There is a popular belief that the role and status of women in the pre-twentieth century society among Islamic empires were horrifying. Even though historians have reported this, they are always cautious due to the complexity of the matter. In many states, patriarchy played an important role in subjugating women to men.
The social structure was characterized by role differentiation based on gender. It is reported that women were isolated and relegated to the harems. In other words, they were not supposed to participate in socio-political life. Women could not participate in economic activities such as seeking formal employment. The labor market was predominantly a men’s affair.
In the legal front, women could not defend their rights since they were always supposed to serve men. In case of conflicts, women could not be represented in court. From this analysis, it is established that women were denied their rights that were provided by the traditional Islamic laws. Initial laws gave women equal rights.
In the Ottoman Empire, men were allowed to marry many wives, but women were never allowed to engage in extra-marital relationships. This act was punishable by death. With the strengthening of Islam in the Islamic Empires, women were allowed to inherit property and men could only own four women. However, this was never implemented since only men were invited to implement the policy.
In the Safavid Empire, women had a different role as compared to that of the Ottoman. Women were given the responsibility of advancing the works of art. Historians observe that the entire region of Safavid, Mashad was a flourishing center of arts in the 16th century.
The Empire of Safavid emphasized on intellectual values and women were supposed to provide them in society. Confidential data from Safavid proof that literacy was a policy among the privileged women at the majestic court. From available data, historians observe that literacy and access to excellent education, as well as physical exercise, appears to have been imperative issues that advanced the societal positions and tasks of Safavid women.
With time, Irano-Timurid mores allowed women to take part in academic and inventive life. The intellectual environments of the Safavids and Qizilbash semi-nomadic Turkmen armed groups allowed a significant contribution of women in political and occasionally military quarters.
The Old Turkic legacy of prairie land itinerant culture may have been the basis of the certain social positions of women under the Safavids, permitting unique societal human rights for the majestic women. In the Timurid Empire, women had a higher standing as opposed to men since they could inherit power in case of mischief such as death.
In the Timurid Empire, the nomadic leaders had no Chinggisid men to take over the affairs of the empire after the death of the ruler. This is because men were always angry for power. It was dangerous to trust any man with power; hence the society was comfortable with the custodianship of a female member.
Societal peace and coexistence were achieved through marriage. Therefore, women were important figures in matters related to state security. During succession, children from different mothers would fight for power, which was also viewed as a negative role of women.
In terms of political legitimacy, Ottoman tried as much as possible to separate the state from religion. With the introduction of the modern state, institutions were changed whereby interest groups, political parties, and pressure groups were allowed to flourish. Changes were witnessed in 1924 where the Ottoman Caliphate was replaced with a more efficient system.
Political legitimacy came from the people. As opposed to the Ottoman Empire, the Safavid Empire practiced traditional power where the power was concentrated in the hands of one person. Historians observe that Safavid authorities exercised the Mongolian and Timuridian style of leadership. In other words, its political legitimacy was based on past practices.
The rulers of the empire unified the whole of Persian society. The Emperor was a symbol of unity. In comparison to the Timurid Empire, Safavid was based on people’s opinion. The rulers made decisions based on the most pressing issues in society. Timurid leadership never consulted the population.
Its legitimacy was based on the power of the sword since the militia group took over governmental powers and imposed taxes on people. In terms of similarity, Dale observes that Muslims established the three empires and decided to employ Islamic laws in administering justice.
By the end of the 17th century, the three empires were controlled by the children of the previous leaders meaning that power was inherited. There were no competitive politics. Dale compares religion, culture, and politics in the three empires. He established that the three states were similar in terms of culture and religion (Dale 4).
Through analysis, Dale established that Islamic laws affected the lives of people in the three empires in the same way. From the views of scholars, we come to know that Islam has always affected the socio-political and economic lives of people in the Middle East region. Policies made in the Islamic states are always based on Islamic laws.
Works Cited
Dale, Frederic. The Muslim Empires of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009. Print.