Many people believe that in the Quran, which is the holy book of Islam that Muslims live by, men and women are not portrayed as equals. This is not that case at all. The Quran is pretty much the same for both men and women with the same obligations and the same rules. A woman is allowed to divorce a man, are allowed to inherit and own their property, and are allowed to, and often encouraged, to educate themselves. In the Quran it is stated that men and women “were created of a single soul” and in the eyes of God, are equally responsibly for their actions. One of the biggest things that comes up with Muslim women is the way that they dress. People assume that Muslim women have to cover their whole body up including their face. The way a Muslim woman dresses is one of the most focused things not only in the media that Americans are exposed to, but also in Muslim countries, however this is one of the most misrepresented and misunderstood things. The Quran requires that women dress modestly, but this also applies to men just as much. “Hijab” translates to “cover” in Arabic, which extends to mean modesty in a way. Hijab is something that Muslim women can practice; usually this practice has to do with the scarf that they wear around their head to cover their hair. The hijab is worn in different countries by Muslim women. It is worn in different colors, different styles, and in different ways depending on where in the world you go, however the concept remains the same. There is only a small minority that wears a full head covering along with a face covering that only shows the eyes. Muslim women are expected to dress modestly and in a way so that it does not attract attention. This generally means that a woman should cover her chest... ... middle of paper ... ...e a book by its cover” because of the fact that they want people to get to know them for who they really are on the inside. In no way is a Muslim woman just a silent and frightful being that hides behind her clothes, with no rights. These women are just like any other strong women in the world. They stand up for what they believe in and do not feel the need to succumb to the beliefs of how others feel they should portray themselves as. There is good and bad in every race, culture, and faith, as well as different pros and cons. One should not stereotype a whole group of people based only what is being fed to them through the media. Being educated and gaining knowledge is a key part in eliminating stereotypes and racism. Ignorance can be eliminated through knowledge. Benjamin Franklin once said, “Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.”
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.
Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving by Lila Abu-Lughod describes Western feminist beliefs on Muslim women and their burqa/veil and how focusing on these misconceptions are doing far more harm than good. This causes Western feminists reduce the culture and beliefs of Muslim women down to a single piece of clothing. The burqa is a type of veil worn by Muslim women for a number of reasons such as proprietary and signaling their relationship with God. The burqa is often seen a symbol of suppression amongst the Western world and it was expected for women to throw it off in a show of independence once liberated from the Taliban. The saving of Muslim women is often used to justify the “War on Terrorism” as exemplified in Laura Bush 's 2001 speech. The belief that Muslim women needed saving existed before the “War on Terrorism” as seen when Marnia Lazreg wrote about a skit where two Afghan girls talked about the beauty of the free Christian France.
Muslim Women and Western Ideas of Feminism Western feminists aim for completely equal rights for men and women. They want to liberate women from perceived oppressions from men. Their aims are to give women completely free choice in their decisions. Such examples are child-bearing. This is a good view to the extent that men and women were created equally and so they should be treated equally.
On the other hand Muslims relate to a person who follows or practices the religion of Islam. According to Muslims, God sent a number of prophets to mankind to teach them how to live according to his law. Jesus, Moses, and Abraham are respected as prophets of God. To Muslims, humans are the greatest of all creatures created with free will for the purpose of obeying and serving God. They also believe that Allah is invisible to the human eye. Women who were raised into the Muslim life have to wear a hijab in the presence of males outside of their immediate family or females who do not practice this religion. This serves to cover-up to hide their whole body except for their eyes. By covering up it is a symbol of modesty and privacy according to the Muslim world, while most men wear
As for Muslim women,they wear a headscarf known as the hijab. Hijab is a veil that covers the head and chest. Most Muslim women at the age of puberty,wear the hijab in the presence of adult males outside of their immediate family. Most women wear abayas. Abayas are long/loose dresses.The purpose to why they dress the way they do is,hence they want to protect themselves from harm and to keep their lovely beauty for their husband.This is worn in public, yet still they can dress however they wish in their place of residency.Abayas are very similar to the graduation gowns worn when high schoolers graduate and when judges in courts judge .If successful mortals wear them ,therefore it is a sign of greatness and achievement.Some citizens find that wearing religious garments in public should not be permissible,hence it would be as if they said a human being graduating shouldn't be permissible to wear the
Contrary to popular belief, Islam is a religion that respects the rights of women. I was raised in a devout Muslim household, and I was raised to believe that women in Islam are amazing and powerful creatures that deserve respect, and this has had a massive impact on the woman that I aspire to be.
The constant smear remarks from media headlines are chiseled into the minds of Westerners and no amount of “educated [and] articulate women fulfilling the modest conditions of the hijab can do little to dispel the myths” (Stacey). She writes how even when these women are simply placing their focus on the spiritually constructed values rather than socially constructed ones they still may be labeled as oppressed. Indeed, the majority of the women in the world have the free choice to where a hijab or not. The Gallup Poll mentioned earlier actually concludes that that “most women in the Muslim world are well aware that they have the same capabilities and deserve the same fundamental rights as men”
It is ordinary seeing woman in a veil in countries where the majority of people are Muslims. Even though, the picture of “Hijab” is not strange because it was known in previous cultures before Islam, it is considered as a phenomenon especially in the western societies which it still carries many of misunderstood thoughts. Some People who are non-Muslims in United States view “Hijab” as a fundamentalism, fanatics, barbarism, oppression, retro gradation, and terrorism image. Wearing the veil raises many controversial questions such as: Why do Muslim woman wear the veil? Is wearing the veil a cultural tradition or religious practice! What exactly is “Islamic Dress Code” and is it must be altered in its qualities from periodical time to another in order to be acceptable! Does “Hijab” isolate woman from interacting normally within society? However, all facts behind this issue will be revealed throughout the discussion of its meaning, the purpose of practicing it and seeing Hijab within references and historical context. This would unveil the mystery.
In Islam women are given many rights, such as owning properties, having an education, working, and marrying who she wants. In the Holy book, the Qu’ran, it explains that women are allowed to own inheritance or properties. However, it is less than, for instance, the brother of a woman, because when she marries she can combine her inheritance with her husbands. “…a male shall have as much as the share of two females; but if their be females only, numbering more than two, then they shall have two-thirds of what the deceased leave; and if there be one, she shall have half.” (4:12, Qu’ran). Having an education is very important to the religion of Islam; and Islam deeply encourages it. There are also a great deal of criticism about women and marriage and how she is forced to marry whoever the woman’s parents want but that is not true. In the Qu’ran it states in chapter 4 verse 20 that “It is not lawful for you to inherit women against their will, nor should you detain them wrongfully that you may take away part of that which you have given them,” The religion is on the side of a woman just as much as a ...
One’s body is very attractive to the opposite sex and thus it should not be revealed as if it has no value. One should look at a person’s beauty from the inside, the heart, not just from the outside. One should be liked and judged not by what they choose to wear, but by their personality. Hijab is a choice that some women or girls make for their own security, for more privacy, or because it makes them feel comfortable and confident about themselves. It should be a choice though, and as it is not proven to us that it is obligatory, countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Pakistan should remove their laws that insist every girl puts the veil on.
"We Muslim women can walk into the modern world with pride, knowing that the quest for dignity, democracy, and human rights, for full participation in the political and social affairs of our country , stems from no imported Western values, but is a true part of Muslim tradition.
Within the Middle East, the largest population of the men and women are Muslim. The Muslim religion suggests that women wear a veil or hijab, which is a head scarf that only exposes a woman’s eyes, accompanied by a burqa which is a full body cloak. The sole purpose of the clothing is to cover a woman’s feminine features from men’s eyes. The Qur’an, an Islamic scripture, supports and slightly obligates the uniform by saying that women are to be conservative, “let them wear their head covering over their bosoms, and not display their ornaments.” (Qur’an).
The role and place of Women in Islam has changed drastically, in a positive way, over the past millennium: the changes can be greatly attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, and the Qur’an. To understand the changes in women’s rights and freedoms, one must understand their role and place before Islam was created, which happened in the Arabia Peninsula, now Saudi Arabia (Angha). Before Islam was formed women lacked many of the basic human rights, and they were treated as more of a burden in their culture then someone who should be respected, but that is not the case today. Though women in Islam have gained many rights, there is still some controversy over whether or not women are still being oppressed and treated like second class citizens compared
Women who have the misfortune of living in predominately Muslim societies often are confronted with adversities concerning their rights in marriage, divorce, education, and seclusion. Consequently, many Westerners seeing a lack of equality towards women in these societies consider it as a confirmation of their own misconceptions about Islam itself. Islam is often rejected as being an intolerant and violent religion that discriminates against and subjugates women, treating them as second-class citizens. From a Muslim’s perspective, Islam’s stance on women can be approached by two opposing views. Scholars amongst the Muslim apologists have claimed, “The verses in the Qur’an represented Muhammad's intention to improve a debased condition of women that prevailed during the Jahiliya, the time of ignorance before Islam came into being.” (Doumato, 177) If inequalities still exist between men and women, they cannot be attributed to Islam, but are a result of the misinterpretation of Islam’s true meaning. Others have entirely denied the notion of inequality between men and women in Islam, claiming that the alleged inequalities “are merely perceived as such by foreign observers who confuse seclusion and sex difference with inequality.” (Ibid.) Many Muslim apologists defend the Koran as noble for the very fact that it raises women to an equal status of men despite their inferiority.
...el the status of women in the Muslim world today as "Islamic" is as far from the truth as labeling the position of women in the West today as "totally liberated and equal".