Woman Between Islam and Western Society
1. A Survey
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the ideal teacher should be unmarried. For women
too, virginity and celibacy have been considered to
be assets in the attainment of spiritual goals. The
ideal held up before them was that they should
remain unmarried throughout their lives, and pass
into the next world in the same virgin state.
Take, for example, what must be the fate of women
living in Jain communities. The monastic groups of
Jainism being marked by the greatest austerity, all
Jain monks are to avoid even looking at women, for,
according to a Jain source, “they are to monks what
a cat is to a chicken.”
10
Buddhism and allied
religions take a very similar view.
11
The Prophet Muhammad, upon whom be peace,
was the first of the historical personalities to refute
these fallacies in word and deed: celibacy was
shown to be no genuine symbol of spirituality. He
showed that true spirituality meant remaining in
the midst of the family, and adhering to the limits
prescribed by God. Woman was then clearly seen to
be a good in life and not an evil.
Not only did the Prophet break the tradition of
celibacy, but he repeatedly encouraged his
