SISTERS in Islam (SIS) has extended its moral support to UMNO Puteri chief Datuk Zahida Zarik Khan following a recent reprimand by Perlis Mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin that the Padang Besar MP aspirant should abstain from campaigning within her iddah or mourning period for her late husband.
At the moment, Zahida, 43, is reaching out to the Padang Besar voters in Perlis through social media. Her husband reportedly passed away on Aug 20 as per a Facebook post by UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
In general, a Muslim wife during her iddah period has to observe certain rules such as not leaving the house unnecessarily, not overly adorning herself and not re-marrying for a period of four months and 10 days.
However, there are many contemporary ulamas (Muslim scholars) with the opinion of allowing widows in their iddah period to leave their houses to go to work.
“One of them is Sheikh Dr Abdul Rahman al-Kilani, chairman of the Rabitah Ulama’ Jordan, who states that a widow in her iddah period is allowed to leave the house to work to fulfil her responsibilities,” SIS, a non-governmental organisation working towards advancing the rights of Muslim women in Malaysia pointed out.
“This is also applied to widows who are currently running for election as it is their responsibility to serve the community, especially when there is no suitable person to represent them,” justified SIS.
The vocal NGO further proposed that the requirement for women to observe their iddah period in confinement and step away from participating in public activities for their own livelihood or serving their community in today’s realities, should be seriously re-considered and reviewed.
“We are now living at a time when women rely on themselves to survive and live their lives daily given the absence of or limited social safety nets and nearby families and communities for support,” SIS pointed out. “Thus, the expectation for strict seclusion for women following the death of her husband is unrealistic.
“Similarly, if she chooses to take up a role to represent her community and society, then strict seclusion during the election campaign period would underserve her own campaign and her own potential for being elected is limited or denied.”
SIS insisted that women widow candidates should be trusted to act in good faith – just like any other election candidate – to campaign for elections and serve their constituency once elected.
“The understanding of iddah needs to be modulated according to the expectations and demands of women’s lived realities today and how their participation is essential in politics and decision-making,” asserted the NGO.
“Otherwise, Malaysian society and Malaysian women will forever be short-changed from potential leadership that can make significant contributions to society and the nation.” – Nov 14, 2022
