Correlation of Education and Life Objectives of Muslim Girls

Muslim culture is different and their values may be different. As we know, same as other cultures Muslim culture also has some special way of doing things. But to be qualified or to contribute to the nation religion and the culture does not matter and neither a religion nor a culture say or teaches not to contribute to develop the country. Nowadays there are many Muslim girls who focus on their education and who is willing to go abroad and obtain the knowledge and create value to the country. But there is a debate that even though they learn and qualify their ultimate destination is to be a stay at home mom. We can see this situation in the society and most of them are educating theirs-selves and staying at home. This argument is unfair for the Muslim girls who learns and qualify and also who has broader objectives/visions towards the country and life expectations.

When we deeply analyse this situation there are girls from different races who follow the same education and being at home after the marriage. The industry displays there are more male employees than the female. This situation has occurred not because of the gender equity issues because this year, Sri Lanka has been ranked 16th in the world for gender equality in the Global Gender Gap Index ahead of the United States at 31, is the shining exception to the rest of South Asia in terms of gender parity (Daya Gamage – US National Correspondent Asian Tribune, 2010).   Therefore we could not come to a conclusion that Sri Lanka does not treat genders equally. Why this argument arises specially pointing out the Muslim girls. It demotivates the girls who has a wide knowledge and who wants to achieve certain career goals and certain personal objectives. Therefore as a Sri Lankan it is a responsibility figure-out why this situation arises and to find out talents to sustain the Sri Lankan economy. This study is not limited only to the Muslim girls but all the women who are talented and knowledgeable. But to be specific I would like to more focus on Muslim girls.

This phenomenon can take place mainly because of 4 reasons.

1) Because of the religion and the culture.

2) On request of parents and spouses.

3) Muslim girls do not deserve the suitable positions in the industry/ Discrimination

4) No qualified Muslim girls

Basically as reported above the religion and the culture does not limit the girls. The demonstration below elaborate it perfectly.

"Every time Allåh states in the Qur’ån ‘O you who believe!’ or ‘O mankind!’, He is

calling the attention of both men and women. One Qur’ånic verse mentions no less than

ten good basic characters in both the masculine and feminine sense:

“Surely the men who submit and the women who submit,

and the believing men and the believing women,

and the devout men and the devout women,

and the truthful men and the truthful women,

and the patient men and the patient women,

and the humble men and the humble women,

and the charitable men and the charitable women,

and the fasting men and the fasting women,

and the men who guard their chastity

and the women who guard their chastity

and the men who remember Allåh much

and the women who remember Allåh much,

Allåh has prepared for them forgiveness and a mighty reward.”

From a theoretical point of view, in Islåm, what is good for men is, generally, good for

women." (6. Ibid., chapter 33, verse 35: Cited in Islåm and the Education of Muslim Women DR S. M. AD-DARSH)

It is also recorded

that the Prophet gave the good news that “if a man had a slave girl and educated her in

the best possible way, then gave her her freedom and married her, he will be rewarded

twice.” (Al-Bukhåry)

As according to the above Islamic teachings there are no limitations to a girl to obtain education. But all other three factors are very sociological phenomenon. I personally request if you have an argument or a fact to report please contribute and it would make the research more practical. The next articles would be published under a deep analysis of these factors and may be some other factors also can affect this situation.

Sensitive topics most of the time never have been taken up to argue or to find out the real facts. Therefore this is an attempt just to figure out what happens in the reality.