By then her marriage was breaking up, having lasted only a few years. “I knew so little of myself and my culture, there was no chance it would work,” she reflects. “There is no point in staying in a bad marriage.” In any case, she says, “Your family doesn’t necessarily have to have a man.”
She is, however, grateful that this brief marriage gave her a daughter. There were, though, rough times ahead as a single mom. She followed a route familiar to many American working women: babysitters when her daughter was young, followed by day-care centers and preschools. By evening she was exhausted. “I think ultimately it made me stronger. It made my daughter stronger, too. But it was very difficult in the beginning. I made so little money.”
Mother and daughter were close and remain so today even though they are often thousands of miles apart. Her daughter is now an actress with a career in India and Pakistan. (Riffat herself owns a home in Pakistan.)
Meanwhile, she had found her life’s work–feminist theory and Islam. “That has been my major work as a theologian for more than thirty years,” she says. “I came to feel that on the basis of my research the Quran does not discriminate, that the majority of the Muslim women lack religious education. The tradition has always been interpreted for women by men. The major mission of my work is to educate women.”
She disputes some translated passages in the Quran’s text that denigrate women. One, Surah 4, speaks of men as the “managers of the affairs of women” and says that women must be “obedient.” Reading the same passage in Arabic, Riffat discovers that linguistically qawwamun has been misinterpreted. To her tutored eye, it refers to “those who provide a means of support or livelihood.” Accordingly, Riffat sees this verse as an exhortation to men to financially support their wives who will bear their children.
She compares this misinterpretation to how Paul’s admonishments to women in the Bible’s New Testament have been mischaracterized by generations of Christian leaders to promote a patriarchal point of view.
More than ever before, Riffat believes, Muslim women must educate themselves about their faith. “In my judgment, the importance of developing what the West calls ‘feminist theology’ is paramount today, not only for Muslim women but also Muslim men. Unjust social structures and systems of thought make a peer relationship between men and women impossible. It is extremely important for Muslim women activists to realize that in the contemporary Muslim world, laws instituted in the name of Islam cannot be overturned by means of political action alone, but through the use of better arguments.”
To make her points, Riffat speaks directly. Today’s average Muslim woman is “poor, illiterate, and she lives in a rural environment.” To reach her, Riffat believes lofty talk about human rights is not the answer. The better way is to remind her “that God is just and merciful” and that as a creation of this Supreme Being she is entitled to being treated with justice and dignity. “I have seen the eyes of many Muslim women light up when they realize what possibilities for development exist for them within the framework of the beliefs which define their world.”
She is just as honest about how her belief in Islam has propelled her forward. “My whole life has been full of struggle and if I didn’t have faith I don’t know what I would have done.”
She also believes that knowledge of the Quran can help Muslims counter the extreme right-wing or anti-religious groups who have “hijacked” Islam in many Muslim countries. Such people do not represent “the vast majority of Muslims who are religious without being fanatic, narrow-minded, or inclined toward violence and terrorism.”
Riffat saw what she calls the “Islamization of Muslim societies” spread “from country to country in the late 1970s and 1980s.” From Iran to Afghanistan, these extremists came with patriarchal baggage. “It was very detrimental to women. I began to see how people were going to misuse religion against women.”
Education is the key to stop this abuse of Islam and to promote peace. In that spirit, Riffat worked hard to help the University of Louisville win a State Department grant to educate professors from the Muslim world about the United States and American Muslims. As part of what the grant supports, she will also take American professors to Pakistan and other Muslim countries for similarly instructional visits.
At first, the program was met with a lot of skepticism, she admits. American scholars didn’t want to go to the Middle East. “They were so scared,” she says. But those who did make the trip were transformed after they returned, having seen for themselves that most people in Muslim countries aren’t extremists.
The scholars from South Asian Muslim countries have been equally surprised by their visits to the United States. As Riffat explains, “Since 9/11, America has been perceived as being very much against Islam, and in Muslim countries one finds a lot of anger against the war in Iraq.”
But Pakistani scholars soon discover that Americans “are just like themselves,” as Riffat puts it. “They find kind people, good people. They make a lot of friends.”
And they discover that American Muslims are diverse. When they visit some American mosques, they find people from twenty nationalities praying together. “This is an experience they would never have in their country. They find the diversity quite astonishing, just as they do the openness of Americans.”
In 1999, Riffat took up the fight against honor killings when she was asked by the television program Nightline to offer commentary on a BBC documentary that graphically showed teenage girls or women being burned or mutilated by their own male family members in Pakistan to restore “honor” to the family. Many of the women had done nothing to deserve such brutal punishment. Riffat says it is a centuries-old tribal custom that is being carried on today by impoverished and uneducated rural villagers. Among them are even some women who think that their daughters or daughters-in-law should be killed if they are found to be adulterers or caught looking at another man. Even more horrible is the fact that some men may fabricate evidence so they can get rid of a wife, sister, or daughter they no longer want.
“After I was on Nightline, I received e-mail from around the world from people asking how they could help stop these crimes,” Riffat says. “We began an international network and support group, the major objective of which is to highlight the nature of these crimes. Pakistanis were in a state of denial.”
Since then, she says, her group has documented thousands of cases. She met with Pakistani president Musharraf and found him sympathetic to helping end honor killings. He began denouncing the practice publicly and in January 2005 signed a law to outlaw honor killings, making the crime punishable by death.
Still, Riffat remarks, “Domestic violence is a problem around the world, including this country. Many people place very little value on the lives of women.”
The solution, she says, is empower the victims. And that is why Riffat, entering her seventh decade, isn’t thinking of retiring to a simpler, easier life. No, she is on a flight to Pakistan or teaching a new generation in Louisville, as her faith leads her to work as hard as she did as a young scholar.
“Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life. There is a purpose for human life. This is serious business.”
Glossary
HERE ARE SOME WORDS, mostly Arabic, that are commonly used in connection with American Islam and the Muslimah. Please note that many of the words’ spelling can vary.
Abaya—A Muslim woman’s outer garment or gown that is long, loose and modest.
Allah—God in Arabic
Burqa—A severe head-to-toe outer garment that completely covers a woman except for her eyes.
Chador—A Muslim woman’s covering, what some refugees calls a scarf but what others consider a cloak-like garment that is not as severe as a burqa.
Co-wife—A Muslim woman in the United States who shares a husband with another woman (or up to two others). Islam allows a man to have up to four wives provided that he can provide for all of them and provide for them equally.
> Deen—Way of life, destiny
Eid—Refers to two Islamic festivals: Eid ul-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan and Eid ul-Adha, which celebrates Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael for Allah.
Hadith—A collection of the teaching of the Prophet Muhammad
Haram—What is unlawful, prohibited in Islam
Hijab—The veil or the covering of a Muslim woman’s head, with usually the hair completely hidden. Some sort of head covering is required at prayer services but many women also say it is mandated that they wear a covering over their head when in public where there will be men.
Imam—Has different meanings in various Islamic groups but generally is known as the congregational leader of a mosque who advises members on religious matters and leads Friday prayers.
Imamah—A female leader of prayers, especially for an all-women gathering. But it is a term not generally recognized as men have been thought to be the only ones to become Imams.
Jilbaab—Loose outer garment like a coat or cloak that covers the entire body except for eyes.
Khimar—Arabic for covering. Can be dress, shawl, blouse, or other apparel that covers the bosom as mandated by the Quran. Also can mean a head covering.
Khutba—Central sermon at Friday prayers.
Masjid—An Islamic house of worship, a mosque where Friday prayers are conducted.
Mosque—An Islamic house of worship where Friday prayers are conducted. In the United States many mosques are becoming like churches, hosting classes and other activities. Some predominantly African American congregations may meet on Sunday for classes in addition to Friday prayers.
Muslimah—A woman who is a Muslim; an adherent to Islam.
Nigaab—Saudi Arabian–style burqa that completely covers a woman from head to toe.
Prophet Muhammad—Considered the “founder” of Islam; Allah came to him with the Islamic teachings.
Quran—The holy book of Islam, written by the Prophet.
Revert—A person who converts to Islam. Called a revert because Muslims believe all people are born Muslim although their parents may raise them in a different faith.
Salat—Ritual prayer or divine service.
Shahada—Ceremony when usually new converts give their declaration of faith to Islam.
Resources
YOU CAN RESEARCH more about Muslim women by going online or contacting refugee, civil rights, and immigration groups around the nation. Here is a sampling:
American Civil Liberties Union
(It has staff that works on Muslim civil rights issues.)
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 10004
www.aclu.org
Arab American Institute
(Group committed to civic and political empowerment of Arab Americans)
(202) 429–9210
www.aaiusa.org
Arizona Refugee Community Center
(Works with many Muslimah refugees)
P.O. Box 40482
Phoenix, AZ 85067
www.arizonarefugee.org
Council on American-Islamic Relations
(Largest advocacy group for Muslims)
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, DC 20003
(202) 488–8787
www.cair-net.org
International Institute of Erie
(Works with Muslimah refugees)
517 E. 26th Street
Erie, PA 16504
www.interinsterie.org
Islamic Society of North America
(Largest Islamic group on the continent)
P.O. Box 38
Plainfield, IN 46168
(317) 839–8157
www.isna.net
Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights
(202) 234–7302
www.karamah.org
Muslim Public Affairs Council
(Advocacy group with offices in Washington and Los Angeles)
3010 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 217
Los Angeles, CA 90010
(213) 383–3443
www.mpac.org
Muslim Wake Up
(Progressive online Muslim magazine)
P.O. Box 196
Pleasantville, NY 10570
www.muslimwakeup.com
Muslim Women’s League
(Works to help Muslim women around the world)
3010 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 519
Los Angeles, CA 90010
(626) 358–0335
www.mwlusa.org
Progressive Muslim Union of North America
(646) 485–1163
www.pmuna.org
Tahirih Justice Center
(Promotes justice for women and girls worldwide)
6066 Leesburg Pike, Suite 220
Falls Church, VA 22041
(703) 575–0070
www.tahirih.org
Vital Voices
(A women’s international advocacy group)
1050 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 772–4162
www.vitalvoices.org
The Face Behind the Veil Page 30