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Gender roles in the middle east
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On another note, we have a young lady who moved from Colorado to Cairo. In “The Comfort of Strangers” by G. Willow Wilson, this young lady has “converted to Islam” and wanted to spend time getting to know the language and culture that was associated with her religion. In her case she moved from the U.S. to a country that had many rules and regulations when it came to the religion and culture. For example, when she moved to Cairo she had to adjust to the fact that men and women were traditionally segregated in a lot of public and private settings. She found it very difficult when traveling because on the trains in Cairo the women was separated from the men. If you happened to board the train in the men’s cart and you were a women, then you would
This book differs from most ethnographies in that it was not authored by an anthropologist. Fernea originally set out to accompany her husband as he completed research for his doctorate in social anthropology from the University Chicago. Henceforth, Fernea did not enter the field with any specific goals, hypotheses, or particular interests. In many ways, Guests of the Sheik reads as a personal narrative, describing Ferneas struggles integrating into a society that has vastly different expectations and guidelines for women. Fernea recalls the culture shock she first experienced as well as her eagerness to overcome it. Her goals were mainly of a human nature: she wanted to feel a sense of belonging, to have friends, and to establish a life in El Nahra. The first part of Guests of the Sheik largely mimics Fernea's own journey to feeling accepted as it introduces readers to the various groups of women who soon become Fernea's close friends and confidants, most importantly Laila, who will later introduce many aspects of Muslim culture to Fernea. Throughout the book, each chapter emphasizes a different aspect of life as Fernea discovers it, or details an important event. As such, readers experience Ramadan and Eid, two staples of the Muslim culture, Weddings and marriage arrangements, discussions of monogamy and polygamy, the Pilgrimage to Karbala, and many other customs
On 1/13/16, I watched the TED Talk of Gregory Boyle, “Compassion and Kinship,” a founder and executive director of Homeboy Industries. He explained how we should form a relationship with others so that we can come together as one rather than being enemies towards each other. Specifically he claimed that having kinship and compassion breaks down barriers it allows people who don’t fit society’s standards know that their life has value, meaning, and worth. As he said, “How can we achieve a certain kind of compassion that stands in awe at what the poor have to carry rather than stand in judgement at how they carry it, for the measure of our compassion lies not in our service of those on the margins but in our willingness to see ourselves and kinship with them and mutuality.” Although some people believe that once they choose to make bad decisions, they have
The first religion and its views on women that will be discussed in this essay is Islam. Islam is a religions founded in Saudi Arabia almost two thousand years ago, by the prophet Muhammad. In fact, Muhammad dedicated much attention towards women in the Koran, the holy book of Islam. However, even though much was dedicated to women in the Koran, it was not dedicated to them in the sense of equality. Women in Islamic culture were apparently much lower on the totem pole than men, "The men are made responsible for the women, since God endowed them with certain qualities, and made them the bread earners...If you experience opposition from the women, you shall first talk to them, then [you may use such negative incentives as] deserting them in bed, then you may beat them (129)." Excerpt...
In Ibn Battuta’s description of his time in West Africa, he frequently writes of his disapproval in the way women dress and behave in this culture. In traditional Islam society, women are typically under the tight control of their husbands or fathers, and cover their faces with veils so as to not draw any unwanted attention. However, in this region, Battuta notes that, “With regard to their women, they are not modest in the presence of men, they do not veil
Strangers in the Land, written by John Higham, is a book about the history of nativism and immigration policy. This book roughly takes place through the years of 1865-1920. World War I happened during this time and that had a significant effect on American’s views on immigration. This was a time of economic crisis and chaos in America.
The values she has are echoed by the political revolution of Turkey from a religious state to a secular state. However, when she visits modern, religious, Turkey her values are not exemplified in the foreign culture. Batuman rejects not only the practices but also the values of Islam, “And, because he said them in the name of Islam, I couldn’t forgive Islam, either” (5). Batuman’s own values of female autonomy and respect clash with those of Islam. She is constantly reminded of these values while in Istanbul, from both the government and her taxi drivers. The religious practices of Turkey clash with the secular practices her parents taught her, so she immediately disagrees with the values of the Turkish people. Batuman’s time in Urfa is full of awkward conversations and stares. When she speaks English other women stare, the fact she is alone in her hotel is crazy to the hotel staff, and ordering food was a chore. One day, Batuman forgets that she is wearing the headscarf as she walks back to her hotel. The change in behavior was instant, women would acknowledge her with a smile, men were far more polite, and in general “people were so much nicer” (7). Batuman experiences the benefits of Islamic values while not actually practicing the culture. She at first considers what the problem would be if she wore it constantly while in Urfa, just to remove the discomfort that she causes by not doing so.
The last decade has brought two blatant changes to American civilizations in particular and Western civilizations in general. The first is a greater concern about Islam and Muslims, and the second is a much highly visibility of Muslims within those civilizations. Numerous people may have imagined that there weren’t many Muslims living in their communities until recently, but now, one can see visibly Muslim persons often in their veils or robes, walking the streets, shopping in the cities, and going to the schools (Saeed, 2007). There is no doubt that the increased visibility of Muslims has been a matter of some interest (allen,2010). The French have banned people wearing markers of Muslim religion, such as the hijab and niqab, in public, and many Americans have protested against mosques and other expressions of the religion. In addition, numerous Westerners have a stereotyped image of Muslim visibility, for instance, assuming that all Muslim females wear the same style and color, of garb (Ameli & Merali, 2004) Many Westerners associate the visibility of Muslims with non-Western and anti-Western culture and beliefs, including the oppression of women, and therefore hold a very negative attitude and view toward it and them (Briggs, Fieschi, & Lownsbrough, 2006).
Imagine getting off the plane for the very first time after living the majority of your life in a Muslim country. The first sight you see is a couple being publicly affectionate. This is my grandmother’s very first encounter on Canadian soil. To any Western this is a social norm, but to an Arab woman it is a cultural shock, which is perceived as uncomfortable at the least. Although she is closed minded, it partially is not her fault, as I have lived with her in Tehran and Dubai –two Muslim cities located in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East. (PDA) Public display of affection is forbidden in these two countries. To me public affection is not just “…people making out and touching each other inappropriately…” it is the respect you have for your self and the people around you that is brought about through your identity. (Davis).
In the book, Women in the Middle East, a Saudi Arabian proverb states, "A girl possesses nothing but a veil and a tomb" (Harik and Marston 83). The key words, "veil" and "tomb" lend evidence to the fact that many Middle Eastern women lack identity symbolized by the “veil” and lack the right of ownership except for their veil and the tomb. This statement further enforces the notion that many women in the Middle East are expected to serve and tolerate the oppression of the men in their lives throughout their lives on this earth. Moreover, it confirms that many of these women do not get the opportunity to obtain education, join the work force, and even participate in the political affairs of the country. This arrangement further helps the Middle Eastern men to view women as their properties, servants, or even as slaves. Ultimately, there are three main reasons why Middle Eastern men engage in the act of oppressing their women.
We meet strangers everywhere we go. They come from all walks of life. We can choose to ignore them or to talk to them. I have judged people based on the way they walk, talk, dress or the way they approached me. These judgments tend to stick with me even if I find out who they really are. I don 't think it is right to get judgmental when I first approach a person. I feel so bad when I find out who they really are isn 't who I thought they were. It just seems to happen so naturally. I guess it is just human nature. I can relate this to my senior high school days. Most of the judgments I made about people never helped me because it got me into bad company. In a short story ‘Strangers’, a stranger hurt and lied to Toni Morrison about who she was. She was really hurt by the stranger because she had misjudged her about who she was. She did not expect a woman, who looked so humble, would do such a thing. I can relate to her story because I also misjudged someone and ended up getting hurt.
In his short story, "The Strangers that Came to Town", Ambrose Flack is showing that true freedom is about being accepted. He shows this theme using many parts of the story. He shows it through characterization, the plot, and also the setting. Although freedom can mean many different things, such as freedom of speech, or freedom to express yourself, Flack uses and provides a lot of support in the story, using the Duvitch family, as to why true freedom is about being accepted. Despite what freedom may mean to other people, I also agree that true freedom is about being accepted, and can only be reached upon acceptance.
What is life for? Different religions have different takes on life. There are many ways to view life. The way life is viewed by an individual is the way his morals are set. Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and many other religions believe that a higher god sets morals and with the morals comes reward. Another camp, the existentialist, believes that life is absurd and meaningless. The existentialists believe humans live and humans die. They state that death is just a matter of time for everyone, a reality that is inescapable. In the novel The Stranger by Albert Camus, Meursault realizes that death is a subject that cannot be erased. Meursault comes to the conclusion that death is the end result for every human's life.
Before the seventeenth century, western travelers influenced western perceptions of Islam and Muslims, when they brought home stories of their visits to Islamic countries. In the seventeenth century, women were not highly regarded, and it was solely male travelers who were able to visit these countries, and recount their stories. As they would travel to the Islamic countries, they had limited access to Muslim women, and only got to converse with, and observe the men, leaving their interpretations of the Islamic society as biased. Therefore, the travelers told their stories through the lens of a patriarchal perspective which influenced all of the information westerners had about Muslims at the time. They reported that Muslim men kept Muslim women hidden, and forced them to wear the veil as an act of oppression.
Women’s roles are not the same in different cultures. Most important is that women in Uzbekistan, where the population of Muslim people were from 50 % up to 70 %, made the big progress in eighty years. From that time women started to become more free in education, marriage, and fashion than they used to be eighty years ago.
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.