In Islam, women are the counterparts of men. Every law addressed to men is also addressed to women. Thus, there is no room in Islam for such discrimination referred to in the above question, and the imam who issued such a baseless decree is following his own culture, and not his own religion.
In an attempt to get a proper answer to this topic, we would like to cite the following fatwa issued by Sheikh Zoubir Bouchikhi, Imam of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston’s Southeast Mosque, states the following:
“In Islam, there is nothing to prove that women should or should not vote to choose a leader. This matter has to be analyzed based upon the circumstances of a certain time and a certain place.
I should affirm here that the imam who denied women the right to vote is following his culture and not his religion, and such things have to stop sooner than later because they are harming Islam and the Muslims.
More than a half of the world population are females, and if we ignore this big number, then we are condemning ourselves. The fact that there is a whole Surah of the Qur’an about women (i.e. Surah No. 4) means something, and there is no Surah by the title of Men.
Moreover, there are women who make sense when they speak and act more than some men. So what does that mean? I wish Muslim Women all the best.”