There is no doubt that Islam has awarded women many rights. This is clear in the Qur’an and Sunnah in which women have been given the right to live, work, inherit, marry and worship etc.

However, it is a reality that women have been deprived of many of their rights. In Arab and Muslim societies, they are always viewed as second-class or even less. For example, many girls are married off without their consent which is a God-given right. In our society, we prevent women from selling and buying although Islam has deemed this as permissible. Those who forbid say they do so to prevent harm.

In our society, people have approved many forms of marriage to make life easy for men and to prevent them from going astray. On the other hand, a divorcee is prevented from staying at home with her children. She will also be prevented from seeing her children if she dares to marry another man. The husband, on the other hand, has a permanent right to be with his children all the time.

I do not want to go further in uncovering the reality of our society; I just want to say that our reality is completely different from that which Islam teaches us.

Some of us will not hesitate to describe women as “precious jewels and cherished diamonds” even though they are forced to roam streets under the scorching sun begging to feed themselves and their children because judges have divorced them and given them custody of their children in lieu of absolving their husbands from paying alimony.

Our problem lies in the gap between the teachings of Islam and their application on the ground. This has made us vulnerable to the world’s forums, which speak loudly of giving Muslim and Arab women their rights.

Our Islamic scholars have a duty to reform society according to the Shariah, which is not based on the opinion of a single scholar or the expediency of “preventing harm.” Women need to be supported. If not for development programs, then at least for the welfare of families in general.

Regrettably, our reality does not tally with the teachings of Islam. We keep saying that Islam has honored women and given them their rights while our own personal reality is different. We better wake up and reform before a new reality is imposed on us.