No, it is not. The noble position of motherhood aside, our general opinion about women is that, while taking into account their specific needs, it should be made possible for them to take on every role, including the jobs of physician, military officer, judge and president of a country. As a matter of fact, in every aspect of life throughout history Muslim women made contributions to their society. In the golden age (referring to the years during Mohammed’s lifetime) starting with Aisha, Hafsa, and Um Salama (the Prophet’s wives), had their places among the jurists and they taught men.

When these examples are taken into consideration, it would be clearly understood that it is out of the question to restrict the lives of women, narrowing down their activities. Unfortunately, the isolation of women from social activities in some places today, a practice that stems from the misinterpretation of Islamic sources, has been a subject of a worldwide propaganda campaign against Islam.

Source:

Excerpted from an interview with Fethullah Gulen on The Atlantic on August 14, 2013

Fethullah Gulen: Islamic world does not really exist, Islam is not understood properly

Leonid R. Sykiainen In a number of his publications Fethullah Gülen analyses in a short but very deep manner the present situation in the Muslim world. He agrees that during…

The Place of the Gülen Movement in the Intellectual History of Islam

Bruce Eldridge The world is changing at an unprecedented rate. Established religions are struggling to come to terms with societies that are increasingly secular and skeptical about the…

Fethullah Gulen on Islam and Democracy

On the issue of Islam and democracy, one should remember that the former is a divine and heavenly religion, while the latter is a form of government developed…