For all Muslims, the Hajj is a required pilgrimage that one must take during their lifetime. Last week marked the end of this year’s pilgrimage, where approximately 2 million men and women from around the world gathered in Mecca to perform rituals and worship Allah.
In a such a joyous and spiritually uplifting experience, one should assume that social difficulties should be left at the door to make way for Allah. Unfortunately, the problems Muslim women face are still prevalent during the Hajj. Islam was once prided for its forward beliefs regarding women, yet currently the rights of Islamic women and their roles as women are difficult and frustrating to navigate. For example, during the Hajj, women are only allowed to participate as long as they have a male guardian to accompany them. This becomes difficult for many who struggle to go due to that rule, yet their faith commands them to make the pilgrimage.
The article from the New York Times shows the opposing ideals, saying, ‘Each day in Mecca provided powerful reminders of a religion that seems to simultaneously embrace women and push them away”. While many improvements have been and are being made to the gender roles in the Islamic faith, there are still battles to be fought on the cultural side where those ideals are deeply rooted into everyday life
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I totally agree with your comment about this issue being a difficult one to navigate. I think you are right on point when you say that this is in large part a cultural issue. The Muslim-American women I know love their religion and feel empowered by it, but recognize that for many Muslim women around the world, their religion is used as a tool for intense oppression. That being said, oppressive gender roles are not unique to Islam. I would argue that every major religion has instinct gender roles that could be and often are used as a reason for the oppression and subjugation of women worldwide.