Woman Between Islam and Western Society
1. A Survey
~ 27 ~
This was especially true of society’s determination
to regard woman as inferior to man. But there was
an additional reason for this flawed concept having
evolved, and that was the failure to recognize the
importance of the home as the basic unit which
collectively constitutes society, the training ground
for future generations, in short, the cohesive force
without which society would cease to exist. Just as
the strength of a building lies in the quality of its
individual bricks, so does the strength of society
depend upon the quality of its constituent families.
The work done within the home is, therefore, of
prime importance. It may take greater gentleness
and delicacy than responsibilities outside the home,
which require greater vigor, superior physical
strength and stronger nerves, but, for the survival
and progress of human civilization, feminine
qualities are just as essential as masculine qualities
— which is why nature has cast man and woman in
very different molds. Women are endowed by
nature with more of the passive qualities in order to
make them better suited to domesticity, while men
are endowed with more of the active qualities
which make them better qualified to shoulder
