Why Is Feminism Relevant?

As we came to the end of a presentation about feminist literary criticism, one brother in the class raised his hand and asked, “Is feminism still relevant in the 21st century?”

Now as literature students, we should not be expected to ask this kind of question because we learned and read a lot of things about feminism, so my suspicion as to why this brother had asked such a question is for the purpose of provoking the class.

I cannot truly say what his intention was, but let’s take it as a sincere question and answer it intellectually.

First, I want to stress that there are various kinds of feminist beliefs in the world. I can say that feminism is an umbrella term and the way feminists present ourselves might differ according to our beliefs and values. Let’s take the general understanding of feminism. Feminism is a movement that calls for social, economic and political equality between men and women. Let’s keep this definition in mind while some examples are presented in this essay.

I will talk about the situation in Malaysia first, as it is near my heart and presence. One example that came to my head regarding the mistreatment of women is in the workplace. The hiring rate for women is less than that of men. We may assume that this happens because employers refuse to hire women because of their biological circumstances. If a woman is married, chances are it might be hard for her to get hired. Why? One is because when she gets pregnant, she needs a three-month leave for her to recover from a delivery which exhausts her entire body and mind. Two is because of menstruation. Employers see these factors as a sign of unproductivity. If this is still present, then feminism is very relevant.

Let’s imagine our sister, Muslim or non-Muslim in Malaysia, who just wants to go out at night wearing whatever she wants or deems comfortable and later gets raped. Many men would justify that this happens because of how she dresses and blames the victim for ‘inviting rape’. I find the culture of ‘victim blaming’ nonsensical. Just because our sister is minding her own business, it does not mean she is available to be raped. It is ludicrous to excuse rape because of what the victim wears. Why can’t men just ignore what she wears and get on with life? How a woman present herself does not permit any such actions toward her.

Talking from anIslamic point of view, men cannot say “I raped you because you did not cover you aurah properly”. I find this an abuse of Islam and rape is haram (forbidden) in the first place. It totally ignores the fact that raping is wrong and there is no accountability on the rapist’s side. Islam safeguards women regardless of what she wears because it commands us to lower our gaze if we feel infatuated.

Why don’t we work it in a way that can provide a common ground for both genders? I want to be neutral and rational when I say this. Advising what others can or cannot wear is permissible, and I find nothing wrong with it, but if the party being advised to do so does not comply then we should not impose (this is a general statement to all kinds of advice).

On the other side, when women advise men to lower their gaze I recommend 100% for men to take up this advice, as it is very beneficial for any men who truly follow Islam. If a Muslim man asks a Muslim woman to cover their aurah properly, I can assume that he is a true follower of the religion, and he, I cannot emphasize this enough, can lower his gaze. If there are women who still get raped because of what she wears, then feminism is very relevant.

Another point worth discussing is child marriage. We cannot disregard the fact that feminists also fight for the rights of children because they also need a voice and our help. It’s 2019 and child marriage is still not a crime in Malaysia. If you ask me, marriage should only be allowed for people who have developed their physical and mental capacity to the fullest. This means they can make decisions on their own and act like an adult. Other than that, we have to keep in mind about the state of finance and safety in order for marriage to take place. For children, they need to experience what childhood and teenagehood are like, not adulthood.

Now let’s take this to a global perspective. Women have been mistreated for many centuries and the obstacles they face have evolved over time. In the 19th century, women were not allowed to get education, be it formal or informal. Women in the 20th century were reduced to sexual objects and advertisement baits. Women in the 21st century are reduced to very specific gender roles constructed by our society. Our sisters in the Middle East cannot work because of patriarchal values, and she is threatened to be killed by her own family in the name of honor killing if she works. Female activists there are captured for just advocating what is right and equal for women. Women in Prophet Muhammad’s time were allowed to work and ride camels. He did not forbid such vocations among women, so why do we restrict our sisters from doing so? If there is a slight inequality between male and female, then feminism is very relevant.

I do not know how to point out to many people that feminism exists for various reasons. Just because she was born a girl, it does not make her inferior, it does not make her a subhuman, it does not make her an object. If she was born a girl, she must be treated and seen as an equal, she must be treated and seen as a human, she must be treated and seen with total justice and fairness. If we can think and ponder on these matters, then we can confidently say that feminism is still relevant.