17. Some people believe that by giving higher education to a Muslim girl, makes her rebellious and takes her away from the Muslim tradition. What is your opinion on this?

I strongly disagree with this. The women in my family, for example, have received higher education. My granddaughters have either completed or are pursuing their doctorates and have been an integral part of my mission to spread peace and spirituality. My daughter, Professor Farida Khanam, has tirelessly worked for translating my works into English including the Quran and its commentary.

A large number of learned women are mentioned in history as authorities on various Islamic sciences such as Hadith, Islamic jurisprudence, Seerah (biography) of the Prophet, commentary on the Quran, and so on.

Those who do not educate their girls need to change their mindset. The issue is not that giving higher education to girls would make them rebellious; the real issue is that parents are unable to train their children in a rational manner. They only know and speak the language of dos and don’ts and impose other such restrictions, which fails to address the mind of children.

Islam attaches great importance to learning and education and considers it to be the starting point of every human activity. The female members of a family must therefore be given all opportunities to learn to grow and play a constructive role in the progress and development of society at large.