Woman in Islamic Shari‘ah
Foreword
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men and women are alike in every respect and that
both should therefore, be given equal opportunities.
This movement first reared its head in Britain in the
18th century, later spreading across the whole of
Europe and America. In 1772, a certain impetus was
given to the movement by the publication of a book
by Mary Wollstonecraft, entitled A
Vindication of
the
Rights of Women.
The gist of this book was that
women should receive the same treatment as men
in education, work opportunities and politics, and
the same moral standards should be applied to both
sexes.
2
Such was the zeal and fervour with which
this movement was launched that it spread far and
wide. Both men and women participated in it, and
even talking about the differences between man and
woman was brushed aside as being a sign of
backwardness. By the beginning of the 20th century,
this trend of thought had established its hold all
over the world, and laws came to be made or
modified accordingly. All doors were to be thrown
open to men and women alike.
In practice, however, this experiment has met with
utter failure. Even after a struggle of almost 200
