The Professional Women’s Perception Of Polygamy And ‘Aurat (Female Genitalia) InMalaysia

摘要

Discussion on the status of women in society is not a new issue. In fact, this question continues to be a subject of discussion in Christianity, Hinduism as well as Islam. The position of women in Islam has been a controversial subject among the Muslim scholars and Western researchers, especially with the influence of the Western culture in Islam, particularly through the defense movements for women’s rights, such as the Women Liberation and Feminism. In Malaysia, the struggle on issues of Muslim women has found a place among the professional women’s organization known as Sisters in Islam by their ideas and opinions through writing, forums, websites and so on. Therefore, this study aims to assess the perceptions of the other professional women in this country, focussing on two issues of women which are the ‘aurat (female genitalia) and polygamy. The Klang Valley has been chosen as the location of the study together with lawyers, lecturers and teachers as the main samples of the study. The method used is a combination of two main research methods; library research and survey that involve the distribution of questionnaires and interviews. The results of these findings indicate that a number of respondents have a liberal mindset or an open mind on two issues of women presented in this study. This matter should be considered serious enough by the parties responsible for even more of it involves professionals like lectures and lawyers. Various approaches should be implemented in an effort to retrieve their thinking in line with actual requirements contained in the Quran and the Sunnah.