101 Reasons Why We Left Islam – Chapter 2: Women in Islam – Reason 18 & Conclusion
The answer to the question ‘Is Islam Feminist?’ is the reason why some leave Islam. This represents the conclusion of chapter two, but also one of the many lies that Islamic Dawah propagated over the years by claiming that Islam is feminist! Some women, and even some men who grew up in a loving female environment, leave Islam for any of the reasons we listed above. However, most women who leave Islam, as a summation of the evidence that shows Islam to be man-made for men, lack empathy and understanding of women.
Well, to start with, let us learn the actual definition of feminism. Oxford Dictionary states that feminism is “the advocacy of women’s rights based on the equality of the sexes”. Every definition you look for regarding feminism or feminist person will emphasize those two things: advocacy of women’s rights for equality. Where Islamists try to do is tell you tails of how women did not have any rights before Islam and that Islam advocated women’s rights, therefore it is a feminist religion. Islamists will tell you that before Islam, women did not have any rights; many killed their daughters because they disliked having girls buried alive. They will tell you that women were treated extremely badly. However, their claims are not backed by any evidence that has been identified since. What we know about pre-Islamic Arabia is that they worship women goddesses. Cultures that worship female gods or goddesses tend to value women. We know that many tribes had female leaders notably, Umm Qurifa is found in Islamic literature to be a leader of a tribe that the Prophet completely eliminated. But the most damning evidence has to be from the story of Khadijah, the Prophet’s first wife. Islamic literature and Sirah make it clear that she was extremely wealthy. She was the richest of the Qurashi Tribe of Mecca. She has the biggest camel convey that is traded with the Syria region. What is more, she had married two men before the Prophet. When they died, she inherited everything and could keep her wealth. She was a very successful businesswoman who hired the Prophet, and he was her employee. She was much older than him, and he was penniless. So much so that some would say she was his sugar mummy. She never wore a Hijab, she did not walk behind him, she was more than equal to him. These few facts that could not be manipulated or erased by Islamic historians prove that women in pre-Islam were business executives, tribe leaders, and even treated as goddesses.
Throughout this chapter, we saw Islam and the Quran pandering to men by allowing underage marriages (Reason #6) and making excuses for it despite it being very damaging to women (Reason #7). We also saw Islam making many excuses to justify owning, selling, and having sex with women slaves (Reasons #8 & #9). On women’s rights, Islam give women the least inheritance that is not equal to men (Reason #10), and very little rights in divorce and marriage (Reasons #11 & #12). Probably the hardest thing to digest is how Islam degraded women into second class citizens where their value is up to four women can share a man in marriage (Reason #15), with other women that he can own and have sex with (Reason #9). Furthermore, giving the man the right to hit her (Reason #16) while viewing her as subordinate to him intellectually (Reason #13), compared to being evil and sub-human (like animal) (Reason #17). The Hijab was far from being a protector of women as much as a suppressor of their freedoms (Reason #14) based on one of the most ridiculous stories ever!
Here we quote Asiah’s three key Hadiths, where she sums up the affairs of women before and after Islam:
Narrated `Aisha:
It is not good that you people have made us (women) equal to dogs and donkeys. No doubt I saw Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) praying while I used to lie between him and the Qibla and when he wanted to prostrate, he pushed my legs and I withdrew them.
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:519
This is after men started mocking women for being equal to dogs and donkeys because of the Hadith that suggested they were responsible for cutting men’s prayer by their mere existence in the room.
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:514
Then you have the Hadith where she showed the shock at how women are being treated under Islam:
“I have not seen any women suffering as much as the believing women. Look! Her skin is greener than her clothes!”
https://sunnah.com/bukhari:5825
We explained the story behind that in Reason #16.
Ultimately, it was Aisha who saw through what was happening how women’s rights were slowly eroded and taken away for the pleasure of men and specifically for the pleasure of one man!
‘A’isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported:
I felt jealous of the women who offered themselves to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and said: Then when Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, revealed this:” You may defer any one of them you wish, and take to yourself any you wish; and if you desire any you have set aside (no sin is chargeable to you)” (Quran 33:50), I (‘A’isha.) said: It seems to me that your Lord hastens to satisfy your desire.
https://sunnah.com/muslim:1464a and repeated in slightly different wording here: https://sunnah.com/mishkat:3250 & https://sunnah.com/muslim:1464b
At this point, the Prophet already had nine wives, and he had any believing woman who offered herself to him without the need permission of a guardian or needs for dowry – Still calling Islam feminist and its Prophet the biggest feminist to ever walk this Earth?