In a thought-provoking critique of modern feminism, Western philosopher Dr. Gary Carl Legenhausen explores how the family of Prophet Muhammad offers a powerful, values-based model for women’s roles—challenging Western assumptions and presenting an alternative rooted in Islamic tradition.
Rethinking Gender Dynamics in Islam
The enhancement of social relationships between men and women in Islam and Islamic societies is the cornerstone of Dr. Gary Carl Legenhausen’s book Islam and Religious Pluralism. His approach challenges the reductionist narratives surrounding women and their progress within feminist movements.
The Rise of Feminism and Its Consequences
The feminist movement, emerging in the latter half of the 20th century, radically transformed Western cultural concepts and called for gender equality. Perhaps no other social movement has brought about such profound changes in moral values and social attitudes. It was essentially a sexual revolution that sought to liberate sexual relationships from the constraints of traditional Christian virtue.
The LGBTQ+ rights movement extended this idea to homosexuality by demanding sexual freedom. Moral censorship in print media, cinema, and television was relaxed, while obscene content gained popularity. Public standards of taste in speech and behavior shifted in response to media influences. Family ties weakened, and divorce rates in many European and Scandinavian countries rose sharply—so much so that it’s estimated nearly half of all children are now born to single mothers.
Courts began facing new, often unsolvable legal problems regarding marital or quasi-marital responsibilities and property rights, leading to deeper social disruptions due to the weakening of family structures.
Women’s Changing Roles in the West
Despite these changes, women increasingly became a reliable force in the workplace, academia, and politics. Since the 1960s, feminist thought has been a driving force in Western social unrest and continues to exert influence. One of its clear goals has been to weaken traditional family structures and gender roles, ultimately advocating for sexual deviance and gender fluidity.
Feminists succeeded in introducing “gender-neutral language” laws in most universities and publications, leading to an unprecedented rise in the use of feminine pronouns. They also imposed their views in areas like screenwriting, advertising, and public hiring practices, creating a vernacular through which major social issues are now discussed—and exported their ideology beyond the Western cultural sphere.
Feminism began to take root outside the West, often through colonial powers in their controlled territories. Though met with resistance—especially among Muslims—there remains much ambiguity about what feminism is, what it aims to achieve, and the history and branches it encompasses.
Women’s Role in Islam
The most important roles of women in Islamic sources are that of wife and mother—but Islam by no means limits women to these roles. Women can be entrepreneurs, like Khadijah, the wife of Prophet Muhammad, who was the first person to embrace Islam.
They can also take firm political stances, even at the cost of their lives, as did Fatimah, the Prophet’s daughter. However, certain religious duties—such as leading men in prayer—are deemed unsuitable for women according to some rulings.
Westerners often assume that because gender relations in Islamic societies are governed by norms unfamiliar to them, Muslim women must be socially and politically inactive. This is not true; women in Muslim societies have been active, even if not always in publicly visible leadership roles.
In the Qur’an, God addresses women directly, affirming that their actions matter and offering female figures as role models. This encourages women to take on roles—even in adverse conditions—not merely for personal gain, but out of obedience to God.
This is why the Jews criticized Mary (Maryam), who gave birth to Jesus (Isa) by God’s will and without a husband. In the face of mockery, she made no excuses but simply pointed to her infant son, who miraculously spoke. Elsewhere, the wife of Pharaoh is praised for rejecting her husband’s idolatry and embracing the message of Moses (Musa).
Islamic Values vs. Feminist Goals
While Islam emphasizes the roles of wife and mother as fundamental, these are precisely the roles that the feminist movement seeks to dismantle. Feminist advocates often emphasize “liberation” from restrictions, cohabitation without marriage, and single motherhood.
They define progress for women in terms of job opportunities, income, nontraditional sexual relationships, and political power. Though Islam does not prohibit women from wealth or influence, its focus remains on marriage and family.
This outlook seems more in tune with the priorities of the vast majority of women around the world. While they do not oppose wealth or power, their primary concerns often revolve around marriage and family. Islam honors these core concerns, while feminism tends to undermine them.
Ultimately, the most important role of a woman in Islam is not much different from that of a man: both are servants of God. Muslim men and women share roles as mothers, fathers, spouses, buyers, sellers, teachers, students, workers, and employers.
Dr. Gary Carl Legenhausen
A professor of philosophy with research interests in Western philosophy, philosophy of religion, and Islamic philosophy, Dr. Legenhausen currently teaches at Paderborn University in Germany. He received his PhD in philosophy from Rice University in 1983. That same year, after exploring Shia Islam, he converted from Roman Catholicism to Islam.
He advocates for what he calls “Non-Reductive Religious Pluralism” and authored the book Islam and Religious Pluralism. Dr. Gary Carl is also a strong proponent of interfaith dialogue.
From: shafaqna