Issue date: 11/18/04 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Aref Rifai, president of the Islamic Center of Northwest Florida, presented "Women in Islam," a program focusing on the differences between ideal and real practices regarding women's rights within Muslim communities.

Rifai attempted to dispel stereotypes involving women in the Islamic faith. These stereotypes have included mistreatment, honor killings, inequality in the home, denial of education and women with veiled faces and no voice.

The Nov. 9 event included a Mediterranean dinner and was considered a success by its sponsors, the University of West Florida's chapter of the Muslim Students' Association.

If a photographer were to take pictures of an Amish community and use this as a representation of typical American life, would it be accurate? Rifai said it would be merely a small piece of what this country is about.

Rifai said when the treatment of women in select Muslim countries is presented as the norm, it does not do justice to the Islamic faith or to women who believe in Islamic teachings.

"There should be a clear distinction between the normative teaching of Islam and the diverse cultural practices among Muslims," Rifai said. "There are at least 50 Muslim countries scattered all the way around the world."

He said these countries have many diverse practices, which may or may not be consistent with Islamic teachings.

In Arabia, prior to the prophecy of Muhammad, there were many tribes, and Rifai said most treated women with contempt. Women were treated as property and had no rights, civil or otherwise. Women who were widowed were passed on to the nearest male relative as property.

The arrival of Islam, he said, "made women equal and accountable to God in glorifying and worshipping him and setting no limits of her immortal progress."

Rifai explained documented research on the teachings of the Prophet and specifically the Quran. He said those teachings reflect a change in belief in both value and accountability of women in the Islamic faith.

The teachings of Muhammad gave women in that culture a new outlook. Rifai said it was this basis of rights and respect that first drew women into the Islamic faith.

He said it is believed that the first person after Muhammad to become a believer in Islam was a woman, and some of the first people who went into Islam were the poor, the weak and slaves.

As is the case with many faiths, the Quran, is sometimes the subject of abuse or misinterpretation. Rifai said that some cultures have taken words from the Quran out of context in order to create different meanings that suit their particular needs.

He said that God's will and the prophet's behavior and teachings are the criteria to judge a Muslim's practices and evaluate his or her compliance with Islam.

There are many areas to consider when talking about women's rights, including human rights, social rights, political rights, equity in marriage and the right to equality in faith or salvation. Rifai's presentation was a brief and thorough lecture that touched on all of these topics and explained women's rights as they are outlined in the Quran.

Extremism has been a prominent issue in the Islamic world. Nicole Wilson, president of the UWF chapter of the Muslim association, said this is true of many religions.

"Unfortunately, extremism seems to be associated with every religion," Wilson said. "We will always find groups who associate themselves with a religion and use it, or abuse it, to advocate their ideologies and influence their followers."

Wilson said efforts are being made to re-educate Muslims who take Islamic teachings out of context. However, the efficiency of such efforts is not perfect.

"Friday sermons, which are held every week in mosques all around the world, are tailored toward Muslims," Wilson said. "The main purpose of these sermons, or weekly lessons, is to remind the Muslims and re-educate them about the Islamic teachings and the right interpretation of the Quran."

She said there are also international Islamic conferences held periodically around the world to educate both Muslims and non-Muslims about Islam, the teachings of the Quran and the Prophet. One such group is the Islamic Society of North America. Wilson says the Islamic society sponsors several North American conferences and activities annually.

The association at UWF states on its Web site that an open-forum style is ideal for facilitating positive and honest discussions about religions. Programs such as this one are sponsored to raise awareness.

For more information on the Muslim Students' Association of UWF, visit the Web site at www.uwf.edu/msa.

 

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