Mezopotamia Islamic Research Federation (MIA-FED) co-chair Perva Inal evaluated the difference between being religious and narrowing religion, and said they would struggle against the transformation of Islam into an ideology of obedience.
Inal said: “Male-dominated religious organization has narrowed the universal message of revelation in favor of men. This has excluded women from political decision-making mechanisms, the production of religious interpretation, and social leadership. When we narrow religion, when we try to confine it within rigid molds, this becomes bigotry. We can clearly see how religion is very easily used as a stick over women. Why is this so? From my observations—there may of course be exceptions—it is seen that women are considered more religious and therefore more easily deceived. Even when it is very difficult for women, even when it exceeds their capacity, hardships are endured by saying ‘it is God’s command.’ With the logic of ‘If we oppose this, we will leave religion and become sinful,’ every kind of hardship has been accepted.
They confined women to the home, telling them that they should not disobey their husband, father, or brother; and as if that were not enough, they imposed on women, in the name of religiosity and Islam, the idea that it would be better and more virtuous for them to perform their worship alone in their rooms. Women accepted this by saying ‘it is God’s command’ and were thus excluded from society. We say ‘half of society is women,’ yet we practically ignore this half of society. By distancing women from society, we effectively erase them.”
Inal added: “At the same time, men have viewed the power given to them as a form of superiority and used it as a means of oppression. Men use this power as a tool of domination over women and see themselves as superior because of it. In the Qur’an, the criterion of value is not gender but piety. When we look at the verses, they say that superiority lies only in piety; neither status, position, money, beauty, being a woman or being a man counts. Superiority in the sight of God is only through piety (Surah Al-Hujurat, verse 13).
Piety is translated in classical interpretations as ‘fear,’ and those who worship a lot are described as ‘very pious.’ However, when we look at the meaning of the word piety, it refers to a person who has a sense of responsibility and sensitivity. A person with a sense of responsibility fulfills their duty by thinking about themselves and those around them and asking, ‘What is my responsibility, what should I do?’ Whoever does what they do properly is pious. For women to fulfill their responsibilities, it is possible only by not being excluded from society and by taking part within it.”
Co-chair system is a reality
Stating that the federation’s organization through a co-chair system is a rebellion against the traditional understanding of “male imam, male leader,” Perva Inal described the place of women’s leadership in Islamic history by giving examples from the Qur’an: “Co-chairship is the modern equivalent of the Qur’anic principle of ‘Shura.’ Khadijah was an economic leader, Aisha was a political figure and commanded an army. The example of the woman who objected to Umar during a sermon shows that women have always been present in decision-making mechanisms. We do not take traditions as our basis, but the Qur’an and the authentic life of the Prophet.”
Emphasizing that women’s wisdom is indispensable in peace processes, Inal highlighted the concept of “foresight” inherent in women’s nature and said: “Women must be the carriers of peace, the guardians of justice, and the protectors of social memory. From a Qur’anic perspective, the verse ‘Indeed, God does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves’ (Surah Ar-Ra’d 13:11) shows that social transformation is not possible when women are excluded.
Historically, for example, it was Umm Salama who resolved the crisis at Hudaybiyyah. While men hesitated, her suggestion made peace possible. This shows that women’s wisdom is indispensable in peace processes.
I would also like to evaluate this issue by looking at women’s natural, innate structure. Biologically, women have a structure that is able to think more broadly; constructive, restorative, calm, emotional, compassionate, merciful, and insightful. The word ‘foresight’ is derived from the idea of a wide field of vision, nearly 340 degrees. Women have a structure that allows them to see and think with foresight. Because of this, they can analyze the underlying causes of events and think deeply and with a long-term perspective.
We can observe this constructiveness of women even in simple household tasks. When a house is messy, we say ‘perhaps there is no woman in this house,’ or when we go to a workplace and see order, we say ‘a woman’s touch is evident here.’ We can feel that a woman’s hand has been involved. Women have the capacity to think about many things at the same time while carrying out a task. I say this by also considering myself as a woman.”
Explaining the importance of women’s role and mission in the construction of a democratic society, Inal said: “Islam is the religion of nature (fitrah), and fitrah is our natural structure. When we look at early communities, we see that they lived a natural life. At the head of tribes was a wise person, a chief. The chief is the first among equals, someone who bears great responsibility and who does not use this leadership as a means of domination over others.
When this natural order is disrupted, God sends the religion of Islam through prophets to restore it. I said that the chief is ‘first among equals.’ When we look at Islam, it also has an orderly formation—not a pyramid, but rows. The imam is always the first among equals. To be an imam, one must possess qualities such as competence, merit, justice, and consultation. By imam, I mean a leader—someone who manages and organizes a task or a place.”
Inal continued: “In the Qur’an, we read about Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba. We read about Mary. When speaking of Jesus, it says ‘Jesus, son of Mary,’ placing Mary at the forefront. When we look at the life of the Prophet, there are many examples of female companions. Based on this, believing that we must take our place here as women, we undertook such a responsibility.
As I said before, superiority in the sight of God lies in piety. In verse 13 of Surah Al-Hujurat, it says, ‘We created you from a male and a female.’ This verse states that women and men were created equally, and at the end it says that superiority in the sight of God is through piety. Therefore, for me to be pious, I must fulfill my responsibility. And to fulfill my responsibility, if it means ‘putting one’s hand under the stone,’ then we are here, and we are ready.”