Veganism and Women's Rights Activism: Kufr or Hasanāt?

Women’s rights activism and have many similarities from a particular Islamic point of view. Both can be seen as kufr or as hasanāt. Let me explain why this isn’t contradictory.

For voluntary thought, an idea generally precedes an action, hence an action is a manifestation of an idea. For example, I think that Allah will punish me if I don’t pray, hence I pray. However multiple thoughts a result in a single action and vice versa. For an example of multiple ideas resulting a single action: I might pray because I want to show off. For an example of a single idea manifesting multiple actions: I might want to give zakat out of fear of God’s wrath.

Similarly, is that topic of veganism. If you become a vegan because you believe that it is morally wrong to kill animals to eat them, then you have committed a type of kufr because you now think you are a better legislator than the Ultimate Legislator. This type of veganism with this moral justification is haram.

However, if you believe that the very industry providing meats do not treat the animals properly prior to slaughtering/milking/any production and if you believe that supporting those industries financially makes you partially responsible for the sin of not treating animals right; then from this perspective veganism is ok. Also, people go vegan for health reasons is fine too, because you should take care of the body that is loaned to you.  

The point here is that, although the final action is the same, the moral justification for each action is different: one is from an Islamic basis/ Islamically compatible, while the other one is considered kufr.

Yet another example of this, is women’s rights activism! For example, say that a woman had her inheritance of land disallowed from her by her brother. Both a religious Muslim and an active feminist would try to get the rightful female inheritee her right to her land back; and thus women’s rights activism was thus performed. However, a modern-day feminist would also say/do/agree with the same thing.

As for the Islamic side, we believe everything that the prophet said/ did was an example for Islam and of the Quran. Inheriting land was a right given to women and ascertaining those rights that God gave, is a form of respecting God’s law and his legislation and thus is considered moral.

However, the moral justification of the action/philosophical basis of the action was different as per each party. Feminism (in one definition) assumes that men and women are equal so they have equal rights. Islam disagrees with this; men and women are different (but fairly judged in God’s eyes), and therefore they get different religiously allotted, yet fair rights. The evidence for men and women being different or having different rights (to contradict mainstream definition of feminism) is “Men are in charge of women by [right of] what Allah has given one over the other and what they spend [for maintenance] from their wealth. So righteous women are devoutly obedient, guarding in [the husband's] absence what Allah would have them guard…” (4:34).

Feminism assumes that men and women are equal and as a result they should get equal rights which goes against the Quranic verse mentioned above; and this, unfortunately for Muslim, feminists is arguably kufr.

Thus, in both philosophies, women’s rights activism was the moral thing to do (getting the rights of the woman back to the woman), however the moral justification was different.

To summarize, both the Islamic philosophy and liberal philosophy can lead a person to become a vegan. Also, both the Islamic philosophy and the feminist philosophy can lead a person to perform women’s rights activism! Yet, the same deed can lead to hell and one leads to heaven!

This is why intention and moral basis is so important in Islam!