The Effects of Islam’s Sociocognitive Transformation on Female Rights and Roles

Abstract

The advent of Islam resulted in an extraordinary revolution in human history because of the new intellectual ideology that transformed the way of thinking that was prevalent in 7th-century pre- Islamic Arabian society. This sociocognitive transformation occurred because the ‘aşabiyyah concept was abolished and replaced with a sense of brotherhood based on shared creedal bonds. The innovative vision of the new religion rejected all kinds of discrimination, be they related to ethnicity, race or gender. A notable consequent transformation was that of the status of women, who were subjected to any number of abuses and injustices. Islam announced wide-ranging equality between the sexes in all aspects, including females’ rights to a prosperous social, educational and political life. Many Muslim women emerged as scholars, and some played pivotal political and social roles during the Golden Age after the advent of Islam.