Are muslim women oppressed?

A Question Asked Across the World: “Are Muslim women oppressed?” This question echoes everywhere in news channels, classrooms, social media, and dinner table debates. It’s often asked with concern, sometimes with curiosity, and sadly, many times with prejudice already baked into it. But before jumping to conclusions, shouldn’t we pause and ask a deeper question?

Muslim woman speaking confidently at a public event, challenging stereotypes about Muslim women and oppression

Oppressed according to whom? And compared to what?

This article is a humble attempt to explore this sensitive topic through simple English, honest reflection, and Islamic teachings without shouting, blaming, or oversimplifying.

Understanding the Word “Oppression”

What Does Oppression Really Mean?

Denying basic rights, dignity, voice, or freedom means oppression. It can happen anywhere at home, at work, in society, or even in the name of “modernity.”

Here’s the catch: oppression is a human behavior, not a religious requirement.

Cultural Bias vs Reality

Many people look at Muslim societies through a Western cultural lens and assume that difference equals backwardness. But difference does not automatically mean injustice. Wearing different clothes, choosing different family structures, or prioritizing modesty does not equal oppression.

Islam’s View of Human Dignity

Equality of Men and Women in the Qur’an

Islam begins with a revolutionary idea:

All humans are created from a single soul.

Men and women are spiritually equal in Islam. The Qur’an repeatedly addresses believing men and believing women together, rewarding them equally for faith, good deeds, and moral conduct.

Spiritual Equality Before Allah

In Islam, no one reaches God through gender. A woman’s prayer, fasting, charity, and moral struggle carry the same weight as a man’s. The scale of honor is not a gender but taqwa (God-consciousness).

Status of Women Before Islam

Women in Pre-Islamic Societies

Before Islam, women were treated as property in many civilizations. Baby girls were buried alive in Arabia. Widows were inherited. Women had no right to choose, own, or refuse.

How Islam Changed History

Islam didn’t just improve women’s conditions; it redefined womanhood. It gave women legal identity, inheritance, consent, dignity, and protection at a time when the world offered none.

Rights Given to Women in Islam

Right to Education

The first revelation of Islam began with the word “Read.” Education is not optional for women in Islam; it is encouraged. Many early scholars, teachers, and narrators of knowledge were women.

Educated Muslim woman studying in a library, highlighting Islam’s emphasis on women’s education and knowledge

Right to Property and Wealth

A Muslim woman can own property, run businesses, inherit wealth, and spend her money independently. No husband, father, or brother can take it without her consent.

Right to Consent in Marriage

Forced marriage is haram (forbidden) in Islam. A woman’s clear consent is a condition for a valid marriage. If this is violated, the sin lies with people, not Islam.

Hijab: Oppression or Empowerment?

Meaning of Hijab in Islam

Hijab is not a symbol of silence; it’s a symbol of modesty, identity, and faith. It is not meant to erase women but to protect dignity in a world that often reduces women to appearances.

Choice, Modesty, and Identity

Many Muslim women choose hijab consciously. Some struggle with it. Some don’t wear it yet. Islam recognizes human journeys; it does not demand perfection overnight.

Calling hijab “oppression” while defending other dress codes is a double standard.

Muslim husband and wife sitting together respectfully, illustrating mutual rights and harmony in Islamic marriage

Marriage in Islam

Rights of a Wife

Islam commands kindness to wives. Emotional care, financial support, respect, and protection are obligations, not favors.

Responsibilities of a Husband

A husband is accountable before God for injustice. Abuse, control, or neglect are sins even if done by someone who prays five times a day.

Misuse of Religion vs Teachings of Religion

Culture Is Not Islam

Honor killings, forced marriages, and domestic violence exist in cultures, not in the Qur’an. Islam condemns injustice, even when Muslims commit it.

When Men Oppress, Islam Is Blamed

Ironically, when Muslim men fail, Islam is blamed. But when non-Muslims fail, no one blames their religion.

Muslim woman praying peacefully, symbolizing spiritual equality and devotion of women in Islam

Muslim Women Around the World

Diverse Experiences, One Faith

A Muslim woman in Indonesia, India, Nigeria, or the USA lives differently. Islam is one, but cultures are many. There is no single “Muslim woman experience.”

Media Narratives and Stereotypes

Selective Storytelling

The media often highlights suffering Muslim women but ignores empowered ones, doctors, scholars, activists, mothers, and leaders who proudly practice Islam.

Pain exists, yes. But so does strength.

Freedom and Choice in Islam

Can a Muslim Woman Choose?

Islam gives choices within moral boundaries, just like any value-based system. Absolute freedom is an illusion. Every society sets limits; Islam sets ethical ones.

Voices of Muslim Women

Speaking for Themselves

The biggest injustice is speaking about Muslim women without listening to them. Many openly say Islam gives them purpose, balance, and dignity.

Common Myths About Muslim Women

They are forced to obey men
They are not educated
They are silent victims

Truth? Muslim women are thinkers, leaders, mothers, workers, and believers with agency and voice.

Islamic Feminism: A Misunderstood Term

Islam does not need feminism to value women, but Muslim women do fight injustice using Islamic principles. Justice is not Western or Eastern, it’s universal.

Why Dawah Needs Compassion

Dawah is not about winning arguments. It’s about clearing misunderstandings with wisdom, patience, and humility.

Conclusion

Are Muslim women oppressed?

The honest answer: Some women are oppressed, but not by Islam.

They are oppressed by culture, ignorance, patriarchy, politics, and sometimes hypocrisy. Islam, when understood and practiced sincerely, stands firmly against oppression.

Instead of asking whether Islam oppresses women, perhaps the better question is:

Are we practicing Islam correctly?

FAQs

1. Does Islam allow women to work?

Yes. Islam allows women to work with dignity and ethical boundaries.

2. Is hijab compulsory in Islam?

Hijab is an Islamic command, but faith cannot be forced. Guidance comes with wisdom.

3. Are Muslim women allowed to speak against injustice?

Absolutely. Islam encourages standing against oppression, by men or women.

4. Why do some Muslim societies treat women badly?

Because culture and ignorance often override religious teachings.

5. Can non-Muslims understand Islam’s view on women?

Yes, through dialogue, sincerity, and learning from authentic sources.

Recommended Books to Deepen Your Understanding

Here are a few authentic and inspiring books you can read for free (PDF format):