Letter: Islam reminds people to act with justice and equity
I am a black Muslim woman completing a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies, and I am responding to Maria Kareva's letter "Women do not enjoy social equality under Islam." I teach and write about Muslim women of color as a way of raising awareness about race and gender inequalities in the U.S. and abroad. The best of human societies have betrayed their highest ideals by committing excesses against people with less power. As the descendant of African slaves, I need not say more. Similarly, communities of faith who hold the noblest ideals have perpetrated injustice in the name of faith, including Muslim communities. Let us be fair enough to acknowledge that gender discrimination in all of its manifestations from glass ceilings to honor killings occurs not only in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia but also in the United States, Japan, South Africa, Brazil, Germany, India, China, Thailand and Great Britain. I could go on.