b) Practical Approach:

 In the Practical Approach, we can identify different social models among the Muslim countries, through the analysis and categorising of their practical behaviour as the objective or concrete society, as follows:

1. The Religious Muslim Countries Model: Iran, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan (under the Taliban’s rule) are placed in this category with the common idea on following the Islamic values about women but with a wide range of differences on the understanding of Islam, Mankind and women rights. As we have already discussed, there are different readings of Islam on women rights in Iran. But even the most conservative Iranian Reading of woman rights is not comparable to the Taliban thoughts. Saudi Arabia and Taliban are close to each other and so far from the Iranian Muslim society model.

2. The Secular Muslim Countries Model: Turkey can be the very symbol of this model. There is a high clash in this country, between the government and people focusing on whether to follow the secular or Islamic values on the issue of woman rights, whereas most people emphasize on Islam and the government emphasizes on the secular values. And in another aspect, there are women with Islamic background who follow secularism. In this model, the Islamic behaviour and following the Islamic rules and values is indeed difficult for Muslim women, for the State rules oppose the Islamic values. So in turkey, women are not free to choose and follow their opinion.

3. The Secular/ Religious Countries Model: Pakistan, Malaysia and Bangladesh can represent this model. In this model, Islam is the formal religion of State. But the State’s law are not necessarily driven from Islam. The structure of the government is like Western countries. Women are free to follow either Islamic or secular values, but women, both Muslim and secular, are active on social issues and even some of them can achieve the top political levels of the State, such as the prime minister in Pakistan and Bangladesh. In Malaysia, Muslim women’s thoughts are so open that they can choose a clear and simple hijab, and are active in all kinds of different aspects of social issues. They ride bicycle, motorcycle and car and have a good education and knowledge.

Conclusion:

     There are two key elements on misunderstandings concerning the real position of women in Islam:

 A.   Theoretical

B.    Practical

    In the Theoretical issues, we may say “False Theoretical Pre-assumptions” on Mankind, Society, History, Religion and Modernity are the main reasons for misunderstandings in the Classical, Feminist and Oriental Readings.

     In the Practical issues, some radical and orthodox conservative behaviour of Taliban and Saudi Arabia are the main reason of the misunderstandings about women in Islam. The Western media try to present Taliban and Saudi’s model as the representative of all Muslim countries, and ignore other models.

    However, to present an acceptable and coherent theory on “Women in Islam”, researches should notice the following elements:

 1- Re-understanding of religious methodology on different aspects of Islamic sciences.

 2- Renew a coherent approach to mankind, society, history, modernity and religion.

 3- Equality does not mean parity and identity of rights and duties, but it means that gender is not used as a criterion in their determination. Gender is not the basis for perfection or defectiveness of women or men, but to connect them. God created both sexes perfect. Their difference is not for separating them but for connecting them.

 4- Gender is a social and human concept and does not enter the divine realm, thus it could never have been a consideration for the divine Lawgiver Sexual markers recommended by religion cannot be taken as proof of gender roles.

 5- Some of the fiqh theories obstruct the way to establishing equality between the sexes. A lot of jurists and hadithspecialists have sacrificed the principle of equality in Islam to endorse a set of theories resting on assumption that is no longer valid but still remain part of fiqh.

6- Equality is the most important principle of the Islamic thought; and the entire rule concerning the woman rights should be based upon the Principle of Equality.