Gender does not make you a man or woman

Jameel W. Karaki
Why do men think that a woman can''t hold a political leadership position? Men usually believe that they are superior, far intelligent and more powerful when it comes to the decisionـ making process because women are supposed to be passionate persons and men are the kings of rationality. I do not agree with that for many reasons. In general, both male and female represent a unity of intellect where soul, mind and passions intermarry. If my mother wasn''t as capable enough as my dad in raising me she wouldn''t have given her heart a dose of her mind to balance her emotions when I used to commit mistakes, She used to do that to soften her emotions.
Moreover, competition between man and woman in the fields of life is not a war of who is a better gender because if a man empowers his mind, he will over excel the woman and the same thing applies to a woman when she empowers her mind. Let''s get back to reality and ask ourselves a question as men? Who is a better person in leading a company or a public department, a man with no degree or a woman with education who thinks logically? Allah Almighty mentioned in the Holy Quran: "And say: O my Lord! Increase me in knowledge" (Taha: 114)." And also Imam Ali said: "The value of every person is in what he knows"
This means that man''s true value lies in the experience and the knowledge he or she possesses. Knowledge in Islam depends on two sources: The first is the intellectual contemplation, and the second is the realistic experiment. Therefore, knowledge can be gained through the intellectual equations that motivate man, and the external contemplation is achieved through the movement of researches, inductions, and experimenting. That''s why Islam considers knowledge a value that elevates the person''s humanity
Therefore, I believe that if women, just like men, work hard to get to the highest levels of education they can be qualified enough to lead and be managers. However, it is their responsibilities, (for both men and women), to acquire the highest levels of education. While marriage contracts do not make women a property or slaves of men, the responsibilities that this contract imposes on a woman are imposed on the man as well though some parties do not respect the core ideals of this contract.
For instance, the marriage contract obliges the man to satisfy his wife sexually; similarly, it obliges the woman to do the same without any humiliation from both sides. Moreover, the marriage contract does not force the woman, legally, to either do the household chores like washing, cleaning, raising her children, or breastfeeding them for free. Most importantly, the woman''s work and even raising her children are legally considered to be paid chores.
In Islam, a woman works for her husband and children as part of her humane personality and mission. If Islam asks the woman to give from herself anything to her husband and children, it is because of the humane side of her relation, not because of the legal side. Needless to remind ourselves in this respect; is that the humane side of the woman or the man comes before the legal side. Allah also said: "And He has put love and mercy between your (hearts)." (AlـRoom: 21).
Finally, being a man or a woman is not the issue, nor is it the issue of being a manager or a leader. It is the value of our minds, and how it interacts with our hearts in a way that it balances and satisfies our humanitarian needs. The manhood of the man and the femininity of the woman can be only be determined when a man respects the opinions of a woman and a woman reciprocates equally.ـ