Islam's Response to Contemporary Issues — Page 90
90 islam’s response to contemporary issues promiscuity or from confinement to comparative emancipation and liberation of women. The Dawn of a New Age in Women’s Rights It is only fitting here to focus our attention to that dark period of time in the history of Arabia when Islam came to be born, through Divine instructions, as we Muslims believe, or as the personal teachings of Muhammad sa , as the non-Muslims would have it. Whatever the view of some theologians, Islamic teachings regarding the segregation of sexes did not represent Arab behaviour at all. The society in Arabia at that time was extremely paradoxical in its attitude towards women. On the one hand, sexual permissiveness, the free mixing of men and women and mad orgies of wine, women and song were the highlights of Arab society. On the other hand, the birth of a girl was considered to be a matter of disgrace and extreme shame. Some ‘proud’ Arabs are even reported to have buried their newborn daughters with their own hands to escape this ignominy. Women were treated as chattels and were deprived the right to oppose their husbands, fathers or other male members of the family. However, there were exceptions to the rule. Occasionally, a woman of outstanding leadership quality would play a significant role in the affairs of the tribe. Islam changed all that, not as a natural progressive outcome of social tensions but as an arbiter of values. A social system was dictated from on high, which was unrelated to the normal forces, which shape a society.