Women in Islam

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Throughout centuries Muslim women have been working to receive their rights and privileges that the Quran states they should have; however, due to male authority and the natural order of things it hasn’t been easy. As a result, the focus of Jane Smith’s article expresses the certain issues women faced and the reforms made towards them, areas that still are facing inequity, inequality due to the natural order, and Westerners views toward the issue.
During the early years of Arabia, women were able to choose their own husbands and could declare a divorce if they were unhappy. Rights and privileges between men and women seemed to be equal; however during the period of the Prophets, women no longer had the freedom of choice. They could no longer choose their husbands and had no inheritance rights. While women were faced with this dilemma, males were allowed to have the power to divorce and could have unlimited amount of wives.
Many Westerners found it hard to understand that men of a Islamic culture were the providers, protectors, and were head of their households, because the idea of a dominate male culture no longer was a norm in western civilizations. However, Muslim women weren’t denied equal rights; they understand that men were in charge, just as cited in the Quran. The idea of men protecting their women wasn’t about power, but about the responsibilities placed by the natural order. Women were responsible in caring for the household, and the males took care of all the other worries.
Over the years some Islamic women wanted to improve their opportunities as women. Therefore, during the eighteenth century many reforms were made to improve their rights and privileges in areas of marriage, divorce, and inheritance.
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...n are allowed to vote; however, they were unable to vote independently because they would have to vote in favor of the male figures in their lives. Also if women wished to go into the profession of politics, they would receive little to no support from men. Muslim men wouldn’t support the women because it was seen as unnatural for women to be leaders.
As a result of these issues, many Westerners wanted to help allow these women to improve their status in the world and to help them be viewed equal, but Westerners didn’t listen to the issue they went right to making assumptions; and as a result, many of the Muslim women didn’t want their help. Westerners didn’t understand that these reforms that the Muslim women wanted were to increase their opportunities and weren’t going against men. Many of the Muslim women enjoyed being protected by the males in their family.

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