But a religious elite taking on the mantle of political power and sanctifying its power in the name of its role as an exclusive religious elite is unique in Muslim history. And this epitomizes the problem we are talking about, namely, how an inequality related to religion and the interpretation of religious ideas has become integral to Muslim society. The fourth area is gender inequality. In some respects, this is the most tragic of the various inequities that exist in the Muslim world and is generated to a great extent by a certain interpretation of Islam. The fiqh oriented approach grants that male and female are equal in Islam.
Equality is particularly true in the moral and spiritual realm.
However, in the social, economic, political and other spheres of life, the male has an edge over the female. Thus, the fiqh jurists would argue that while women can vote in elections and the like, they are not encouraged to run for public office. Certain important political positions are exclusive to men like the Presidency or the Prime Ministership. Even the right to work outside the home, which the jurists will grant is a woman's right should not be pursued to such an extent that she neglects her home. Indeed, between the two choices, working outside the home and looking after the home, the fiqh approach would, without hesitation, opt for the latter.