A new brush to re-touching an old paining, the subject is familiar. This is a movie about a devout Muslim Canadian woman who falls in love with a non Muslim Canadian man and has to deal with the subsequent culture clashes.
Sabah is a 40-year-old Muslim unmarried woman, who still lives at home in Toronto, looking after her mother since her father died and she is the glue that keeps the family together. Her brother, Majid, despite being married to a non-Arab Canadian woman, has conservative Muslim view of life. From his standpoint, Sabah's place should be at home, his daughter caring for their mother Souhaire should have an arranged marriage and he should support them all as the man of the house.
The story is common in urban societies where
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It lightly touches on the hypocrisy of people who say they live by their religion and the double standard when it comes to men. Majid was married to a non-Muslim woman who was willing to leave him as soon as she knew she would have to take care of her mother in law. Sabah’s motivation to rebel against her brother built gradually after realizing her situation in life after her 40th birthday. The portrait she received as a birthday present showed Sabah as a child with her father and made her see how unfulfilled her life was. In the movie, she initially challenged her traditions by wearing a bathing suit and swimming at a public place where she meets Stephen. Sabah falls in love with Stephen and it is the emotion of attraction that fuels her rebellion. When she finally decides to tell her family about her secret encounters, all siblings attempt to place the blame on Sabah of the dysfunctions of the family. However Sabah stands firm defending her relationship with Stephen and at one point she confronts her brother and finds out that the fortune of her father was depleted shortly after his death. Majid kept to himself about the financial situation and took upon himself to support his wife, siblings and mother because that is what the traditional Muslim household mandated. Men were the head of the family
Mahfouz provides insight into the sociocultural substance of the era he grew up in and how it has evolved, without directly speaking about it. In chapters 4, 6, and 24 Mahfouz relays stories about relationships he has with women as a youth, which go from his first crush, to kissing, to full-on relationships, respectively. In Islamic societies, relationships between men and women are very strictly forbidden and extramarital affairs are shamed strongly. These relationships are contrary to what is orthodox or accepted culturally and reflect the loosening of religion in the youth. This segways into insight in marriages in society. Mahfouz illustrates the issues engrained in arranged marriages where the couple may not coincide well, such as in chapter 30, where
It is difficult for Fatima to comprehend the American way of living especially from a woman’s perspective. She sincerely believes that her way is better. For an Arabic woman, particularly in the rural Iraq in 1950’s, marriage is the only goal and
This is an interesting exception to the stereotypical and usual relationship between a Muslim man and woman. Usually the man would have the majority of power in the relationship, but the protagonist has made the relationship on her terms only. We also learn from the narrator that the protagonist has a strong disposition. We can conclude that she seems to exude some power . We also learn that her father thinks highly of her and feels that she is “intelligent”, “well brought up”, and “obviously knows the value of traditions and respects them.”
Sabaa Saleem is a Pakistani woman who is about to graduate college and is torn between the modern day American culture she 's grown up in and her cultural background. Sabaa moved to the U.S. after only living in Pakistan her first year of life. Ever since she came to America she has known that one day she 's going to have to live with a person for the rest of her life of her parents choosing. Sabaa has come to terms with this and thinks that although she lives in America and she can do whatever she wants after she is eighteen she feels that respecting her parents wishes is what she has to do. Most of this reasoning is because her dad has had
Brooks uses the sources to bring the thesis together and to help get her point across about the oppression of Islamic women and the pride and power of their male figures. An Islamic law states that women are not to commit adultery, but their husband can have more than one wife. When Brooks learned the story of Rehab and Mohamed and how Mohamed left Rehab for Fatima, it really opened her eyes on how different the treatment of married women of the Islamic world.
Amir’s misadventures begin as a boy living in an affluent Afghanistan world. On the day of his birth, his mother hemorrhages to death. Robbed of any feminine influence or comfort, he goes to his overshadowing Baba for love and acceptance. His father denies his only son the tenderness he desires, leading Amir to believe his father despises him. After all, Amir’s
Historically, “Women and Gender in Islam” discusses the social, political, legal, and religious discourses and structures that have shaped the experience of Muslim women
Religion is an important part of Marjane’s life; however it also highlights some of the most radical variations in the rights between women and men. The holy book of Islam, the Quran, says “Men are the protectors and maintainers of women” (an-Nisa’ 4:34). This provides a justification for a difference in gender equality within the region Marjane is “born with” (Satrapi, 6). Although the modern day Middle East is primarily Muslim, Islam has not always been the major religion in the Middle East. In fact the primary religion in the city of Persepolis was not Islam, but Zoroastrianism (Zoroastrianism, n.d. , para 2). Unlike the extremely sexist version of Islam that is displayed
The women of Saudi Arabia have been oppressed by the men of the country for generations due to the ignorance of the people, their Islamic faith, and the government. They have no rights and they must receive permission from their husbands or fathers to work, travel, and receive medical attention. The memoir Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia by Jean Sasson, is an excellent example of the oppression of women in Saudi Arabia and the literary devices of characterization and setting help to bring the oppression to life.
To impress one’s parents in any culture much less the Afghan culture may be one of the biggest most proud moments of child’s life. Such is true when the boys win the kite running competition. Amir wants nothing more than to impress his father and keep the family name alive and strong. He feels as if this was a way to redeem himself to his father. The importance of family in this situation stands out and demonstrates how much the Afghan culture bases itself on family. It is obvious that Amir believes that nothing is more important than his family. This value of family being first, which he learned at a very young age, and making them the most important figures in one’s life carries with Amir throughout his whole life. He never forgets where his roots are and why they are there. Family was of importance to Amir at a young age and he carried that mentality with him throughout his entire life. The mentality that family comes first does not only apply to
In The Sand Child, Tahar Ben Jelloun composes a multi-layered tale about Ahmed, a woman socialized as a man, who struggles to reclaim her sexuality. Ben Jelloun contrasts gender and sexual orientation to suggest that a person’s characteristics can be shaped and changed by will, but his sexuality is predisposed and will be the deciding factor of how he will act and identify himself within his community.
Mernissi retraces her steps to pre-Islamic roots and to what extent it influenced Islam’s representation of the family unit. Islam had banished all practices in which sexual self-determination of women was asserted and marriage gave men absolute authority and holy approval.
The family issue I will be analyzing is interfaith marriage. Interfaith marriage is simply marriage between two people who belong to or identify with different religious groups. However simple the definition may seem, the reality of interfaith marriage can be far more complex. For most of human history it has been a social taboo to marry outside of one 's faith. However, in recent years it has become much more acceptable, even to the point of seeming to essentially be a non-factor as far as society is concerned. Nevertheless, with the inevitable differences in customs and beliefs, and despite social acceptance, interfaith marriages can still cause major conflict in the household. This paper will explore seven different sociological theories, and attempt to explain how they can decipher the effects of interfaith marriage upon the family.
At the point when a person fitting in with a Western society weds a person who has experienced childhood in Islamic society, both the people try to adjust to each other’s culture. Case in point in the book Not Without My Daughter, Betty who was brought up in Western society tries to absorb into the way of life of her Iranian spouse. She goes with her spouse to Iran to spend a two-week excursion there. As she is mindful of the way that a lady is required to cover her head in Iran, she utilizes a scarf to cover her head even before coming to Iran. She likewise permits her little girl to be named Mahtob, which was an Iranian name. Through these endeavors, Betty tries to turn into a piece of the way of life to which her spouse had a place. Betty's marriage was a union of Western society and Islamic society. Albeit there were numerous distinctions in the way of life of Betty and her spouse Moody, they lived agreeably after their marriage. Living in America, Betty and Moody drove an upbeat and placated wedded life. In a marriage where the life partners fit in with diverse societies, it is critical that every mate adjusts and comprehend the way of life of other companion. In a house where two societies exist, the kids are raised in a social domain which is affected by the way of life of the mother and father. The conduct and thinking about the youngsters show the impact of both the way of life. The meeting of two societies in a marriage has beneficial outcomes and negative impacts. It relies on the life partners whether they change over their marriage into concordant union of two societies or clashing meeting of different
We know that there is a diverse population in Singapore, consisting mainly of Chinese, Malay and Indians, all of which does not possess one single dominant national identity. Drawing on a variety of traditions, different ethnic groups all consider themselves important parts of the diverse society of Singapore. However, In the Saudi Arabia society, most people believe in Islam, and religious control of Islam and its influence on the country are political, economical and can be seen in people's daily life. Neglecting of religion may cause troubles in business activities. In Islam canon, the most important are: religious service, almsgiving, fasting and pilgrimage and other activities. Religious service is a ceremony that shows gratitude,