Social Media Critic: So many married women in the community face some kind of abuse, with the Jamaat discouraging them from getting the authorities involved. They’ll also know what I’m referring to re: purdah. I’ve been an officebearer and a Majlis-e-Shura participant, and these issues came up often. Sorry if your experience as a man and defender of Ahmadis has clouded your judgement of the reality of the Jamaat’s women!
Response: One of the core teachings of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at is to adhere to justice. The Quran states:
O ye who believe! be steadfast in the cause of Allah, bearing witness in equity; and let not a people’s enmity incite you to act otherwise than with justice. Be always just, that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah. Surely, Allah is aware of what you do. [5:9]
It is certainly not true that the Jama’at encourages women who are abused to not get the authorities involved. Our Khalifa, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah be his Helper!) has said:
“Men who are cruel to their wives and throw them out of the home do not even consider the intensity of the weather outside. There are such cruel fathers who do not realise that the mother has a few months old baby in her arms in the intense weather. Nizam e Jama’at should help these women against such people. If this means registering a case with the police, it should be done” (Domestic Issues and their Solutions, p. 227).
Secondly, if your concern is regarding the enforcement of purdah, it should be noted that no one forces it in the Jama’at. However, when it comes to influential, leadership roles in the Jama’at for men or women, there are certain expectations. This is true for all organizations, let alone a religious one. Even for worldly meetings, we have dress codes or social norms. We follow them many a times without even thinking about them.
The same is the case for leadership positions in the Jama’at. An office bearer is expected to be devoted to the cause of Islam, regular in prayers, maintaining a habit of spending in the way of Allah, and so on. For men, it is further expected to have a beard as it means that they are following the sunnah. For women, it is expected that they will adhere to the Islamic guidance of purdah.
If a person is willingly not adhering to Islamic guidance, the Jama’at has the right to not grant them offices that are influential. This is not about freedom. It is about following rules. When we follow traffic rules or wait in line or have our items scanned at the airport, it does not mean that we have given up our freedom. Similarly, a person in the Jama’at who does not follow the rules will not be allowed to have certain offices. However, they are free to come to the Mosque, offer prayers, attend programs, etc.
Further Reading:
https://www.alislam.org/book/domestic-issues-their-solutions/
