An incessant clamor of Westerners and secularists persists as they hurl accusations at Islam, particularly regarding women: “Islam oppresses women!” “Oh, the poor woman! Islam wants to erase her identity and suppress her!” “You seek to cover women and consider them a source of shame—how barbaric!”

Yet, here stands a Christian woman—an outspoken critic of Islam—who, in an interview with British journalist Dilly Hussain, expressed her frustration over the increasing number of young people and women embracing Islam. She lamented: “The Western women are meeting these Muslim men. These Muslim men are saying to these western women. ‘You are so precious. You are so important. I want no one to look upon your beauty other than me and Allah’… The natural instinct for a woman is to find a man that is going to be protective.”
This, she admitted, aligns with a woman’s natural instinct—her innate desire to have a man who protects and cherishes her.

Similarly, social media influencer Veronika Edali acknowledged that Islam is the fastest-growing religion globally, particularly among women. One of the primary reasons for her conversion was Islam’s gender equality. She dismissed the false narrative that women in Islam are oppressed, stating that while researching women's rights before embracing Islam, she was “enlightened by how much Islam values and honors and respects and elevates women.” This ultimately led her to accept Islam, as she had always been a strong advocator for gender equality.

There are countless other Western women who have willingly embraced Islam after discovering the peace, dignity, and rights it guarantees them—rights that secularism and capitalism failed to provide. Instead, these ideologies relentlessly promote female nudity and moral decay under the guise of “freedom,” a hollow concept that has led to the disintegration of families, the collapse of societies, and the rise of crime, murder, and rape!

Where is the freedom in that? How can they condemn Islam, which honored women and granted them unimaginable rights?

Some Aspects of Islam Honoring Women:

1. The Right to Life: Before Islam, pre-Islamic Arabs oppressed women and even buried their daughters alive. Islam completely forbade this practice. Allah says, “And when the girl [who was] buried alive is asked. For what sin she was killed.” (At-Takwir 8-9)
   Women in ancient civilizations also lived in oppression and humiliation. In Greek society, philosophers deemed women inherently inferior and impure. In Roman civilization, women were treated as mere commodities, bought and sold in marketplaces. In England, they were auctioned like livestock, and in France, they were seen as beings created solely for men’s service. Meanwhile, Judaism labeled women as the root of sin and misfortune.
2. Freedom and the Right to Choose: Women cannot be forced into marriage; their consent is essential. The Prophet ﷺ said: “A previously married woman should not be married until her permission has been sought, and a virgin should not be married until her consent is sought.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 5136)
   Islam also did not prohibit women from working or engaging in trade. The best example is Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, the wife of the Prophet ﷺ, who was a successful businesswoman. Furthermore, Islam upheld women’s right to education. The Prophet ﷺ dedicated a special day to teach women, as reported by Abu Sa'id al-Khudri: “Some women requested the Prophet (ﷺ) to fix a day for them as the men were taking all his time. On that he promised them one day for religious lessons and commandments.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 101)
3. Obligated Men to Provide for Women: A woman’s guardian is responsible for her financial needs from birth until death. Allah says, “Men are in charge of women by [right of] what Allah has given one over the other and what they spend [for maintenance] from their wealth.” (An-Nisa: 34) Islam even forbade taking women’s wealth forcefully or against her will: “O you who have believed, it is not lawful for you to inherit women by compulsion. And do not make difficulties for them in order to take [back] part of what you gave them unless they commit a clear immorality.” (An-Nisa: 19) Rather, her financial maintenance is given precedence even over that of the parents, as Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The correct view is that one begins with himself, then his wife, then his child, then his parents, and then the rest of his relatives.” Unlike pre-Islamic Arabia, where women had no inheritance rights and were treated as property, Islam granted them a share of inheritance and treated them with dignity: “For men is a share of what the parents and close relatives leave, and for women is a share of what the parents and close relatives leave, be it little or much - an obligatory share.” (An-Nisa: 7)
4. Protected Women and Prohibited Harming Them:
   Islam legislated the hijab as a means of safeguarding women’s dignity and shielding them from harm. Allah says, “O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.” (Al-Ahzab: 59)
   Islam also prohibited a woman from traveling without a mahram to ensure her safety, even for Hajj. The Prophet ﷺ said: “It is not lawful for a woman believing in Allah and the Hereafter to undertake journey extending over a day and a night except when there is a Mahram with her.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1088) Furthermore, Islam forbade keeping a woman in a marriage against her will to harm her:
   “And do not keep them, intending harm, to transgress [against them]. And whoever does that has certainly wronged himself.” (Al-Baqarah: 231)
   Unlike men, women are not obligated to engage in combat, as jihad requires physical endurance that contradicts their nature. However, Islam equated for them Hajj and Umrah with jihad in reward. ‘A’isha said that she asked God’s messenger whether jihad was incumbent on women, and he replied, “Yes, jihad which does not include fighting is incumbent on them. It is the hajj and the ‘umra.” (Ibn Majah, 2901)
   Even those who fail to uphold women’s rights will be held accountable. The Prophet ﷺ said: “O Allah, bear witness that I have issued a warning concerning (failure to fulfill) the rights of the two weak ones: Orphans and women.” (Sunan Ibn Majah, 3678)
5. Kindness and Patience Toward Women: Islam commanded men to treat women with kindness: “And live with them in kindness. For if you dislike them - perhaps you dislike a thing and Allah makes therein much good.” (An-Nisa: 19) Islam also emphasized caring for widows, likening it to striving in Allah’s cause, so they won’t suffer from the pain of losing their husbands and striving for their livelihood. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “The one who looks after and works for a widow and for a poor person, is like a warrior fighting for Allah's Cause or like a person who fasts during the day and prays all the night.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 5353)
   Moreover, Islam abolished pre-Islamic and Jewish practices of shunning women during menstruation. The Prophet ﷺ lived with his wives normally while they were menstruating, only avoiding sexual intercourse. He also commanded patience, kindness and good treatment with women, recognizing their emotional nature. He said: “Treat women nicely, for a women is created from a rib, and the most curved portion of the rib is its upper portion, so, if you should try to straighten it, it will break, but if you leave it as it is, it will remain crooked. So treat women nicely.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 3331)

This is merely a glimpse of Islam’s extensive rights and honors for women. Do not be deceived by the distortion campaigns and false claims of the misguided in the name of false freedom. For, there is no freedom like the freedom of Islam, and no justice like the justice of Islam!

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1. Encyclopedia of the Merits of Islam.
2. The Status of Women in Islam by Dr. Muhammad bin Maq'ad Al-Asimi.
3. Bloodxbrothers, Why Are White Women Converting to Islam?
4. Veronika Edali, Why So Many Women Convert to Islam.
5. Al-Jazeera.net
6. IslamWeb.