This year, International Women’s Day has made a strong call to action to #PressforProgress on gender parity. Fueled by movements such as #MeToo and #TimesUp, there is a strong call to motivate and unite friends, colleagues and whole communities to think, act and be gender inclusive.

As a Muslim woman, I am often questioned about women’s treatment in Islam. It is a huge misconception that Islam justifies oppression of women. Perpetuating these beliefs only enables extremists to dictate the narrative of Islam. Honor-killings, domestic violence, forced marriage and economic exclusion are all strongly condemned in the Holy Quran and should be vocalized as such. In actuality, Islam granted women fundamental rights fourteen centuries ago such as establishing equal status with men, the right to attain education, the right to inherit and own property, the right to consent in marriage, and the right to divorce. Mistreatment of women clearly violates the teachings of the Holy Quran, but unfortunately, extremist narratives persist and have been used as a means to perpetrate vicious acts against women.

As a part of the #PressforProgress theme, I encourage everyone to challenge false narratives about the rights of Muslim women by learning about the true teachings of Islam. True Islam can be used as a platform to empower women and promote gender parity.

Halla Ahmad

Snohomish