One of the biggest anomalies among current events today is the topic of Muslim women. Islamic women have been in the shadows for years, hidden by their spouses, therefore resulting in the reason why so many of them have been the subject of abuse. The devastating incident that led to many deaths on September 11th of 2001, could possibly be the most recent event that has sparked interest with the Muslim population (Daba-Buzoianu et.al 148). Even then, however, Americans were more concerned for their own safety rather than the safety of Muslim women. In the past, these women have had a history of abuse as a result of their disobedience and unfaithfulness to their religion. For example, in Pakistan, “...men, soldiers, and civilians have used rape as a strategy of terrorism against Pakistan’s women, particularly those who dare to transgress existing social hierarchies or who belong to stigmatized social groups (Sharlach 95).” Two of the most recent victims of authoritative Muslims that have managed to get their stories heard have been Mukhtaran Mai and Malala Yousafzai. Mai was raped as a result of her brother’s crimes and Yousafzai was shot by the Taliban as a result of merely wanting an education (Afzal-Khan 153). Although it seems that free will is an option for these women, few are brave enough to let their own opinions on issues concerning their lives surpass the demands of their religious leaders, who can possibly even be considered their masters. Women of this culture are
With all of its good intentions, people attempting to swoop in and ‘rescue’ Muslim women from what they believe to be an oppressive and violent culture, is actually doing more harm than good. In the novel, Do Muslim Women Need Saving?, Lila Abu-Lughod explores how this type of sympathetic aid from these seemingly superior, progressive, Western countries can reinforce negative stereotypes about women in the place she calls IslamLand (an overarching and ignorant term for where all Muslims reside). The author investigates the consequences of this post 9/11 concern about Muslim women in government and in the media. She explains how the power of choice is relative, Muslim women’s
Imagine being treated like you have little to no value at all because you dress differently or have different rights. A lot of Muslim women experience this on a daily basis. People in public stare or criticize them simply because they are different. Years ago, Muslim women had almost no rights. Although they have gained certain rights and responsibilities, many people still treat them with little respect. Muslim women’s rights have changed in many ways, including the way they are allowed dress, who and when they can marry, and their independence in general.
The issue of women in Islam is highly controversial. As a Muslim American living in the United States many times I get judged about my religion. People think that because I am a Muslim woman in America I am being restricted from many things and can’t be like every other woman in America. Islam has many similarities with other religion and it does have its differences. Being raised as a Muslim woman in America has made me the strong and independent woman I am today. I am going to be talking about my own religion that I’m well knowledgeable of. What the media shows and how people talk badly about the religion is truly ruining the religion and its true beauty. Woman in Islam are not being oppressed for anything there’s true beauty behind this
“Life is full of unhappiness and most of it caused by women (Harik and Marston 11)”. For women in the Middle East life is faced with great and unequal odds, as their human rights are limited, due to Islamic beliefs and that of patriarchy. From their daily actions at home to their physical appearance, Middle Eastern women are portrayed as quiet, faceless women veiled from head to toe. While this image is just another stereotype, women in the middle do face many obstacles and challenges of creating their own identity as they are frequently denied a voice in their rights. Living in a society dominated by men life is not, but regardless women in the Middle East, predominantly Muslims, continue to fight for
In recent years, America’s attention has been gripped by stories of women who have escaped from the Middle East. Each has a unique story, but they all have the same themes of oppression, abuse, and domination. Americans rushed onto the scene ready to “save” Middle Eastern women and many of the activists are now been highly praised for the influence they made in the region. Others, however, have come to question whether the Muslim women in the Middle East really needed the U.S. to rescue them from Islam. *Insert Thesis*
The Nation of Islam empowered many blacks in a time and place where the concept of power was used to oppress. Christianity being a white man’s religion in the eyes of the oppressed, Islam was used in America as a tool for confirmation of beauty. The reminder of inner beauty for the people of color caused substantial growth and powerful movement that impacted American history for generations. The same principles that hoped to empower and give freedom towards African Americans is the same principles that continue to mask the beauty of the Muslim woman. How can two oppressed groups of people, blacks and woman, find two very different outcomes when practicing the Islam faith? Recognizing the differences between the Nation of Islam and the other sects of Islam faith, there is still a center focus on self identity and living into that mold. For some, that means taking back what has been taken away from them, freedom. For others, it continues to mean denying inner desires for something greater than following social norms.
This research will demonstrate the concept of Quebec majority versus the ones that are considered "other" or minority, specifically Muslim women. The methodologies and surrounding utilized by the print media along with the specific scope of specific issues created polarization amongst minority and greater part gathers. This research will summon an Orientalist focal point to show how racializing talks are portrayed in a monitored subtext over and the news print to support the protection of Quebec character. The strategy that is utilized is the basic analysis of two newspaper articles that are reflected from Gazette and Lap Presse. This examination aims to identify the importance of the representations of Muslim women in the specific recorded understanding of Quebecois in their particular dialect and culture. This essay will reveal that portion of the media procedures within the Quebec context. This will exhibit that Muslim women are minimized and victimized on the premise of their race, sexual orientation and social character. Revealing that the news print media makes harming depictions of Muslim women. The end goal is to counter these negative depictions. Individuals must be instructed how to think fundamentally about the media and build up the fitting media education ways so that they can comprehend what social value are implied.
unequally in marriage, in court, and in society. Difficulty through marriage for Muslim women can come from age, divorce, and having to be subservient to their husbands. Not only is there difficulty in marriage, but also in the unequal treatment in the islamic justice systems, such as when “evidence given by a female witness counts for half that given by a man” (Dargie 22). Although the societies of major Islamic countries differ, it is clear that women are not represented equally to men in any of them, for example having to dress and act certain ways so as not to attract any attention from men. However, there are Islamic women who are willing to change how their religion views females by speaking out and encouraging others to do the same.
Language issues also impact immigrant women’s abilities to develop therapeutic relationships with health care providers and express themselves effectively in healthcare settings. In an ethnographic study on communication challenges for immigrant women in rural Alberta, Higginbottom et al found that communication challenges extend beyond verbal communication and impact immigrant women’s abilities to build trusting relationships with their healthcare providers and results in miscommunications due to unshared cultural meanings of language. (HigginbottomAlberta:300-301) Reitmanova reported that, in addition to preventing access to information for immigrant Muslim women in their study, limited English fluency also made it difficult for immigrant
The themes that I thought connect to the texts and videos we have expanded on in class are Identity and Boundaries (barriers). In this essay I will group the readings and videos and explore the theme in each and relate it back to Identity and Boundaries. Then how we can perhaps use related topics to illustrate my point.
The Quran is the text that guides the Islamic society, and is meant to be the everlasting word of God. Given that the word of the Quran is the word of God, women in Islamic society should be treated as equal with men. If women were given equal religious matters and independent legal status, then in a society which revolves around religion, women should have the same rights as men. They should also be given the freedom to make their own decisions pertaining to most issues. American Muslim women today are struggling to address the stereotypes and misconceptions that come with the role of being a woman in Islam. Muslim women occupy a large variety of important positions in American life: medical doctors, engineers, lawyers, chemists, housewives, broadcast journalists, professors, clerical workers, business women, schoolteachers. Some are immigrants, from countries ranging from Saharan Africa to Indonesia, while many others were born in America; some American Muslim women were raised in Muslim homes, while others
Many believe that Islam is one of the world's greatest religions. Millions of men, andwomen have found comfort and peace with Islam, as well as people of different creeds have learned to live together. Islam has enriched and inspired the lives of people all around the world and most of its traditions are from the Qur'an. Unfortunately, some have taken the words to mean hatred, violence, and even a ground for the oppression of women. Women have often been on the receiving end of this interpretation. . Women in general, are still being discriminated against in the world today, but being a Muslim woman in America, have unthinkable consequences and daily hardships that many of us American’s could not begin to understand.
The article “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Reflections on Cultural Relativism and its others” is based on the cultural practices in the Middle East. A question relative to the cultural practices of Muslim women is “Do Muslim women really need saving?”. I will examine that Muslim women do not need saving when it comes to cultural practices revolving around the way women dress, as well as the ethics involved in intervening into another culture.
he second article being looked at is ‘Muslim Women’s Quest for Equality: Between Islamic Law and Feminism’ by author Ziba Mir-Hosseini. This article looks at the plight of women in both the Middle East and Southwest Asia and looks the the distinction between sharia law and fiqh. Mir-Hosseini argues that Muslim women will be treated as second class citizens as long as patriarchy is justified and upheld in the name of Islam (pg.629). Both the invasion of Iran and Afghanistan were justified on the basis that Muslims were in need of “freedom” and “democracy”. By doing this is has brought upon many internal and external struggles. Muslims in these countries see the “neo imperialist intervention as a direct assault on their religion” (pg. 631). Further giving more reason to legitimize the power of radical Islamists such as Al-Qaeda.
The role of woman, her position and status in society, and her nature have been issues of debate and discussion informed by religion, tradition and culture, misogyny, feminism and - many times - downright ignorance and bigotry.