Women's Rights In Some Islamic Countries example essay topic

. What I Know My first introduction to Islam was when I heard that a new movie would be coming out called Malcolm X. I heard it was supposed to be really good once the filming was finished. So I decided to read the book before I watched the movie so that it would be easier for me to understand it when I see it on the big screen. I borrowed the book from the library and I was really enjoying the book until I got half way through, to the point where the Nation of Islam teaches that white people are devils. I was so disgusted, I didn't finish the book. Finally, the movie was about to be released and I saw the previews on television, plus the reviews in the paper. It looked appealing, and I heard that Malcolm X later dropped out of the NOI and realized that white people are not devils.

So I decided to read the book again, and I was very pleased that I finished it this time. However, I did not pursue more knowledge on the subject at this time. Then when I entered Gallaudet, I met a lot of people who were Muslim and I spent quite some time with them. I learned bits and pieces about Islam through socializing with them. I never really asked questions, maybe occasionally I would. I know a little bit about women in general and even less about women's roles.

My knowledge about Islam is superficial, but I want to know more in depth; the soul of the Muslim Woman. I know that women must dress modestly and cover their hair. Only their face and hands can show. I also know that many men prefer or consider the main role of women is to stay home and take care of their husbands, children, and protect the home. That practice is stronger in Eastern societies than in America. I understand that many non-Muslims stereotypically think that the way Muslim women are treated is derogatory, because of the way they dress, the roles they play in their community, the limits that society bestows upon them, and that they have few rights.

My main goal is to see why most women choose to stay in Islam and what is really behind the Islamic stereotypes. II. What I Want to Find Out I chose to pick Women in Islam as my topic because I have many Muslim friends and I think they are very interesting. They represent something different in my life, a nice change from the normal, boring, and typical American life I live.

Some of their influence has worn off on me. I am very curious about how Muslims live and how will Islam effect me if I was Muslim. I know I have many questions, but I can only think of a few right now. More questions will pop up as I go along, working on this project. I want to know, regardless of the stereotypes portrayed about Muslims and the lower level of female power, why do these women stay in Islam? Do they ever feel frustrated about the way they are treated?

How do these women view themselves and how do they think men view the them as women? There are three different views I want. I want to get the perspectives of an older Muslim woman, who has been married and has children; one who has had many life experiences. I also want to interview a young woman, one who hasn't yet been married and has not experienced a lot of life yet (regarding independence from family, marriage, children, career, etc. ). I'd like to know how she feels about missing out on the 'young generation' experience, such as dating or going dancing.

Can she do these things? If not, what does she do to enjoy life? I also think it is important to get a male point of view. How does he regard women? What does he think women should be like or should be doing (or not doing)? When he gets married, what does he expect from his wife?

As I go along with this paper, there will be more questions, but so far these are the basics. I am now going to go into the body of this research.. The Search Hale E. Balkhash calls the title of this article 'Veil of Fears. ' I found it in The New Republic, dated October 28, 1985 on pages 15 and 16. It is basically about Iran " is withdrawing from women " is rights. Iran was one of the first Islamic countries to grant some rights to their women, including the right to education, and social rights.

The chador (a long black cloth that covers the woman from head to toe, with only parts of the face and hands showing) was abolished. Over a period of time, courts were set up to hear child custody cases and divorces, in which the women could sue for divorce on the same grounds as the men. The marriage age was raised, polygamy was restricted, and women were allowed to get an education at the university level. The women were not restricted to just jobs in the home, but they were also working in businesses, factories, and more important jobs such as Cabinet ministers, senators, judges, and members of the Parliament. But then with the rise in the power of Khomeini, many of the women's rights were taken away.

They were again made to wear the chador or risk persecution, and some women were fired from government jobs. Separation in universities and other schools was enforced. They family court system was also taken away; women were no longer able to ask for divorce. Childcare centers that were established in companies that had many women working for them were also closed down. There was one problem -- the women were not going to just lie down and take it; they were not going to let their rights to be taken away very easily. These were rights that were given to the women in the Qu " ran by God and by the Hadith (sayings and actions of Prophet Muhammad), but the contradiction is that the very people who took their rights away said it was in the name of God.

Women who resisted the government led many demonstrations. Women protested the reinstating of the veil. One person, Tehran, said, 'the only men among us are women' (p. 16). I liked that quote because it makes you think about how ridiculous government laws can be. It was also hard to totally rule out women because they were an important part of the work force; they were needed as teachers in the universities.

And even Khomeini couldn't take away the right to vote. The article was interesting because I didn't know that women's rights in some Islamic countries are not recognized. But this article was not what I was really looking for. Out of many magazines I could " ve used, I could only find one article that was even remotely related to my topic. It does answer my question that even though many women in Iran experience hardships, they at least have the right to work in any profession that they choose, with the exception of a few professions, such as high government positions. However, I think there is a difference between Muslim women in Iran and Muslim women in America; they have different cultures and different governments that effect the way they live, with restrictions or not.

The next summary will talk more about women and their rights as given by the Qu " ran and Allah. Ira G. Zepp Jr. calls the title of this book A Muslim Primer, published in Westminster, Maryland by Wakefield Editions in 1992. I got this book from the Gallaudet University library under call number 297. z 4 m 1992. This book is a beginners guide to Islam. I am summarizing Part under section 'The Status of Women' on pages 171-182. One big emphasis in this section is the different manners of treatment towards women is cultural, not based on Islamic law.

People hear little about the diversity of women " is opportunities; we don " it hear about the Muslim women who are doctors, engineers, bankers, lawyers, etc. The class of women is often ignored. Before Islam, two-thirds of all women were slaves. They had no legal or social rights. Female infanticide was common and men could do what they wanted to do with their wives.

Inheritance went to the male relatives. Muhammad, the Prophet, was not happy with the way women were treated, as was Allah. 'Allah was so concerned about the place of women that there is more said in the Qu " ran about that than any other social issue' (page 173). That issue is covered in Surah four (chapter), and is one of the longest Surah's; it is titled 'Women.

' After Muhammad and the introduction of the Qu " ran, female infanticide was abolished, primogeniture was banned (oldest male inheritance), and other rights concerning marriage and the owning of property was given to women. Also explained is why women started veiling themselves. In pre-Islamic times, women were scantily clothed and often topless. As a result, women were abused by men. Veiling the women helps to prevent promiscuity and arousing the men's desires, but mostly it guards women from disrespect and violence. It seems now that most women gladly wear the veil.

Jane Smith, Dean of Academic Affairs at the Il iff School of Theology of Denver said, 'Muslims value modesty as well as prize and retain their femininity... Muslims are appalled and disgusted by women's open display of themselves and the sexual freedoms allowed in the West' (page 176). The above quote was interesting and tells me that there is a lot of value in the way a woman presents herself to society and that she demands and gets the respect she deserves. I think the main reason women stay in Islam is because they get the respect they deserve, compared to Western women. Muslim women also have more rights than many other non-Muslim women do. They had the right to hold office, to vote, to own property, to keep their own money, to get an education, to keep their family name, and to establish a business long before American women gained the right to the same circumstances.

It's interesting to think that many people think Muslim women are treated badly, yet we don't think about the way we are treated as American women. A beautiful woman can not walk down the street with out being called everything from 'hey baby!' to 'slut' and other intolerable remarks. They can't even walk outside with out the fear of being attacked or being raped. The veil that Muslim women wear protects them from these unbearable circumstances since their beauty is hidden. This section made me think about how different societies treat women today. The next part of my search required me to interview people.

Maher E. is the third person I interviewed for this paper and he taught me more about women's rights in Islam, maybe more than the articles and the books I had to summarize. He is a good friend of mine that I met last semester. He is 24 years old and an accounting student here at Gallaudet University. He was born in Saudi Arabia, grew up in Egypt and Maryland, and now lives in D.C. with other students from Gallaudet. I asked him if I could interview him because I see him quite often and he is my friend. I was also a little curious to see what he would say.

We communicated by signing and this interview will be translated from ASL to English. We met in my room, with my roommate there, on Friday April 1, 1994. We didn " it really set up a time because we were in no rush and it was a last minute decision to go ahead with the interview. He is about 5' 6', has neck length, wavy, dark brown hair and brown eyes. He is a blend of Asian and Arabic descent. He is tan from his Spring Break trip and he has let his beard grow a little bit.

He was wearing a T-shirt that had his last name on the it, full of bright colors, and wearing blue jeans. We sat on my bed and did the interview while my roommate did her homework. Jane: Ok, the first question is, how do you regard women? Maher: You mean women in general or Muslim women? J: Women in general. M: Women are equal to me.

Not higher or lower than men, but equal and fair. Do you want an example? J: Yes, please. M: The woman can decide what she wants to do, about children, clothes, cooking, food, or whatever. She can make the decisions that make her feel good. J: What do you think women should be doing or not be doing?

M: She should not dress sexy or slutty. It causes too many problems. Women should be fair and treated fairly, but should not dress sexy. J: When you get married, what do you expect from your wife? M: I hope she will not wear sexy clothes.

It is fine to wear sexy clothes inside the home, but not outside. I also hope we have a good relationship with each other. J: Do you want your wife to stay home or would you allow her to work? M: It is up to her, it is her decision. If she wants to work, that is fine with me, but if we have small children, I would rather she stay home, even if that means I have to work two jobs. J: Would it bother you if you have to work two jobs?

M: No, it is important that the children are being taken care of, but I don't want to give them to a baby-sitter. J: Do you prefer that your wife be Muslim, or it doesn't matter to you? M: It doesn't matter, but I prefer that the children be raised Muslim. That way, they learn about God and Faith without all the confusion.

J: Why not let the children decide for themselves? M: No, then I would feel bad, I would feel empty. If my children were not Muslim, I would feel like I have no bond with them. J: What kind of changes would I be expected to do if I converted to Islam?

M: I really can't say. Maybe more spirit, or faith. I can't judge; that is between you and God. J: I have this magazine that I recently bought (not with me right now) and it was about a woman who lived in Saudi Arabia and she refused to wear a veil. She was subject to severe punishments by the government because she didn't want to wear the veil, and then she moved to Canada to seek asylum.

The article had many stereotypes that even I knew was wrong. I do not remember the name of the magazine, I think it was Elle or Bazaar, one of those types of magazines. For example, the article said that the women must wear the veil and if they don't the would be subject to heavy punishment, such as stoning, beating, jail, and sometimes even execution. M: What?! No, that is not true. Stoning?

I don't think so. Really, it is her choice. It is the woman who decides when she will start to wear the veil all the time; usually when she gets married. There are two choices of the veil, depending on the city: either it covers her whole face or lets only her face show.

It is Saudi law that women must wear the veil outside of the home. J: What happens if she doesn't wear it outside? M: Maybe her parents will be angry. The government may warn her, but they will not stone her or kill her, I don't think so. The reason a woman wears the veil is to protect her from people staring at her, looking at her with lust, or bothering her, especially from men. It prevents men from lusting, because it is easy for men to lust.

J: The article said that women are not allowed to walk by themselves outside of their home. M: Women can go out alone. At night, it is better not to because it is dangerous, but they can. J: What about rape? The article said that if a woman is raped, it is usually the woman who will be punished, that the family can kill her to protect the family honor, or sometimes she must marry the man who raped her because he took her virginity.

M: Oh no, that is not true. The men are definitely punished. They will be punished not the women. Most people feel sorry for the woman because her virginity was taken; it is the man who will suffer. Sometimes a woman may marry a man who raped her if she became pregnant.

J: Ok, I just wanted to ask you those, to fix those stereotypes that were in the magazine. M: Whew! That magazine... J: Thank you very much. M: You " re welcome. After I finished asking Maher the questions, we talked some more.

Maher talks a lot and always has a lot of things to say. He is very interesting and funny, mostly because of his expressions. He always makes me laugh. I learned from Maher the same I learned from other people, that culture and Islam are not the same thing and are often confused for each other. I also learned from Maher that many of the stereotypes that I mentioned in the interview were not true. IV.

What I Learned I really enjoyed researching this topic. I feel I have learned a lot of information that I didn't know before. Just today, I got into a discussion with an acquaintance and he was talking about Muslims, saying that he thinks Islam is a bad religion because of the way it treats women. I told him that Muslim women get more and better respect than American women do.

He also pointed out that women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to drive or vote. I told him that those situations are laws formed by the state, not based on Islamic law; nowhere in the Qu " ran does it say that women are not allowed to drive or vote. He was speechless and didn't have anything to say to defend himself. I was so proud of myself that I could finally correct people on their misunderstandings about Islam. This shows that I definitely did learn something during this search.

A few months ago, I had the same discussion with the same person and I had no way to defend Islam because I didn't know what to say. I definitely do not regret this assignment and I will continue to seek more knowledge on the subject of Islam.