Aabida Allaham is an explorer at heart and can mark off many places on the globe that she has visited.
But for her, the map charted by the strict guidelines of Islam is of equal, if not more, importance.
“I see it as a map to a fair and decent life for me, and those around me,” she said of the religion she has been practising all her life.
“I was born a Muslim. My father’s family are Muslims from off the boat. So is my husband’s. My brother, Maulana Ishmael Allaham, is currently the assistant imam at the ASJA complex in Charlieville, where we usually go for Eid and other occasions.”
Islam has frequently been described as a religion that oppresses women, but a very vocal Allaham told WMN she views it as quite the opposite.
“Islam has historically been proven as giving rights to women. For instance, long before mass society gave women the right to own property, Islam made this mandatory. Islam also made it mandatory to educate your girl children, and my favourite teaching – one my husband insists I use conveniently – is that Islam says a woman’s money or income is her own, while her husband must also provide for her. Of course, society tells us that we should be equal partners when it comes to finances, but it's always good to know I don’t have to share,” she chuckled. “It’s done out of the goodness of our hearts, and women have really big hearts.”
Allaham believes Arab culture and tradition are the main reasons why Muslim women have been perceived as oppressed, but said it is not what the Qur'an teaches.
“And it’s certainly not what I believe or have been taught…Because of the complexities caused by mistaking cultural norms as religion, we have people who believe Islam is oppressive to women – but they are only looking at the hijab.”
She said in Islam, men and women are seen as moral equals by Allah, and the same duties are expected of them as regards worship, prayer, faith, donations, fasting, and the holy pilgrimage to Mecca.
“Islam generally improved the status of women compared to earlier Arab cultures, prohibiting female infanticide, which we all know was quite prominent in China most recently, and recognising women as a person who should be treated fairly.”
She said Islamic law also guarantees women’s rights of inheritance and the management of property.
Allaham, 37, has been married for close to two decades, but has chosen to retain her birth name – an obligation she said Islam doesn’t force on women. In August she and her husband Iran Emamdeen will celebrate their 18th wedding anniversary.
“Yes, his name is different than mine. Islamically, I was not obliged to change, and also the rebel inside me didn’t want to…
"I got married at 19. Young, I know. But I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Islam tells you to avoid sin, and dating can only lead there, if you know what I mean. Everyone isn’t as fortunate, I know, but I thank God every day for blessing me.”
She said the fact that she and her husband shar
