In the muslim or islamic world there are a very few women who could be treated as ideals. Most of them would be wives of Muhammad mainly his child bride Aisha, to some it may be the pseudo secularists like Mrs Azmi.
To the radicals it could be Ayesha Andrabi, the radical leader of
Dukhtaran-e-Millat who has made it her mission to make every woman in kashmir wear a hijab or burkha.
There are also the unique specimen like
Kamala Das who in an interview i saw on tv said that the main motive of changing religion was women get protection and freedom under Islam and hijab, among many to avoid the gaze of men, making me wonder - who does she think she is?
Well she is now partially regretting her decision as nothing much has changed on ground, and is things stand she is now a second class individual as per actual practice of Islam in India.
To me an ideal woman if there is one ...
in India is the very witty and intelligent Shania NC ( technically she is half muslim as she is born out of a hindu muslim marriage, and the congress talks of national integration and all.
In the muslim world it undoubtedly is Queen Rania al-Abdullah of Jordan.
"Islam neither requires one to be practising, nor to dress in one way or another," the stylish 36-year-old queen told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera during a visit to Rome on Friday.
"So imposing the veil on a woman is contrary to the principles of Islam," said Queen Rania, who is in Rome for the launch of a Group of Seven (G7) programme to develop vaccines against diseases that are endemic in poor countries.
"Unfortunately, after all the suspicion weighing on Islam, many people have begun to consider the veil as a political problem, but this is not the case," she told Corriere. "Wearing the veil is a free personal choice."
Queen Rania urged "all moderates to stand up and let their voices be heard."
She added: "Many people are frustrated in the Arab world. Many give in to the anger because they are accused of violence. But instead we should get up, explain who we are and what we believe in.
"Over the last three years, most victims of terrorism have been Muslim. So there's not a war between Muslims and non-Muslims, but between extremists and moderates of all the religions," the queen said.
"What is important is not to live in fear. The most dangerous (thing to do) is to give up and lose hope. The main enemy is not terrorism or extremism, but ignorance," she said.
