AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, warned of growing threats to the Muslim family and presented an Islamic roadmap for safeguarding women’s rights, as part of efforts to entrench the values of justice and fairness enshrined in Islamic Shariah. His remarks were delivered during the conference, “The Role of Religious and Media Discourse and Its Impact on Protecting and Promoting Women’s Rights in OIC Member States.”
In the opening of his address, al-Tayeb cautioned against what he described as a “flood of imported Western theories,” which he said are promoted with the aim of weakening the natural structure of the family. He criticized trends that portray motherhood as “reproductive servitude,” and that seek to redefine core family concepts by advancing models he said are incompatible with human nature. He also warned of the social risks posed by emerging technologies, including the concept of artificial wombs, which he said could sever natural human bonds.
Al-Tayeb stressed that Islam has historically been a pioneer in establishing justice for women, noting that centuries before ancient civilizations, Islamic teachings recognized women’s rights to inheritance, education, choosing a spouse, financial independence, and retaining their family names. He added that the preferential status accorded to women in certain narrations of the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) reflects their genuine merits and virtues, rather than mere emotional consideration.
The Grand Imam attributed the gap between Islamic texts and social realities to the dominance of custom, tradition, and popular culture over the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah, a dynamic he said has led to the erosion of women’s rights and the formation of distorted perceptions about the status of Muslim women.
He also criticized the excessive escalation of dowries, describing it as an obstacle to chastity and moral well-being in society, and emphasized that in Islam, the dowry is a symbol of affection, not a form of commodification or ostentation.
In conclusion, al-Tayeb announced that the Council of Senior Scholars at Al-Azhar has approved a package of resolutions amounting to an “Islamic Charter for Women’s Rights.” The measures affirm equality in rights and duties, full adherence to Islamic inheritance rulings, the right to choose a spouse, the right to work in all professions, a ban on domestic violence, the criminalization of arbitrary divorce, and the recognition of women’s right to economic participation in family assets.
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