On international day to end violence against women, IUMS condemns coercive arrests of Egyptian women
All praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His messenger, upon his family, companions and faithful followers.
As the International Union of Muslim Scholars blesses the efforts of international and humanitarian organizations working to end injustice against women, make a stand against discrimination and violence against women on the 25the of November, the international day to end violence against women, the union wishes to remind the world that Islam had been a forerunner of fairness toward women, giving a woman her proper elevated rank, and achieving her human dignity. Islam has achieved this by introducing equality between men and women and making it a duty for men, and hence for society, to honor women. It has moreover venerated the memory of a woman’s struggle for survival through one of its main pillars, the greater Hajj pilgrimage, and declared the honoring women a path to paradise.
In verses like the following, Islam established equality among men and women in God’s words: {And their Lord responded to them, "Never will I allow to be lost the work of [any] worker among you, whether male or female; you are of one another.} [Quran 3:195], that is to say that a woman is part of a man, and a man is part of a woman, and none of them can do without the other. The honorable Prophet has also affirmed that "women are but the twin halves of men”.
The union hence condemns the conditions suffered by women who struggle for their freedom and dignity in the world especially the sentences Egyptian women faced under the politicized Egyptian judiciary. In this instance, fourteen college students in a criminal court were sentenced 11 years each for merely joining demonstrations against the military coup rejected by all free men and women in Egypt. Besides, the union condemns all the conditions that our girls and women face in Egypt, Syria and Palestine of arrests, imprisonments, and assaults in a flagrant violation of all international laws, social traditions, and the requirements of human dignity and human rights particularly on the international day to end violence against women.
The IUMS thus calls for and asserts the following:
1-The union demands an immediate release of all Egyptian girls and students who were unjustly arrested and imprisoned in retaliation for their freedom of expression and choice. These coercive verdicts passed against these students reveal the judiciary system’s allegiance to the coup authorities, as opposed to the rule of justice and equality whereas Allah Almighty gave commands to observe justice in arbitration among people. Clarifying the foundations of an upright rule, Allah – Exalted He be – said: {Indeed, God commands you to render trusts to whom they are due and when you judge between people to judge with justice.} [Quran 4:58].
Addressing his good servant and honorable prophet Dawud – peace be upon him – Allah said: {And their Lord responded to them, "Never will I allow to be lost the work of [any] worker among you, whether male or female; you are of one another.} [Quran 3:26] and clarified while speaking to His believing servants that they should adhere to justice: {O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for God, even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives. Whether one is rich or poor, God is more worthy of both. So follow not [personal] inclination, lest you not be just. And if you distort [your testimony] or refuse [to give it], then indeed God is ever, with what you do, Acquainted.} [Quran 4:135]. Then our Glorified God reaffirmed again {and do not let the hatred of a people prevent you from being just.} [Quran 5:8]. The Prophet – peace and blessings be upon him – also explained that {the judges are three [types]: two are in hell and one in heaven. A judge who knows the truth and passes his judgment accordingly, then he is in heaven, a judge who knows the truth but intentionally gives an unjust ruling, then he is in hell, and a judge who passes a verdict without having the proper knowledge, then he is in hell}.
2-The union calls all rights organizations and agencies, and the defenders of freedom in the world to support those who call for justice, dignity, and freedom in Egypt, particularly Egyptian girls and other women who face discrimination in the zones of war and unrest in Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Africa, and Asia.
3-The union calls for a fair treatment of Muslim women in Europe and other Western countries by guaranteeing their right to don the Islamic outfit in harmony with European laws and international conventions that stipulate respecting a person’s freedom and rights.
4-The union asserts that its covenants and vision are based on enhancing women rights, human dignity, and cooperation with all agencies and countries in such manner that would preserve and advance these rights.
{And say, "Do, for God will see your deeds, and [so will] His Messenger and the believers. And you will be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, and He will inform you of what you used to do.”} [Quran 9:105].
Doha: 24 Moharram, 1435
Dated: 28 November, 2013
Dr. Ali Al-Qaradaghi Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi
IUMS Secretary General IUMS President