The past view that regarded women as objects of desire has not changed, but rather it was further consecrated in a modern style. Moreover, we notice that the chances of the woman who possesses experience and culture in finding a job are far lesser than the chances of the woman who is beautiful and attractive even in the domains that require experience and culture and not beauty and attractiveness. This means one thing which is that the modern times could not elevate the women's status, for it is not enough for society to provide her with the job opportunities or education to say that the woman's share has recorded an increase in the society's stock market, but rather it should change the whole view towards her, from merely a body that arouses man's instinct into a human being that calls for respect. Once this change happens, we can admit that the woman has reached both the human level and presence that she actually deserves as a human being.
Q: If the media is responsible for confirming the view over women as a body, then in your opinion, what should the media do to set things straight?
A: The media ought to respect both women and men by respecting their humanity, because this and only this can create a sound and balanced society. Using the woman as a media element offends women on one hand, and on the other hand it offends men, and especially teenagers. Therefore, as they seek to make high profits in their media policy, they would actually be participating in the collapse of society in certain positions.
Q: Certain sayings that demean women are attributed to Imam Ali (a.s.), such as the following tradition: "The woman is evil, and the most evil about her is that she is indispensable," and: "O' you people! Women are deficient in faith, deficient in shares, and deficient in intelligence. As regards the deficiency in their faith, it is their abstention from prayers and fasting during their menstrual period. Regarding the deficiency in their intelligence, it is because the testimony of two women is equal to that of one man. As for the deficiency in their shares, is because of their share in inheritance being half of men. So, beware of the evils of women. Be on your guard even from those of them who are (reportedly) good. Do not obey them even in good things so that they may not attract you to evils."
How do you interpret these sayings? Does their content conform to the act of recognizing the woman as a complete human being?
A: As for the saying: "The woman is evil, and the most evil about her is that she is indispensable," we have our reservations to attributing it to Imam Ali (a.s.), because its obvious sense does not conform to our Islamic concepts that deems the human being - whether man or woman - a being that encompasses both evil and good within him, without having the evil dominating over the good, or perhaps vice versa. Man could be stamped with the attribute of good, considering that his instinct (Fitra) leads him towards the good; whereas falsehood represents an external element that hits man from his surroundings. This is the basis of this noble prophetic tradition: "Every child is born in the (state) of Fitra; then his parents make him into a Jew, a Christian, or a Magian."
Therefore, how could the woman be entirely evil?! If she were really stamped with evil, how then could she be punished for enjoining evil and forbidding good?! Does this conform to the line of justice? If evil was of the nature of women, then is the nature of the believing women different from that of the other women?
Some explain that what is actually meant by this is not that evil is part of the woman's inner self, but rather it is represented by her acts of seduction and luring; however, these acts are not restricted to women, but they could also be characteristics of men. Moreover, this explanation does not conform to the nature and eloquence of the saying.
Besides, what is meant by: "And the most evil about her is that she is indispensable?!" If it implies that man needs the woman in the act of reproduction, then the truth is that the woman also needs the man in this sense. But we do not know if there is another implication that we did not think of.
Therefore, before attributing this saying to Imam Ali (a.s.), we ought to examine its Sanad (chain of transmission) and content carefully; if the source was Mursal (directly referred to Imam Ali) and the content was contradicting with the Islamic concept, then we ought to reject it, just as Ahl el-Beit (Household) (a.s.) have taught us: "Every Hadith that does not conform to the Quran is a forgery."
As for the tradition that says that women are deficient in faith, shares, and intelligence, if we suppose it is valid, then what is actually meant by it is not the apparent meaning. Certain things back in that time represented a state of deficiency for example, or it was generally expressed in that manner. If it were said that women are universally deficient in faith, shares, and intelligence, we would deduce that he is referring to a deeper meaning we do not understand. However, the explanation that women are deficient in intelligence because the evidence of two women is equal to that of one man could be negated, since evidence has nothing to do with intelligence; even though the woman's emotions could make her evidence deviate, yet these emotions do not mean that she is deficient in intelligence. Actually, the world of intelligence is related to the way of thinking, while that of evidence is related to the capacity of witness to have a manifest view of things, as it is related to integrity, honesty, and trustworthiness.
As for the expression "deficient in shares" based on Allah's saying: "To the male, a portion equal to that of two females." (Surah An-Nisa 04:11), we notice that the legislation has given her in return of what it has taken from her and has given man in return of what is has taken from him. There is a tradition about the Imams of Ahl el-Beit (a.s.) and it is based on the balance in this matter. In Al-Kafi Book, quoting the Book of Al-'Usul (the principles), it was mentioned that Ibn Abi 'Awjaa said: "How come the weak woman gets one share while the man gets two shares?" He said: "Some of our friends mentioned that to Abi Abdullah, Ja'afar As-Sadiq (a.s.), who said: "Man's share is double that of the woman's, since for women Jihad is not obligatory and her maintenance should be covered by him. He should pay for her dowry, and, in some cases, the blood money of a person killed should be covered by the man."
In Al-Fakih, it was mentioned that Muhammad Bin Sannan said that Imam Ar-Rida (a.s.) once wrote to him about the reason behind giving women half what is given to men of the inheritance: "Because in marriage, the woman takes and the man gives, that is why Allah dedicated more of the inheritance to the man." Another reason behind giving the male double what is given to the female is that: the woman is sustained by the man if she demands so, and he has to sustain her and provide for her; whereas the woman does not have to sustain the man or provide for him, that is why Allah has dedicated more of the inheritance to the man, for Allah says: "Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property." (04:34).
As for the expression "deficiency in their faith", it is their abstention from prayers during their menstrual period; however, the woman abstains from performing the prayers as an act of obedience to Allah, since as He should be obeyed in what He ordains, He should also be obeyed in what He forbids. Had the woman not been forbidden to pray during her menstrual cycle, she would have prayed, but the truth is that she does not pray as an act of obedience to Allah, so how could this be a deficiency in her faith? If we travel, and as a result, we have to shorten the prayers and even break our fast if we were fasting. Does that make us deficient in our faith? Therefore, we say that we would better not interpret the Hadith on our own because the justification given does not lead to the conclusion expressed in the tradition.
As for the Hadith: "Do not obey them even in good things so that they may not attract you to evils," it confirms that the relation between man and woman is usually an emotional one that does not stop at a certain limit. If the man makes the woman used to the fact that he totally surrenders to her in the reasonable issues, in the sense that he obeys her in everything, this might lead her to feel greedy and to ask to be obeyed in what is evil, as if Imam Ali (a.s.) wanted to say to the men: make balance in your relations with the women, so as not to completely submit to them, but rather you ought to make them used that you might refuse certain things so that they would not exert pressure on your emotions and seduce or lure you to submit to their demands in what is evil.
As for the Hadith: "Beware even from good women," it is actually a call to be cautious from any sudden deviation, meaning that man should always be cautious, even from good women. The Imam (a.s.) also called for being cautious in al kinds of relations as his saying mentioned in the explanation of Nahj-ul-Balaghah which says: "Do not trust your friend perfectly, because the knockdown of the trustful is incurable."
Q: You say that Islam does not discriminate between the man and the woman, knowing that the Quran was revealed in the Arabic language; one of the most discriminating languages between man and woman in the world - as alleged by some researchers in oriental affairs. This discrimination would be represented by, for example: restricting feminism to the feminine plural pronoun (Nun Al-Niswa), and making the masculine plural dominate over the feminine plural…etc. To what extent has Islam been influenced in its judgments by this lingual barrier between the two sexes?
A: Every language expresses the movement of the society it lives in, and since feminism and masculinity are different - at least at the level of the form - in the outer reality, then pointing out to this difference by using the feminine and masculine pronouns is very natural and harms neither the man nor the woman. As we use the feminine plural pronoun (Nun Al-Niswa) to pluralize feminine nouns, we use the masculine plural pronoun (Waw Al-Jama'a) to pluralize the masculine nouns. Moreover, highlighting the singularities of each does not tend to place any barriers between them or undermine the singularity of one to the detriment of the other.
Deeming the usage of the feminine and masculine pronouns a kind of discrimination against women is a childish view coming from the sensitive reactions and the refusal of the woman's oneself, because the discrimination between man and woman in the literal expression is based on the physical discrimination, and this sexual difference between them does not hold any negative significance that call for not expressing it in our language.
However, the source of dominating the masculine over the feminine in the plural is the social culture from which the Arabic language has emerged; for it is a culture where men come before women and that prefers males over females. However, this issue is not restricted to the Arabic language, but rather it is found in many other languages, since this preference is not restricted to the Arab society in the pre-Islamic era only, but rather it is a general reality found in most peoples.
But even if Islam was revealed in the Arabic language, its rulings were not subjected to the rule of making a gender dominate over the other except expression-wise, for Allah addressed men and women alike, since He addressed both with: "O you people," and: "O you who believe!" Moreover, Allah, the Most Exalted, did not discriminate between men and women at the level of the rights and the general human obligations, except in certain particularities that are imposed by the gender difference between the two, which is revealed in its law system.
Q: Parallel to this positive view of the woman, there are certain expressions in the Quran that contradict with the fact of respecting her as a human being, such as the expression "under someone". What is your opinion about using such expressions when referring to the relation between the man and the woman?
A: The expression "under someone" was expressed in the Quran, as Allah, the Most Exalted says: "Allah presents an example of those who disbelieved: the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. They were under two of Our righteous servants but betrayed them..." Surah At-Tahrim (66:10)
In this Ayah, being under does not mean inferiority which makes a human being of a higher position than the other, but rather it reflects the natural position of the sexual operation where normally, the man is on top of the woman. The term surpassed the meaning it literally suggests to a more general one; therefore, the usage of the Quran for such expressions is never meant to demean women.
Q: Is not the usage of the term "prefer" in the Holy Quran a proof on its preference of a certain sex over the other; meaning it is a proof on the inequality between the two sexes in the Quran?
A: Preference is a general term whose meaning depends on the context of the sentence in which it is used. Allah, the Most Exalted has talked about the preference of people over others in certain verses: "And Allah has favored some of you over others in provision." (Surah An-Nahl 16:71), meaning that Allah prefers people over others in matters pertaining to the grace He has bestowed on people and not to their position. Preference was also indicated in another Quranic verse in which Allah talks about the Children of Israel: "Has Allah not preferred you over the worlds?" (Surah Al-A'raf 07:140), meaning that He prefers the Children of Israel in terms of the grace He has bestowed on them and not in terms of their position, since Allah also says: "And [He] conferred upon you some of the bounties He had not given anyone else among the worlds." (Surah Al-Ma'idah 05:20)
Therefore, we conclude that the verse: "Men are in charge of women by [right of] what Allah has given one over the other..." Surah An-Nisa (04:34), indicates that this preference is in terms of a certain job that the man carries out; which is managing the marital life, and the rest of the verse confirms this fact for it talks about what men spend out of their property to manage the marital life.
Therefore, as we have previously mentioned, preference is a general term that handles the grace bestowed by Allah, the role, the position, and the job; however, it does not necessarily refer to all of these gathered but rather to one of them; which the Quranic proof reveals.
Q: Islam has preserved many pre-Islamic customs in its rulings, such as the dowry, kinds of divorce, although it introduced certain modifications to them. How could this be justified, knowing that Islam's view on women differs from that in the pre-Islamic era?
A: Not all the pre-Islamic customs were the result of the pre-Islamic reality itself, but rather the source of many of these customs was the previous Divine Messages; however, they were deviated from their main human meaning. Therefore, Islam preserved some of these customs considering them to be general human issues, and modified the meanings of other customs, such as the dowry that Islam changed from being a price of the woman into something that the man offers her, as is the case for other issues.
Q: Islam has equated between the man and the woman at the theoretical level; however, going through the Islamic history reveals that there was no such equality at the level of the rules and behavior. In your opinion, what is the reason behind that?
A: There are several reasons, and they are as follows:
First, the deviation of the Islamic authority from the caliphate system and its transformation into a monarchy that simulated the Persian and Roman kingdoms surrounding the Islamic world.
Second, the lack of the reliable wise leaderships entrusted with taking care of the nation's originality, since the Umayyad and later the Abbasid authorities worked on confining the Imams of Ahl el-Beit (a.s.); the ones qualified for these positions, and on isolating them from the general social reality as well as from enjoying any influence on it, had they had the opportunity to implement a certain course of action.
Third, the fact that Omar Bin Al-Khattab prevented writing down the Sunnah under the pretext of avoiding mixing up between the Prophet's (p.) traditions and the Quran, which led to the loss of a large part of the Prophetic experience narrated by the traditions. His act also made it possible to distort certain issues by means of lying due to the lack of written resources, and the fact that people depended on other people that are subjected to memory loss, deviation, and could be influenced by money or any other thing such as certain narrators who were of the Messenger's companions. Moreover, the Israeli conceptions also had their effect by certain people, such as Wahab Bin Munabbah and Abdullah Bin Salam who penetrated Islam and tried to interpret the Quran referring to the Torah's history.
Fourth, alienating the Imams (a.s.) from the historic and cultural movement.
Fifth, the prevalence of chaos in the Islamic society, which led the women to a state of backwardness, so they were stigmatized with this image, and it became hard to regard the woman with respect to the intellectual and mental level, because of her backward reality itself.
All these reasons managed to destabilize the Islamic mentality at the level of certain concepts regarding women and other issues and paved the way for the dominance of the ignorant (pre-Islamic) view towards this issue without any limitation or shock.
Q: If Islam does recognize the principle of equality between the man and the woman at the human level, can we conclude that Islam recognizes the slogan of equality raised by the westerners, and how?
A: Actually, the term "equality" can be interpreted in two ways:
The first eliminates the singularity of masculinity and feminism, so that both the man and the woman are regarded as human beings without any reference to the sex of each of them, and none of them enjoys any singularity. As a result, the woman would be given the rights and obligations of the man without any differentiation.
The second preserves the diversity of the human singularities that differentiate between both of them, giving each of them the chance to move freely within the circle of their own characteristics. Thus, the woman enjoys her humanity as a woman freely and the regulations set for organizing the man-woman relationship preserves the balance between the woman's and the man's singularities, so they would both complete each other in the movement of life and its activities and projects and the like.
Islam tends to adopt the second kind of equality, for He says: "And do not wish for that by which Allah has made some of you exceed others. For men is a share of what they have earned, and for women is a share of what they have earned. And ask Allah of His bounty. Indeed, Allah is ever, of all things, Knowing." (Surah An-Nisa 04:32) i.e. the woman enjoys the right over what she earns, at a time the man - whatever he means to her - has no authority to violate that right, the same thing goes for the man.
Therefore, we can say that Islam has confirmed equality on the basis that it has given every human being - according to the characteristics of his existence - the opportunity to achieve himself in a vivant and continuous manner by the Shari'ah system that gives every rightful person his right and determines for each party the elements that complement a party with the other.
Q: Upon comparing theory with reality, we find out that the status of the woman in the Islamic movements nowadays is not up to the required level, for there is a tendency to lock women at home and prevent them from performing any active and efficient role, even at the level of the leaders' wives. Actually, this phenomenon is present in even the most open Islamic movements, the Islamic movement in Lebanon, so what future is expected for women in terms of such a situation? And how do you explain that?
A: First, the Islamic movement has always been a man's movement and not a woman's one; in this case, the man enjoys certain privileges.
Second, most leaders got married to women who were not of a high cultural level due to the circumstances they went through in their youth.
Third, the leaders are preoccupied round the clock, and allowing their wives to get engaged in the Islamic work jeopardizes their work due to the lack of social institutions that would organize their activities. This is one of the reasons that made it difficult for women to act in certain positions.
Fourth, it must be noted that the Islamic movement came from a higher level, i.e. it is a political movement rather than a cultural one, therefore, their movement would not reflect a cultural dimension that could be used as a basis. Despite all that, women ought to struggle and strive and work hard to attain high positions.
Q: What is your opinion on the women's reality nowadays?
A: Nowadays, the women's movement has many positive points. When the doors of knowledge were opened before women, they managed to be very creative in the fields of knowledge, and when the doors of work and experience were opened before them and they were given the opportunity to acquire experience, they accomplished many positive results at this level. The same thing goes for the political, social, and cultural levels, in general.
However, we cannot ignore that this upheaval that achieved lots of gains for women was associated with several issues that harm the woman's morality and image. Even though the previous situations imposed on women to be sexual tools for men, the modern reality also did its part, for it did not delete this image but rather confirmed it by means of the media policy that resorted to the image of the naked or half naked women to market their merchandise, rendering them a means to attract men towards the marketed goods. From such policies, the idea of making beauty pageants or modeling gained ground, because the aim was to use the women's bodies to attract men and eventually, that body became the main determinant of the woman's value and status in the society.
Therefore, the woman's perfect figure has become a prerequisite in many jobs, considering it a successful marketing means, because we can see that the employers in the fields of media, commerce, and industry believe that the saleswoman or the secretary or the newscaster should be beautiful in order to attract customers, and therefore, gaining more money and prestige. Moreover, intelligence agencies tend to use attractive women in the process of spying to attract people, recruit them, and so on. The man's view on women is governed by the concept of the Harem. In spite of the fact that the Harem regime has disappeared, men treat women as preys bragging about how many they have hunted.