Islam on Women and Peace

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Islam on Women and Peace
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Argument

• The Quran and basic principles of Islam support
  gender justice
• But the patriarchal societies have diminished
  gender justice
• So, have to look carefully at teachings of Islam
  and authorities to discern authentic vs.
  inauthentic teachings

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Shariah

• Based on
• Quran (divinely inspired)
• Ahadith or sunna (some authentic, some not)
• Analogy (qiyas) human reasoning process
• Scholarly onsensus (ijma)
• 3 and 4 (and perhaps 2) are human therefore they
  can change
• However, the Ulama (community of scholars)
  present it as divine and immutable (122)
• So, change is difficult

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Quranic teachings on women

• Full support for sexual equality (124) in several
  verses
• Right to accept marriage
• Right to sexual pleasure
• Right to education, work
• Rights of wife equal to her husbands
• can demand a divorce
• Women can inherit property (half of what the son
  inherits) and keep it after marraige
• Some Quranic teachings are concessions to context
• Example polygamy
• limitation on how performed (widows and orphans
  only, to protect them, only 4, must treat justly)
• tension Quran suggests it is difficult to
  fulfill the command to treat them all justly

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War in Islamic history

• 600-700s Arab societies have many wars
• Mohammad and companions fight for their survival
• Use violence themselves (against Jews)
• Islam a unifying force for Arabs
• Gain control of new regions
• Politics and religion intertwined
• But, come under European control until recently
  (colonization)

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The Quran and peace

• No coercion is ever allowed in matters of faith
  (2251)
• God calls human beings into the abode of peace
  (1025)
• If anyone kills a human beingunless it be in
  punishment for murder or for spreading damage on
  earthit shall be as though he had killed all
  humankind whereas, if anyone saves a human life,
  it shall be as though he had saved the lives of
  all humankind (532)
• And a requital for a wrongdoing is equal to it,
  but whoever forgives and makes peace with the
  other, his reward rests with God He, verily does
  not love the transgressors (4240)

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Just War Criteria

• Jus ad bellum (before going to war)
• Legitimate authority.
• Just cause self-defense, in defense of another
  nation, to protect innocents or to regain
  something wrongfully taken.
• Right intention to establish peace, not for
  gain.
• Last resort.
• Reasonable chance of success.
• Proportionality do not exceed the damage done by
  the aggression itself.
• Jus in bello (during war)
• Noncombatant immunity may never deliberately
  target civilians.
• Proportionate means restricts unnecessary use of
  force.

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