GENDER EQUALITY

In a seminar in Delhi, I met a retired Judge who asked, “Maulana Sahab, do you know what the weakest point in Islam is? Islam does not admit gender equality!”

Modern man finds such concepts unacceptable. The modern age is one of gender equality, while Islam talks of gender inequality. This concept is shared by most people of the world today. However, this concept is not based on a deeper reflection of the term. Gender inequality is a matter concerning gender difference and does not concern itself with gender inequality. The whole world is based on this difference, and the matter concerning men and women is not an exception to this rule.

There is nothing negative about this difference. Difference is a positive term. The difference between men and women can be compared to the two wheels of a cart. One wheel is not equal to the other. They are complementary to one another. God had made biological and psychological differences between a man and a woman. This difference is made so that they become good life partners of one another. Both are complementary to one another.

The concept of gender equality is unnatural. It creates unnecessary conflict between the two. However, the concept of gender differences produces the concept of being complementary to each other and supporting each other. It enables the partners to run the cart of life as two wheels joined together.