The situation of Muslim women [in

Mauritius] by sister Ammaara

Uddeen

From time immemorial, women have

always been the centre of many
controversial debates and discussions
in all societies. They are considered
either as devils, cunning or simply the
weaker sex. However, different
religions and societies have different
understanding and views about
women.
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Today, many feminist organizations

together with non governmental
organizations are working hard
towards the eradication of Gender
discrimination in Mauritius. Their
attention is focused on Muslim
women whom they believe are
dominated by their own religion and
upbringing.

Muslim women at the pre-Islamic

era
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Much is said about this doomed

period where women were considered
as men’s slaves and chattels. They
were deprived of all their rights to the
exception of a few. Indeed, it marks a
period where no law was regulated
and where people were indulged in
barbarous, sinful and excessive
activities. This period of ignorance
was deeply rooted in the mind of
people that even women did not know
the objectives of their missions on
earth. Fourteen centuries after, it
seems that Muslim women are once
 4

again plunged in darkness and have

forgotten their trust made to Allah
50,000 years before creation. [Qur’an
7:172].

The advent of Islam

The advent of Islam was a turning

point for all mankind. New rules and
regulations were set by Allah, the
Almighty. Several passages mention
women’s equality to men especially in
the search of good deeds.
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They are recognized as partners to

men in their day to day lives. Both the
Qur’an and ahadeeth describe the
noble prophet’s wives as pious, god
fearing and dignified women whose
examples need to be followed by all
women from all generations.

Muslim women in the world today

It seems that the above mentioned

models are long forgotten. The
society in general is a male oriented
one. Gender discrimination which has
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always prevailed in all societies of the

world is still unresolved. The male
complex is prevalent all over the
world. Men think themselves as
women’s patron. It is in their ego to
dominate and reign over women.

Though the Qur’an praises women,

Muslim men seem deaf about
women’s ability and intelligence. As a
matter of fact, these women are
deprived of their natural freedom
offered by Islam and cannot fulfill
their duties to Allah, the Almighty.
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Muslim women in Mauritius

In Mauritius, things are not better.

Muslims are broadly divided into
intellectuals and non intellectuals;
between believers and non
worshippers; between rich and poor
Muslims.
Most of the intellectuals are non
practitioners. Schools, universities
and other educational institutions
shape their personalities.
Unknowingly, day by day, they are
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robotized, brainwashed and become

models of globalization. They come
to believe that the western models are
the only model for success. They
learn to feel ashamed of their own
religion and its practices.
They are further confused by the
media who continue to play a crucial
role in the manipulation of
conscience. Through programs on
eradication of terrorism and women’s
sufferings, they play with people’s
emotion in order to weaken their faith
and even if some continue to resist,
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the feeling of guilt and shame persist

in their mind and finally destroy their
equilibrium.

In a small island like Mauritius, it is

astounding to see how the media and
scholars have divided the Islamic
community which is only 18% of the
population [some 180,000 people].
Women are the first victims because
they are more emotional by nature.
Secondly, they are less educated and
cannot read. Worst, they are
overloaded with house chores and do
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not have access to Islamic cultures.

Their only leisure is watching
television. Hence, they are more
vulnerable to these fictions.

Besides, the country counts more

women than men. So, many of them
are either celibates, widowed or
divorced. Drug addiction is ravaging
the male Islamic community. So, like
Pharaon’s époque, it seems that
everything is done to kill the men
[through drugs and HIV] and leave
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behind women and children in order

to abuse them.

As a matter of fact, mix marriages are

increasing. [Of course, this is not the
only reason for mix marriages]. Many
Muslim women are converting to
Hinduism or to the Christian
Missionary Church.

Young and educated girls

These are the perfect models of shame

and reflection of the freemasonic
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program. The agenda of their New

World Order seems to work perfectly
on the young generation. Nothing is
innocent anymore. Music contains
erotic and satanic meanings; they
convey dangerous messages for the
immature mind. Fashion is perverted
and regressive. Instead of producing
their own fashion, leisure etcetera,
they prefer to become consumers of
these illegal and aberrant trends; like
tattoos and piercing which belong to
very ancient civilizations.
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Unless Muslim girls wear tight jeans

or mini skirts, smoke and drink
alcohol, they feel rejected. Fashion
gets control over them especially
Gothic [black artifacts]. It is common
for Muslim girls to go out with boys
from other faith just to prove to their
friends that they are not fanatical or
religious.

The media also manipulate its

audience through entertainment.
Bollywood songs and movies take
more and more importance in
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muslim’s lives. That is why young

girl craves for Shah Ruh Khan
[muslim Indian star]. Many
adolescents commit suicide after
listening for hours to rock music. Too
much music destroys the spirit. They
behave like animals and there is no
difference between a Muslim and a
non Muslim.

Moreover, the foods we get are all

etiquetted as halaal but they are
certified by some Muslims whose
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interests are found with the

government. So, once again nothing is
innocent anymore. The majority of
imported foods are manufactured by
non muslims who do not care about
halaal/haraam. The artificial colorants
and spices perturb the mind and body
so much that it is difficult to
concentrate and pray properly. Many
women suffer from belly problem
after consuming biscuits, juices and
other packed food. These products
destroy the fitra [natural equilibrium].
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Though there is no law condemning

the use of hijab, private companies
refuse to employ women who are
islamically dressed. Until now, no one
has had the idea to create a syndicate
in order that their voice be heard.
Instead, of criticizing their own sisters
in faith, they cannot reflect on their
own situation in order to move ahead.
In brief, they are lethargic.

What they do not realize is that each

person is a target victim of the
political and economic world order
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controlled by the elites. These

intellectual women who are so proud
to be called elites are in fact
manipulated. They are simply puppets
in the hands of the driving force.
Tomorrow these same girls, with their
diplomas or degree in hands, will
work against their own religion, will
silence their conscience and finally
reject their faith.

The political slogan about the rainbow

nation has paved its way in Muslim
women’s mind. Indeed, more and
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more women are attracted by mix

marriages and pretend that they can
continue to be muslims even though
their husbands go to church or to the
temple. Some innocently believe that
they can change their husbands after
marriage. Often, the opposite
becomes true.

Many muslim women in Mauritius

marry at the age of 16 to 19 years old.
Those who marry after 20, are
considered old. Their parents feel
very annoyed and upset about their
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daughter’s alarming situation. If on

top of that she has a brown
complexion, they feel desperate and
force her to marry someone much
older. What may seem exaggerated is
that they accept a demand of marriage
even if the proposed is insane or drug
addicted. These situations often
appear among the non intellectual
families.

Many women become widow at the

age of 40 or are divorced or separated
in their early twenties. They do not
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work, are not educated and on top of

that, they have babies or children to
care after.

Orthodox Muslims

The large majority of women are

deprived of their rights. Most of them
are quite unlettered and ignorant or
excessive in their faith. Many
conservative or orthodox scholars
teach a male oriented concept of
Islam. So, there are two extremes in
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the Muslim societies: either they are

too open or too conservatives.

These scholars always speak of the

past; as if Islam is some far away
religion that needs to be discussed in
copy books only. Women are more in
number to men and many muslim
men are homosexual. Homosexuality
has entered the concentrated muslim
region some years ago and scholars
continue to incite their followers in
trivial matters concerning Aqeedah
instead of helping to eradicate those
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deadly sins. It is sad to see how they

themselves are victims of the media
and how in turn, keep women as
hostages.

If schooling was not enforced by the

law, many girls would not have
attended school. Young girls and
women are raised up to obey men, not
they have no right to think, and worse,
to give their opinions.

Excessive stress is put on dress codes.

Innocently, women believe that they
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only need to dress in black or wear

the purdah in order to get jannat.

Many get married at the age of

fourteen or fifteen years old. This is
the latest fashion in Mauritius. At the
age of twenty, they have already three
children since they do not believe in
any contraceptive methods but after
some seven to eight children, they
start practising abortion!!!

These women are uncultured. They

speak aloud like Bedouins. They do
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not know how to behave in society.

Their only outings are grandmother’s
place or mother-in-law’s place. Many
households are traditional. The couple
stays with the in-laws. To make things
worse, often three or four couples live
in the same house; each having only
one room.

All the house chores are done by

daughter in laws. As a matter of fact,
they have no time for themselves or
for their own couples. Their whole
attention is focused on their babies,
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their husband’s desires and the routine

chores. Often they are beaten and
punished. Whereas children are given
pocket money to go to school, wives
cannot afford to have a few rupees in
their purse.

Communication is a rare word in their

vocabulary. They have learnt since
their early childhood to listen and
obey to adults. The irony is that adults
themselves are ignorant not only of
their religion but of life itself. They
live in a completely regressive society
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though their outward attitude may

conform to the present society. For
instance, old grannies eat fast food
whether it is halaal or not. They
attend The “Caudan Waterfront” and
even go to the cinema but they will
never accept that their daughters
marry a pious Islamic convert, for
instance. They still ignorantly call
Islamic converts as Christians or
hindus. They cannot understand that
our beloved prophet [pbuh] brought
islam and the Arabs converted to
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islam and were called simply:

MUSLIMS.

Mauritius is a British colonization and

most muslim ancestors come from
India. This explains their taste for
Indian fashion, food and
entertainment: the Bollywood stars
who have nothing to do with Islamic
precepts. Once again, no scholars
seem to realize that women’s lives are
jeopardized by idleness, lack of
proper education and outdoor
activities. They themselves are
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victims of political tendencies. Their

conferences lack real incentives and
always focus on women’s duties
towards men rather on spiritual
aspects and social activities. They
always speak about the don’ts and
discard any positive ideas.

Their solutions to eradicate free

mixing are contrary to Islam. They
believe that women should not drive
cars but sit in buses next to strangers.
They believe that women should not
attend Friday prayers because they
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may meet men on the roads. They

believe that the hijab they wear are
only a small triangle. They need to
wear two jellabas with socks. They
further incite women to remain in
seclusion and to go out only for
Islamic tuitions. As a matter of fact,
many women are depressive. They are
constantly on medication and even if
they practise their Deen, suffer mental
illnesses. They are paying the price
for their excessive practices and their
incapacity to strike a balance between
this world and the next.
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No one realizes that Islam is in fact

the only solution for getting rid of
man’s enslavement and the returning
towards the true God: Allah who is At
Tawab. In fact, every human being is
in search of freedom and peace of
heart. These two elements are
available to us only if we repent and
return to our fitra [our natural state].
Sadly, Muslim women do not
understand the essence of Tauhid. By
shunning themselves from the rest of
the world, they have become their
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husband’s slaves. And husbands are

mortals and dependent creatures who
cannot provide peace and all solutions
to women’s sufferings.

Conclusion

Today, most people have vested

interest. While fighting for equality,
they mean only material satisfaction.
Are these organizations fighting for
equality of rights by showing clearly
that God has created man and woman
with different nature and abilities?
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Can they understand that though man

and woman are equal, yet their
missions are complementary not
always similar? Do they focus on the
fact that women in general are
physically weak? Are women fit thirty
days upon thirty? If feminist parties
try to convince the world that women
are equal as men then they can only
penalize women in their search for
wisdom, happiness and peace.

These feminists are pointing their

fingers towards Islam. It is sad that
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the image conveyed by the Muslim

community is far from the teachings
of the Noble Qur’an. It is the
reflection of men’s own ignorance,
selfishness and disobedience. The
Qur’an clearly declares that whatever
wrong happens to us comes from our
own hands because Allah is sweet
towards His creatures.
The Qur’an says:

“O you who believe! If you fear

Allah, He will grant you a Criterion
[to judge between right and wrong].
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Remove from you [all] evil [that may

afflict] you, and forgive you: for
Allah is the Lord of grace
unbounded.” Chapter 8: 29

Hopefully, a minority of women is

working towards ‘islamisation’.
Instead of paying attention whether
they are in the New Age, the
Scientific Age or whatever Age, they
incite other women towards the
slogan of the Qiyama Age. They have
understood that they need to think
quicker and in advance on the media’s
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trends. They are ready to accomplish

their mission, that is, to ‘islamise’ the
world through Quranic values and
adaab. They are striving towards
ihsaan by working on formulas of
unity; by offering to young
intellectuals a substitute to their
cravings. Through constant spiritual
education, outdoors activities, cyber
café and other computer programmes,
they help build a new generation of
balanced, harmonized women capable
to think and act for themselves in
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order to reach the highest station of

love of God.

AMMAARAT-UDDEEN ISLAMIC
EDUCATOR
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