Muslim masculinity was defined by one’s ability to provide for, protect and guide the family. Today, many Muslim women work to share the burden of the household, domestic abuse cases are increasingly being reported, and more Muslim women are better educated than men. In this landscape, where does the Muslim man stand?
As Muslim-majority countries are increasingly beset with political violence, manhood in flux leaves a space for extremists who advocate violence to step in and manipulate men’s confusion about what it means to be a man and provide them with a simplistic definition. Manhood is now about doing whatever it takes to protect “us” versus “them.” Groups like ISIS and Boko Haram reduce manhood to dominance and control, and Islam is used as a veneer by such groups to legitimize violence and sex slavery. Even in the domestic spheres, some Muslim men resort to physical abuse to reassert their control and religious authority.
Imam Khalid Latif tackles an issue close to his heart. How can we reimagine and reclaim the manhood and chivalry of Prophet Muhammad in today’s context? What does it take to be a man like the man the Prophet was? How can we guide our young to emulate the Prophetic model of manhood and chivalry?
