Meditation around Mint Tea

Women's rights

During our Mint Tea tasting sessions, our guests are always curious to learn more about Islamic culture. Among the various subjects exchanged, that relating to women's rights is always mentioned as a priority.

On this symbolic day, Morocco celebrates the national day of women's rights - October 10 - as every year since 2011, according to the King's wish. Also, we invite you to meditate on this subject around Mint tea , in tribute to Mouima and all the women of the world ...

In Islam, men and women are equal in law and according to religious and moral precepts in the eyes of God. Women and Men must fulfill the same duties according to the five main pillars of Islam - the testimony of one's belief ( Al Shahada ), the five daily prayers ( Salat ), ritual almsgiving ( Zakat ), fasting during the holy month of Ramadan ( Al Sawm ) and the pilgrimage to Mecca ( Al Hajj ).

Islam is the first revolutionary movement with regard to the status of women in the history of the world, by first recognizing the full personality of women.

For example, Islamic law ( Al Sharia ) emphasizes the contractual nature of marriage, requiring that a dowry be paid to the woman rather than to the her family, and guaranteeing women's rights to inheritance and ownership and management of property.

With the advent of Islam, women had the right to receive remuneration during marriage and temporary alimony after spouse death or divorce.

In addition, our Prophet Muhammad used to consult women on different subjects, and he took their opinions into consideration. And to value piety and knowledge, He appointed a woman-Imam - Umm Waraqah - one of the first converts in Medina.

Like her, many women have made a significant contribution to memorizing and transcribing the Quran.

Just as in Mecca today, women prayed in mosques without being separated from men, participated in teaching, engaged in business transactions, were encouraged to seek knowledge, and were both instructors and pupils at the beginning of the Islamic period.

Aishah, the beloved wife of Prophet Muhammad, was a well-known authority in medicine, history and rhetoric. The Qur'an refers to women who have taken an oath of allegiance to Muhammad regardless of the advice of their parents.

Some women converted to Islam before their husbands, a demonstration of Islam's recognition of their capacity for independent action.

Caliph Umar recruited and commissioned female officers to regulate transactions in the Medina marketplace. Biographies of distinguished women, especially in the house of Muhammad, show that women behaved autonomously.

At the time when only men ruled in Europe, Muslim women already held high governance positions in the Muslim world:

• Khayzuran, who ruled the Muslim empire under three Abbasid caliphs in the 13th century
• Malika Asma bint Shihab al-Sulayhiyya and Malika Arwa bint Ahmad al-Sulayhiyya, both of whom held power in Yemen in the 11th century
• Sitt al-Mulk, a Fatimid queen of Egypt in the 11th century
• Berber queen Zaynab al-Nafzawiyah (1061-1107)
• Shajar al-Durr in Cairo and Radiyyah in Delhi - two Mamluk queens of the 13th century
• Six Mongolian queens, including Kutlugh Khatun (13th century) and his daughter Padishah Khatun from the Kutlugh-Khanid dynasty;
• Aishah al-Hurra - the 15th-century Andalusian queen, known to the Spaniards as Sultana Madre de Boabdil
• Sayyida al-Hurra, governor of Tetouan in Morocco (1510-1542)
• and four Indonesian queens from the 17th century

Nowadays, the status of women in the Muslim world does not correspond to the Koranic ideals but rather to the dominant patriarchal cultural norms. As a result, improving the condition of women has become a major issue for Islam.

Although the governments of Muslim countries promote the education of boys and girls as a factor of equality, the percentage of girls enrolled in schools in some countries is still low.

In general, tensions persist between traditionalists, who advocate the maintenance of patriarchy, some reformists who advocate the continued liberation of women, and fundamentalists who invoke a return to Quranic wisdom.

Despite this complicated context, Muslim women are once again assuming leadership in the world. For example:

• Benazir Bhutto - Prime Minister of Pakistan (1988-1990 and 1993-1996)
• Tansu Çiller - Prime Minister of Turkey (1993-1996)
• Mame Madior Boye - Prime Minister of Senegal (2001-2002)
• Megawati Sukarnoputri - President of Indonesia (2001-2004)
• Khaleda Zia - Prime Minister of Bangladesh (1991-1996 and 2001-2006)
• Roza Otunbayeva - President of Kyrgyzstan (2010-2011)
• Atifete Jahjaga - President of Kosovo (2011-2016)
• Ameenah Fakim ​​- President of Mauritius (2015-2018)
• Sheikh Hasina - Current Prime Minister of Bangladesh

To conclude this session of meditation around Mint Tea , let's return to the French political scene. Of the many women trying to rise to power, only one woman - Edith Cresson - managed to hold the office of Prime Minister, courageously, for barely a year ...

The commitment of HRH Princess Lalla Meryem for the rights of women and for all human causes that call for her action, her presence and her abnegation, is part of her personality and finds its origin in education that she received from the great school founded by the late King of Morocco - her father Hassan II.

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