The Oppression Of Muslim Women

Muslim women have been world leaders, doctors, advocates, lawyers, prime ministers, entrepreneurs, and presidents (Khan and Ecklund 2012). The oppression of Muslim women that is so highly promulgated by Western media is mostly due the societal customs of a few Islamic countries (Khan and Ecklund 2012). The majority of Muslim women experience the same freedom as men, and actually, women are more highly valued and treasured according to Islamic law. During my interview with Habibah she stated, “Women are very precious in Islam. In fact, taking care of women, especially your mother, is one of Islam’s strongest teachings. In the Quran it states that paradise lies at the foot of the mother. In other words, the good treatment of one’s mother can

However, wearing a hijab is a choice for Muslim women, not a rule enforced on them by men. When a woman reaches puberty, she can choose to demonstrate modesty by wearing the hijab (Tolerance.Org 2015). Muslim women are highly compelled by the Quran to cover their bodies so many women feel that wearing this modesty garment pleases Allah (Tolerance.Org 2015). What is considered modest dress is subjective, which is why there are many different modest garment variations for Muslim women across countries. A Muslim women has the option of wearing one or more than one of the following: hijab, shayla, khimar, chador, niqāb, or burqa. A hijab is a scarf that only covers the head and neck. This is the most common modesty garment worn by Muslim-American women and can often be colored with elaborate designs (ArabsinAmerica.Unc.Edu 2015). Maya and Habibah choose to wear the hijab, but Ghada has chosen not to. During my interview with Ghada she explained that in America, the hijab is defeating its purpose. The entire point of the hijab is to express modesty and draw less attention, but in America, women wearing the hijab attract more looks and stares because it is abnormal (Assaf 2015). Ghada did not choose to wear the hijab but still expresses her modesty by wearing more conservative mainstream clothing. When I asked

However, each of my interviewees stated that they had an equal say in who and when they could marry and that neither women nor men are forced into arranged marriages. In my interview with Bahir, he explained to me how marriage works for most Muslims, “Unlike westerners, Muslims do not date. We are all trying to remain pure until marriage so it is easier not to date. When we are ready to marry we either go to our parents and ask them to help us find a potential husband or wife, or if we already have an appropriate person in mind, then we can sit down with each others parents and discuss the potential of marriage. If both families get along and the future bride and groom like one another, then they will begin planning the marriage.” (Haik 2015). Habibah, Maya, and Ghada confirmed that the process of finding a husband works the exact same for women. Maya told me, “I can get married whenever I like but I would prefer to be finished with school and have started my career before I marry,” (Antar 2015). When I questioned Bahir about if people were forced into marriage, he stated, ‘I can not say that that kind of incident has definitely never happened, but I have never heard of any Muslim, male or female, being forced into a marriage they were not happy with. Actually it states in the Quran that if a male or female Muslim is forced into