fifteen hundred years ago and we know how was world that time and this is a white truth mankind change and civilized after islam go to Europr libraries books written by non muslims jews and christian will tell u guys.
Really? Is it the one core issue faced by Muslim women? It's the farthest you can think of? If women start leading prayers, the problems faced by them will vanish. Well, I shouldn't be surprised at this as the intellectual level is clear from your statement relating OPEC countries for the reason of decline in education in Islamic world. My advice: You can be successful standup comedian! Try it!
Women and men are equals in Islam when it comes to their rights. However, it is undeniable and irrefutable that men are superior to women. I don't know why people keep getting that mixed up. Women cannot be leaders of prayers. Its as simple as that. What a stupid question to ask in the first place.
Your claims and the consequent deductions based upon them are well-informed and sound all too good. The sad fact, however, is that resolving 'religious' or 'moral' questions from a common-sense point of view (and that's your subjective opinion) is not a popular notion, not virtually anywhere at all in the Muslim world. What you propose, then, is indeed very good and philosophically logical but practically absurd. You can't expect people to turn to common people, or even decide among themselves, questions like the one you premised your article upon. So there goes all theorizing! Oh and that is not to say that I agree with the rather subtle connotation of your article that formerly, in some hypothetical, golden rule, these questions were actually decided by the non-experts. Thus has never been witnessed among Muslims. And those who dares thus were branded infidels or many others labels to that effect. From the times of Imam Abu Hanifa down to our days, Muslim tradition has been to rely upon hailed intellectuals and scholars of religion for such answers. I by no way means that I agree to that practice but that's how it's been.
@TightChuddi
If religion is like e=mc2, then what about the prophecy of 72 sects? Their can be different interpretations, for example, God has not specified how much is to be covered.
God should not give nails to a bald man...nor oil to an Arab. But He does!! I guess your question is: Can women be a part of the "Organized Religious elite" and rise to the top?
This question relates to what general public's perceives as the locus of so called religious and spiritual authority. It has nothing to do with expertise, or feminine emancipation, or equality of genders, or sensitivities related to these.
What is an 'expert'? a person who knows more and more about less and less until he knows absolutely everything about nothing....
Excellent! . Had extremely extra-ordinary almost non-existent scholars been required to interpret a religion, Allah would not have reminded the Arabs that he sent the Quran in their language precisely for the reason that they should be able to easily understand it. Is that still not enough? . The real problem is we desire "scholars" to give us an approval of our own interpretations. Instead of asking "scholars", we should simply be honest about our interpretations.
Why this compulsion to follow a religious tradition, whether Abrahamic or not? Don't they all seem slightly far-fetched anyways? Maybe Pakistanis need to learn the art of questioning. It's necessary for a healthy mind. Regards, Rehan
Highly contentious issue. Though I fully agree with you (and really liked your article) but most of us don't. They argue that on Islamic matters such as those mentioned in your article, its only the ulema who are competent to pass a judgment. What you are saying is not applicable for Pakistan where we are still living with the Zia era laws (hadood and others) and no parliament has had the guts to overturn such laws. People get killed here who talk of changing blasphemy laws. So, no matter how legally, constitutionally, politically, morally your argument is right, its all too academic as far as we are concerned.
In Hinduism many Women are priests ... Brahmakumari's, Mata Anandmayi (1950), Mata Amritanandmayi(2011) and Many Saadhvi's including Saadhvi Ritambra, Uma Bharti etc etc
Also Hinduism has more Godesses (Kali, Durga, Parvati, Lakshmi, Saraswati, etc) than any other religion..
So please talk about Abrahmanic Religions not Hindus
@ Tight There are two kind of peoples live in this world one learn from other expriences and other untill they went through him self.
@KhalidKhalil: Errr, which monks are they in China? They are communist you know? They are monks in Tibet, and they are female ones as well..do some research. With your views you would fit nicely into the Tea Party brigade in America. What is this genetic weakness you refer to? You think child bearing is a task of the weak?
The root cause to your confusion is that the word of God is immutable...its a law, a dictum, a fact like E=mc^2 or law of conservation of energy. The law that women should cover themselves is a law deep rooted in male psychology which were long back predicted and discovered by arabian scientists in tents which Harvard boffins cant even figure out in their multi billion dollar labs
why after 5000 years the woman should start leading men when they havent led men to anywhere.
they just follow men and yet sometime you will find them heading taking the captains band in term of President/Prime minister/ or some leadership role.
men havent given them the opportunity???
LOL.
and its not just Islam , no woman priest in christianity , woman considered the low subject in judaism. in hinduism woman should treat her man as GOD and touch his feet. chinese , no place for woman among monks. so its not just Islam or Pakistan , why dont you look through out the world and see how woman are treated.
woman for the very perspective cant lead cause they have a weakness genetically. they bound to go under pressure for a man. woman can compromise on her principle just for the very purpose of the man or a child.
a woman submit her self to the man but by nature man cannot.
For your kind knowledge sir muslims are in decline in education since last four hundred years how come saudi or wahabism are the reason for those decline which started after tatar mongol invasion of abbasyed baghdad and by the way what a great mughals of india did in education nothing and i will say oil wealth of whole mideast including iran is wasted its good only for westren banks and opera houses.