FOR both genders, the Qur'an explicitly states (in 9:71-72 and 10:62-64, for example) that the entry-way to sainthood was, and still is, open to all. Among the female saints honoured in Islam is Khadija, the first wife and faithful supporter of Prophet Mohamed, as well as the first Muslim (and protector of the fledgling Muslim community), and mother of his children. Another revered saint is the Prophet's second wife, Aisha, a scholar who taught an entire generation of male students and who provided political leadership after her husband's death. And then there is Mohamed's courageous daughter Fatima, who served in the first Muslim army. More than a century later, Rab'a el- Adawiyya (d.801) was a revered woman saint who inspired a generation of Sufis. Islam was the first to introduce the legal right of women to inherit a proportional share of a family's wealth and assets; in some cases, her share would even be more than that of a male relative. Islam was also the first to officially limit the number of wives a man could have to four, but with emphasis on one as the norm. Zina (adultery, or any other sexual misconduct) was pronounced off-limits for men and women alike and both were granted the right to dissolve their marriages. Remarriage was granted to both genders, including divorcées and widows ��" a right still withheld from many women today. The Islamic dress code for men and women emphasised modesty; in fact, the draped head cover seen in many famous portraits of Jesus' mother Mary is thought to be very similar to what Muslim women used to wear. Setting Islamophobic propaganda aside, societies and governments must work together to solve the negatives issues all women face in today's world. “Poverty is still very much a women's issue,” asserts Canadian researcher Monica Townson. “While there have been improvements in the past decade or so, women are still more likely than men to be living in low income … But statistics on low income do not tell the full story of women's poverty. While governments and advocacy groups redouble their efforts to ‘make poverty history,' the United Nations has suggested that poverty cannot be eradicated unless we adopt a more comprehensive view of poverty ��" one that recognises poverty is more than a shortage of income. As the United Nations describes it, poverty is ‘the denial of opportunities and choices most basic to human development ��" to lead a long, healthy, creative life and to enjoy a decent standard of living, freedom, dignity, self-esteem, and the respect of others'." [5] Townson is the author of five books, as well as many studies and reports on the economic situation of women. She was Chair of the Ontario Fair Tax Commission, and has been a consultant to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe on the economic role of women. “In Canada at the time of the 2001 Census, based on before-tax incomes, more than 36% of Aboriginal women, compared with 17% of non-Aboriginal women were living in poverty,” she noted. “Data from the 2001 Census, based on before-tax incomes in 2000, indicated 29% of visible minority women were living in poverty. While the poverty rate for all foreign-born women was 23%, women who immigrated to Canada between 1991 and 2000 had a poverty rate of 35%. It is perhaps significant that the majority of these women were also from visible minority groups.” “Racism and discrimination almost certainly contribute to high rates of poverty among racialised women,” she continues. “Immigrant women may also face difficulties in finding paid employment because credentials from their countries of origin are not recognised in Canada. Access to language training may also be a problem. Many immigrant seniors do not receive Old Age Security benefits because they have not been in Canada long enough to qualify for a benefit.” And “women are much more likely to be poor if they are on their own without a spouse or partner. The depth of poverty of lone parent mothers is a serious concern. For example, in 2003, the average income of the 208,000 women who were heads of lone parent families was $6,300 below the poverty line … In 2003, the low-income rate for women aged 65 and over was 8.7% compared with 4.4% for senior men. For the past decade, however, the poverty rate of older women on their own has varied between 27% and 19% with no significant downward trend over that period. In 2003, 19% of senior women on their own compared with 15% of unattached older men were considered low income. Average incomes of women aged 65 plus who were on their own and living in poverty in 2003 were $2,300 below the poverty line.” "I find it really outrageous and inconceivable to watch this fierce campaign rallying in ‘defence' of ‘our rights,' the rights of Muslim women," wrote Nahida Izzat, articulating what many Muslim women feel and want to say. [6] Izzat, a 47-year-old mother, describes herself as "… a Jerusalem-born Palestinian refugee living in exile for over 40 years. I was forced to leave my homeland, Palestine, at the age of seven during the six-day war. I am a mathematician by profession, but art is one of my favourite pastimes; I love hand-made things, so I make dolls, cards, and most of my own clothes. "What disturbs and frustrates me about this impious movement,” she continues, “is the fact that those who are holding the banner of our ‘liberation' are precisely the ones whose hands are dripping with our blood, the blood of Muslim women! Wouldn't it be a good idea if they stop killing us first (in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine with the imminent threat to Iran)? I mean, honestly, at least their hideous and bogus calls might gain some legitimacy and credibility then. "Wouldn't it be a good idea if they could spare us their fake concern, and their crocodile tears, weeping over our state of affairs and act honestly for once, by stopping their genocide against us, and by washing our blood off their hands? This shrieking and fussing calling for our liberation from the ‘oppression' and ‘dominance' of Islam is not innocent; it's rather sinister and disturbing…" [5] http://www.swccfc. gc.ca/resources/consultations/ges09- 2005/poverty_e.html [6] http://poetryforpalestine.spaces.live.com/ default.aspx Elmasry is a Professor Emeritus of Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo. He can be reached at [email protected]
