Religion and Theology

When Muslims want to judge if something is right or wrong, they refer to the Quran (the revelations received by Prophet Muhammad from God) and Sunna (customs sanctioned by traditions) which are the major religious sources established by Prophet Muhammad from 610 C.E.

Ethics refer to the ideal norms of behaviors upheld by the Muslim community. The feminist ethics advocates the womens rights, gender quality and social justice. (cited from Jagar, 2001).

This paper will explore on Islamic ethics, how Quran and Sunna affects the Islamic Feminism.
The prophets realization of his vision at the cave at Mt. Hira marked the beginning of Quran and Sunna traditions. (Rahman, 2000, p.12). However, he claimed nothing else but an organ of Gods message and in the vital sense accepted to be the central theme of Islam. His authority was valued since he was seen as a spiritual directive by the Muslim community, besides being a political and administrative leader. The Muslims follow the Quran because it is exactly what God meant to say to the early Muslim community and to the world in general.

In contrast, feminism ethics (the attempt to revise those aspects of traditional western ethics that devalue women reasoning) regards Sunna as unsatisfactory because women are disqualified as moral agents and subjects that in some way their ethical sensibilities are inferior. The way the Muslims judge right or wrong by referring to the Quran has been shaped in a male-dominated mindset and so the women have been assumed to being morally inferior. (Brody, 1988, p. 66-67).

In addition, Islamic women are subjected to dehumanization and oppression. The Islamic ethics fails to take account of the experience of women whereas a womans moral identity is framed within the confines of domesticity, motherhood, passivity and obedience to male authority. (Jonathan, 2003, p. 24).

Women are conditioned to believe that not only duty, but also nature dictates that they should live sacrificial lives of obedience and passivity. Moreover, women are denied educational and economic opportunities and so they will never be able to reach their moral potential. However, in feminism ethics, it gives the women a chance to protest so that their distinctive voice may be heard. To study ethics without paying attention to feminism is to be disadvantaged from the onset. (Frazer, Hornsby  Lovibond, 1992, p. 3).  In addition, feminism therefore, does not simply qualify the discipline of ethics but actually transforms it. The feminism Ethics gives a mirror to women to air their grievances to the world and how the Sunna traditions have affected the womens identity as moral agents. Though the prophet gave instructions on Quran and Sunna traditions to be followed, a leader should arise from the Muslim community and influence to solve crisis like womens oppression and mental tensions such as jihad.

In conclusion, Prophet Muhammad as the central theme of Islam, his achievements on establishing Quran and Sunna traditions are to be judged.  He himself was so self-effacing that he referred every bit of it to God- but on the basis of what he bequeathed to mankind both a set of ideals and a concrete way of achieving those ideals, which still constitute the best solution for mankind ills women oppression and jihad.