An Islamic Gender Advocate, Mrs. Kauther Hamis has lamented that Allah has not cursed women and therefore the Muslim woman must be seen as an asset rather than a curse.
This, she said, could only be achieved if the Muslim female child was given a holistic education which encapsulated western education, Islamic education and the traditional education.
Mrs. Hamis made this observation on Sunday, November 02, 2014 at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) at a seminar organized by the Women’s Wing of Ghana Muslim Students Association (GMSA), UCC Chapter.
Speaking on the theme, “The duties of the Muslim lady,” Mrs. Hamis who is also a Teaching Assistant in the Department of Religion, University of Ghana, maintained that, Muslim parents especially must give equal attention to female education just like male education.
“For a Muslim woman to know her responsibilities and also perfect in the acts of worship, she need to be educated holistically. Men should not perceive women who are climbing higher on the educational ladder as a threat,” she said.
she said that the Bible narration of the creation story, which is often readily quoted by many people including even some Muslims, put the blame on how Adam and Eve disobeyed Allah on the feet of a Eve and therefore women are seen as a curse rather than a blessing.
This Biblical account, she noted, had been differently stated in the Qu’ran where both man and woman are equally blamed for betraying Allah’s trust and therefore the Muslim woman must be educated to reverse the notion that she is a curse even from the beginning of creation.
Central Regional president of Federation of Muslim Women Association of Ghana (FOMWAG), Hajia Habiba Hawa who chaired the occasion, bemoaned some cultural practices that are often erroneously perceived as part of the doctrine of Islam.
She said Islam have over the years being embellished because of some traditional cultural practices that have crept into the religion.
Hajia Abiba reiterated that, Islam abhors and frown upon such cultural practices including forced marriages, and therefore Muslims must fine-tune and adapt only aspects of their traditional culture that are line with the doctrine and teaching of Islam.
The Women’s Commissioner for UCC GMSA Women’s wing, Rukaya Abu expressed hope that the clarion call for the education of the Muslim female child seem to be gradually yielding results, adding that “over the few years there has been a substantial increase in the female Muslim enrollment in UCC”.
President of GMSA, Abdullah Haruna Sherif Alibaba however took the occasion to appeal to GMSA members within the university to take an active interest in the activities of the association.
He said that, inasmuch as students strive for academic grades, they should also balance their academic work with religious activities as a way of preparation for the hereafter.
Story by: Abdul-Karim Mohammed Awaf(Fayar)
Communication Studies(0268466467)
