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Women have traditionally played a very visible and important role in electoral politics within the United States. In fact, what we know now as the "feminist" movement began as the women's suffrage movement, which aimed at garnering the right to vote for women who were being denied this right.
The stories of those women who initiated the movement are an inspiration to all American women, regardless of our political or religious affiliations, since it was a movement that was based on the single issue of women's full rights as citizens of this country.
Looking back, it is hard to imagine that, at one time, women were not considered full citizens in the sense that we did not enjoy similar and equal rights and civic duties as men. Imagine that there was even debate over the meaning of the statement, "We hold these truths to be self evident that all 'men' are created equal."
The question was asked, "Did the founders of our country intend to ignore American women, and to declare that women are not equal to men? After many years of struggle, debate, and national introspection, the country came to the conclusion that such high ideals as are transmitted through our Constitution and Declaration of Independence could not possibly be limited to the citizens of a certain gender or races. Indeed, it was upon the arguments and principles of women's suffrage that American minorities premised their arguments against discrimination of any kind, and sought their full rights as American citizens protected by the Constitution.
The women of America, though often accused of living sheltered and pampered lives, have paid the price for privilege. Throughout the period of industrialization, throughout the great wars, and even now, American women have contributed through hard work, and have suffered much pain and disappointment as we have sought to fulfill our duties as citizens while at the same time fulfilling our obligations as wives and mothers - no small task.
During World War II, American women working in factories built the small parts that eventually became guns, artillery, tanks, and big ships. Through our strength, patriotism and sacrifice, our husbands, brothers and sons went off to fight for the very freedoms that have helped earned America the greatness that it has today, and the greatness that it will achieve in the future, God willing.
We are not, as many suppose, passive benefactors of the struggles of our men. We have been at the forefront of the ideological and physical battles that have challenged this country, and we have played key roles in its progress. We have paid high prices to participate, and we have earned our stripes.
Today, we are faced with new challenges. The women's movement in America has suffered tremendously as a result of the interference and mischief of many who have exploited American women for their own political benefit. It was not intended to be a Lesbian movement. It was not intended to be a movement that would deride all things feminine, and promote the masculinization of women. It was not intended as an anti-religious or anti-life movement.
The American women's movement was a representative movement of American women from all walks of life, races, ethnic origins and religions. It was designed - in fact, initiated - prior to the writings of people like Betty Friedan and Gloria Stienam who, along with other radical feminists, hijacked the spirit of suffrage and distorted the noble call for the right of all women to live as full citizens of this country. As women, we must become familiar with the true history of American women, and sort out our past, hoping to avoid similar pitfalls in the future.
As America increasingly becomes home to women of varied experiences, religious faiths and ethnic origins, the challenge of inclusion will increasingly be created for us. There is no reason for us to allow our movement to remain captive to those who identify themselves as atheists, materialists or according to their sexual perversions, nor by those who believe they have a moral and legal right to end life as a matter of convenience. There is room in the American women's movement for pious women of all faiths, and we must take our place. We cannot afford to leave the accomplishments of generations of women, nor forsake generations of women to come - by right, inheritors of so rich a legacy - to those who practice the politics of special interest, and deliberately undermine femininity. The women's movement of the Sixties and Seventies was actually an anti- feminist movement. But that can, and is changing.
Muslim American women must come to the table of this movement. We possess a rich array of experiences and observations that can contribute powerfully.
Many may ask, at this point, "Why is there a need for a continued movement since women have, in fact, garnered the right to vote?" The answer is simple. The recognition of rights obtained through activism demands vigilance in order to be sustained. We must never allow a generation of young men or women to come into power in America who do not acknowledge and respect the rights of women as full citizens. There are still challenges to be faced, and perhaps the biggest challenge will be to liberate the movement, and make it a true "women's" movement again.
The election season provides a great opportunity for Muslim women to come together to discuss the issues that are facing our nation, and to work alongside women of other faiths and backgrounds who are seeking to identify and address the needs of women and children. Some of the questions that we must contemplate are, "What challenges will face women and children as America moves forward into the 21st century? How will we address these challenges? Will a few dictate the lives of many, or will a majority get involved by raising their voices and casting their votes to insure that our representative government is truly "representative?"
As American Muslim women, we must prepare to vote and we must vote. This is extremely important for us. We cannot give up a right that was gained through struggle because of fear or apathy. We cannot, in good conscience, ignore either our opportunity or our duty to vote. Being religious is not an excuse. In fact, being religious is an incentive for activism. If we have faith, our faith should compel us to act, and our actions should be in concert with and directed toward the well being of all of America's women and children. Our positions should be developed in consultation and, if we hope to have substantial influence, they should be cast as the "women's" vote.
Does this mean that the Muslim woman's vote will be separate from and competing with the Muslim man's vote? The answer is no. What it means simply is that we will have Muslim women who are involved in the women's movement, and who are educating their communities about that movement with the following clear intentions: 1) To help women of all faiths and backgrounds to understand Islam and Muslim women; 2) To educate them about the special needs of Muslim women and children in our society; 3) To educate Muslims about the real "women's" movement and to garner Muslim support for women's issues and initiatives. Through our activism as women, we will bring our community further into American mainstream, and we will become a bridge by which our sisters and brothers can cast a more influential vote than any of them could individually. Shared interest and activism should not occur by accident.
Our perspectives as Muslim women are and will be shaped by the collective dialogue and interaction of Muslim men and women who are working together, on the broader scale, to prepare our community to vote. The role of women is key to the success of the Muslim vote in this election. We must begin now to prepare ourselves as women, and to prepare our communities to work with us
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