Q. I know very little about Islam. Could you please let me know whether Islam approves of slavery? Does Islam consider women inferior to men? Why cannot a woman go on pilgrimage without having a man relative? Doesn’t this indicate discrimination?
Sayem
A. We can say for certain that Islam does not approve of slavery. When Islam was revealed, slavery was a very common practice in all human societies. Islamic legislation includes a variety of ways to ensure the reduction and eventual eradication of slavery. But this was to come gradually as Muslim society developed. There was an important reason for that, which is to help slaves cope with their new status. Had Islam issued an order to free all slaves straightaway, that would have created social chaos, as many would not have been able to cope. This happened in the US when slavery was abolished by law. Many former slaves went back to their masters to serve them, because they could not earn a living without them. The Islamic approach to the eradication of slavery is a better one. However, it should be said that slavery continued in Muslim society for much longer than what could have been expected because of historical factors. To go into these is beyond the scope of this column.
Islam gives men and women equal status in everything, except where their social roles diverge. In these situations it gives each what is most suitable for them. Indeed Islam takes better care of women than any other social order, including modern Western society. Where Islam differentiates between man and woman, it always gives the woman a more privileged position. Unfortunately women are not treated according to Islamic teachings in most Muslim countries. Therefore, you have different aspects of injustice. This is compounded when the blame is laid at the doorstep of Islam. It is totally untrue.
Islam requires any woman who is traveling on any journey that takes more than one full day, i.e. 24 hours, to be accompanied by a male relative who should be either her husband or a relative she cannot marry, such as her father or brother. This is an aspect of the care Islam takes of women. It is nothing to do with her ability to travel or what she may do when she travels. It is to do with the fact that people encounter difficulties when they travel. To be accompanied by a man ensures that a woman is better taken care of. This is why Islam makes it a condition of travel. It does not apply to the pilgrimage only, but to all travel.