KYRGYZSTAN TODAY Policy briefs on - Department of Geography

freedoms and the status of women in society. The scope of Islamic law in our time
remains very broad, and is crucial in formation of people’s worldview in countries
with Muslim populations. It seems, therefore, appropriate to look at the social status
of woman in Islam from the perspective of Islam itself – in other words, from within
Islam – since a discussion on the status of woman in Islam from outside perspective
would be biased without the knowledge of what Islam really says about it.
In terms of Islam, a woman is a free and independent individual. But freedom
should not mean the freedom from moral obligations or responsibility. Freedom,
according to Islam, is inseparable from justice and respect for human dignity and
righteousness. Freedom from these values is fraught with such consequences as
anarchy and corruption [4]. The Holy Koran stresses the fundamental equality of
men and women, not only in social terms but also in all spheres of life. However, the
Koran sees the issue of gender equality at another level and in another dimension
of guarantees of rights and duties, which are fundamentally different from those
addressed by “gender policy.” It is a very different philosophy, another distinction of
rights and duties between men and women, which actually does not allow speaking
of inequality between them. For example, the most sacred duty of a woman in Islam
is that she is a mother and wife because, according to Islam, she shapes the future
of a nation. It is not the only woman’s responsibility, but the fact that she must raise
children does not oblige her to lead an isolated life.
Many people who talk about equality suggest that it should be applied to both
sexes equally. But, obviously, this is not always correct. There should not be a common
standard for human needs, strengths, capabilities and weaknesses. For example, it
would be unfair if a husband demanded that his pregnant wife worked just as hard
as he did. Fairness here means helping to accept the burden of pregnancy, and the
husband must understand it. There are obvious biological differences: men do not have
menstrual periods and do not give birth but, unlike women, they have more health
problems in their older age and lower life expectancy. Comparing men and women,
it is worth pointing out that Islam granted them equal duties and rights in accordance
with their inherent natures. In other words, there are basic capabilities and capacities in
which men and women are equal and do not differ from one another. At the same time,
there are other capabilities and capacities in which man and woman are equal, but only
in terms of complementing each other [5].
Islam, as a legal system based primarily on the Koran and the Sunna, pays great
attention to the regulation of family and marriage relationships; it opposes any form
of discrimination based on sex, race or national origin and, in particular, it focuses on
the legal status of women. It should be noted that in Muslim society religion was, and
in some countries of the Muslim world remains, the basis for those relationships. Islam
gives man and woman universal rights and to each of them individual rights, which
are based on their natural essence and capabilities. In the same manner, Islamic law
grants duties to man and woman. Islamic law is universal as it applies to people of all
nationalities, races, sex, origin and social status, regardless of physical and temporal
location. The universality of rights in Islam is based on the fact that they are not created
and granted by the State. In this sense, those rights are innate basic rights that belong to
everyone, as a person, regardless of the State [5].
Here is what the Meccan Koran says of the rights, based on basic principles: “Oh
mankind! Verily, We have created you men and women and have made you people and
nations so that you may know one another”, “O mankind! Fear your Lord, Who created
140