Towards Arab Human Renaissance: The Rise of Women

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Renaissance is a French word that can be divided into two parts: “re” which means again and “naissance” which means birth. Therefore, renaissance is rebirth. When Renaissance is evoked, it commonly refers to the European Renaissance of the 14th–16th centuries. The European Renaissance is a cultural movement and an intellectual transformation that constitutes a bridge between the Middle Ages and the Modern Era. This bridge contributed to the prosperity and the development of Europe. Unfortunately, the Arab world is still lagging far behind. This gap can’t be filled unless an Arab human renaissance occurs. And this rebirth can’t be successful unless the status of women in the Arab world is improved. In fact, I believe that the rise of women is a prerequisite for an Arab renaissance. This transformation must be based on a peaceful process of negotiation for redistributing power and building good governance. To begin, women’s education is a very critical issue to stress on. Health and abolishment of violence come after. Moreover, women’s rights must be respected to reach equality between men and women. In addition, women have to be more involved in political life. It is also necessary for them to participate in economic activities.

Some people consider that men are the pillars of societies; that’s why it is enough to educate them and ignore women’s education. In April 2005, a roundtable on the Arab women and the future of the Middle East was held in New York. One panelist affirmed that “the question is not Arab women and the future of the Middle East, for Arab women are the future of the Middle East”. By that she meant that women’s inferior condition slows down the national development in Arab countries. Despite the mass of statist...

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...Arab Women and the Future of the Middle East." American Foreign Policy Interests 27.5 (2005): 419-438. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 29 Dec.2009.

Schiffman, Zachary Sayre. "Dimensions of individuality: recent French works on the Renaissance." Renaissance Quarterly 49.1 (1996): 114+. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 28 Dec. 2009. .

Hoveyda, Fereydoun. "A Review of: “The Arab Human Development Report 2005: Towards the Rise of Women in the Arab World”." American Foreign Policy Interests 28.1 (2006): 53-85. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 2 Jan. 2010.

Clawson, Patrick. "Arab Human Development Report 2004: Towards Freedom in the Arab World." Middle East Quarterly 13.1 (2006): 85. Expanded Academic ASAP. Web. 2 Jan. 2010. .

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