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I started this quest upon signing up for the class that I really wanted to learn more about Islam and its followers. I have always felt that there has always been a misconception about the religion and the people. For me, I feel like I have been very ignorant to many things in connection to Islam. One of the things that had always struck out to me from the religion was why women wore head coverings. I found it not the oddest thing but most certainly I never quite understood. So when we had a chance to research something that pertained to Islam I thought that that would be the best thing for me research about. Since I never really understood why women would wear head coverings, for the longest time I thought that it wasn’t a voluntary choice. I had a conception that men were very dominate over women and that the men of the countries made them wear these head coverings. Then also remembering 9/11 I also remember seeing the violence that men had toward women in Iraq. To me the head coverings were a sign of male domination and the women submission. At least these were my ideas before actually starting any research. So my ultimate quest was to find out why women in Islam wore their head coverings. Along with, what where the origins of the head coverings, are there obligations? Do all woman have to wear the head coverings. Why are there several different head coverings? Finally what objections are there against women wearing the head coverings?
Why Hijab and the Origins
The word hijab translates into to hide or to conceal. It is a head covering, usually a scarf, that covers the hair and the bosom and at most times leaves the face exposed. The origins go all the way back to the prophet’s time, when the Quran was being written. ...
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"A Brief History of the Veil in Islam." Civic Dilemmas Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
Chopra, Sehmina J. "Liberation by the Veil." Liberation by the Veil. The Sabr Foundation, 22 Feb. 2008. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.
Fairchild, Caroline. "Court Sides With Abercrombie In Oklahoma Hijab Lawsuit." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 02 Oct. 2013. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.
Quran Explorer. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct. 2013. http://www.quranexplorer.com/quran/
Sacirbey, Omar. "Muslim Clerk Wins Hijab Fight against Abercrombie and Fitch | Religion News Service." Religion News Service. Religion News LLC, 9 Sept. 2013. Web. 19 Oct. 2013.
"The French and the Hijab." German Marshall Fund Blog. N.p., 8 Apr. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
"What Is Hijab?" Islam A Closer Look RSS. Young Muslims, n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2013
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Professor Leila Ahmed, active Islamic feminist, in her article “Reinventing the veil” published in the Financial Times assumes that there is a connection between “advancement” and veiling, which means that unveiled women are advanced and vice versa. In addition, she supports that it led to increasing rate of violence. She questions why women wear veil, that is considered as “symbol of patriarchy and women’s oppression”. However, research changed her position towards wearing veil. Firstly, she states that wearing veil was essential for women, because it could be beneficial and influence to how people treat women, in terms of job, marriage and free movement in public. Secondly, her assumption was explained while interviewing women, who stated
Fatemeh Fakhraie’s essay “Scarfing it Down,” explains how Muslim women suffer because of what they wear. Fakhraie blogs about Muslim women in her website she explains; “Seeing ourselves portrayed in the media in ways that are one-dimensional and misleading." Several people judge Muslim's by their appearance because they assume they're a bad person. The author of this essay wants the reader to know that Muslim women wearing a hijab are not a threat to the world.
The article “My Body Is My Own Business” by Naheed Mustafa is about an Islamic women’s principle that putting on her usual headscarf, or Hijab, actually empowers her as a female, contrary to the popular principle that the hijab represents male oppressiveness. She ex...
For some women wearing a veil is not something that is forced on them but rather a choice of their own. Martha Nussbaum and Maysan Haydar are both authors that try to explain their reasoning that veiling isn't an oppressive tool used against women. Martha Nussbaum's article “Veiled Threats”, is a political and philosophical take on why banning the burqa is a violation of human rights. On the other hand Maysan Haydar’s article “Don’t Judge a Muslim Girl by Her Covering”, is a more humorous and personal take on why veiling shouldn't be as judged or stereotyped. Though Nussbaum and Haydar have equal goals this essay is being used to understand the main argument, claims and whether or not each article has any weaknesses.
Ever pass by Muslim woman in a hijab at the mall or park and think how oppressive and restraining her culture must be? Maysan Haydar, a New York social worker who practices the Muslim tradition of veiling, believes otherwise. In her article, “Veiled Intentions: Don’t Judge a Muslim Girl by Her Covering,” Haydar highlights on her experiences as a Muslim living in an American culture, where showing more skin is the “norm.” Haydar speaks specifically to a crowd who unconsciously makes assumptions about certain Muslim practices, in hopes of sharing the truth behind them. Haydar suggests that, contrary to popular belief, not all Muslim women cover themselves strictly as an “oppressive” religious practice, but that some women, like herself, find
The author talks about how this was not something that happen overnight, but has been discussed about from a very long time such a 1989. The views of people that the author chooses to look at are Ernest Cheniere, who raised the statement of banning headscarves in public schools in 1994 and Francois Bayrou minister of education in 1994 who saw muslim headscarves as a way of proselytizing. Then Joan Scotts talks about why the timing played into affect, how racism such as colonial legacies were effected, secularism, individualism of the veil, Muslims being looked as threats, how uncivilized Muslim people were, and sexuality. Joan Scotts goes into detail in all the sub topics and shows how does this affect a common Muslim girl that wears a hijab and how does the French government view
...y, A. (2013, May 6). Dress code for Muslim women [Web log post]. Retrieved from
Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis introduces the Islamic veil as an attempt by the Iranian government to control women. Islamic radicals promised safety and security for those who abided by their rules. Rebels who refused to wear the headscarf were threatened with beating, rape or death. These modern women who fought against religious oppression met the minimal requirements of the government rules to safely live in the hostile environment. Through being forced to wear the veil, the control of the Islamic government drives its people to a rebellion.
Burns, Thomas J. "Islam." Religion and Society. OU Campus' Dale Hall, Norman. 14 Apr. 2014. Lecture.
Robinson B.A. 1 Mar 2000 (last update), Islam, Hp. Online. Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. Available:
There are many different views towards Muslim choice of clothing especially wearing the veil. “I wear it believing it is necessary, but someone else can be wearing it believing that she is doing something extra” said Hamna Ahmed. One of the many reasons a Muslim can be wearing the veil are their own personal decisions too. Hamna has been wearing it for seven years now, despite her mother and three of her four sisters staying uncovered. Socially this causes an issue with the meaning of the veil and conflict with other groups. With many different consumptions of religion, what it means, what is considered to be practicing and what is not can lead to negative misunderstandings. Ultimately the decisions are up to the individuals although; there is likely to be misinterpretation between the meaningfulness of religion to family and society. On an even bigger scale of things this could also impact society and it...
Most of these things it is possible to see through the analysis of the situation that exists in practice and analysis of several court cases. In France, for years women with Hijab encounter problems, both in education and in ...
299). The study consisted of having in-depth personal interviews to share their experiences of being a Muslim American woman (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 300). Veiling to these women was a way of freedom while also having a Muslim identity (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 301). It was also a source of behavior control, to not be sexually objectified, a way of commanding respect from others and even a source of checking their own behavior (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 301). One of the women interviewed said, veiling to her was a way to feel connected to other Muslim woman who veil (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 302). Veiling can be a way to feel connected to your religion and God as well as being connected to those who practice the same faith, it can be considered an act of membership. Many of the women interviewed noted they have been removed from planes, been treated unfairly, and have had strangers shout at them all for just being Muslim and being more visibly recognized from veiling (Anderson Droogsma, 2007, p. 303). This is an example of how media can affect the general population. When the media only shows radicals and compares all Muslims to being terrorist or dangerous they are actually putting Muslim people at risk of being assaulted in public. Muslim woman in particular are more at risk for being assaulted as they are more identifiable. So while veiling can be a source of empowerment and freedom for women it is a double-edged sword because it also puts them at further risk of being
In a patriarchal society, women’s issues will always be a topic of debate. In Joan Wallach Scott’s book The Politics of the Veil, she questions why it is that the veil specifically has become such a hot-button issue. Scott focuses primarily on France, where in 2004, the government banned “conspicuous signs” of religions affiliation in public school. Although this law affected other religious minorities, it was clear the primary target of the legislation was muslim girls that veiled. Why has the veil become the target of Western intervention; why have European countries like France taken steps to rid themselves of non-western aspects and practices, particularly the veil; and what do governments like those in France hope to accomplish by implementing
The hijab is a very important and powerful Muslim symbol that is worn by billions of Muslim women all over the world. Many wear the hijab as a symbol of faith, while others wear it to protect themselves from society’s expectations of women. Some people think that banning the use of the hijab in public is a violation of freedom of religion and freedom of expression. However, others think the banning of the hijab is a necessary precaution. The wearing of the Muslim hijab should be banned in public because it is impractical, Muslims use it to separate themselves from society, and it is a security risk.