Women 's Rights Of The Middle East

Oppression of women is in the Middle East is present almost everywhere. In 2011 women were allowed to work in lingerie stores in Saudi Arabia. Previously, men were selling women bras and panties because the avoidance of "mingling" and being in the same store between the sexes at work meant that most shops had male assistants. So a man staring at your chest to guess your bra size was perfectly fine but a women driving a car, as they do in every other country, is not.

Being born and raised in America, I and many other Americans have been taught that we live in a country of freedom. Women and men are treated equally; every human being has rights, and you have the freedom to move at will and without restrictions. Women have come a long way in our country, gaining rights ever since the dawn of patriarchy and proving that they are just as good as men with the ability to think, speak, and act for themselves. However, discrimination of women still exists in America and many other countries, but women are taking a stand and trying to eliminate the inequality between genders, such as the difference in salaries, and the bad representation of and portrayal of women in the media.

“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 the Middle East there are many restrictions against women. However there are people who are fighting to support women or others who just do care about the women well beings. We might not see that there are many injustices committed every day and every time, because we just do not hear about it or we do not take the time to realize what is really surrounding us. People had various reactions against the government. For example we saw many who had solidarity for women, and others who decided to only complain about why women should be treated as second class. I believe that we actually need to take the time to learn about what is really happening in the world. Personally, I say this because I also had no idea what was injustices

When we look back through history you will find a timeline of events showing exactly when women gained certain rights and for what. Most of these events occurred in the late 1800’s and all throughout the 1900’s. Since 2000 the women of Saudi Arabia have gained 9 new rights even being as small as being able to have an ID.Ever since the rule of King Fahd the rights of women in Saudi Arabia have been growing, although some of the rights might seem little but

Have you ever wondered how people around the world live? If so, then at some point in time in your life you thought like a Cultural Anthropologist. But have you ever thought about how the way people in the Middle East live? Probably not right? Islam and Middle Eastern culture, might be the most misunderstood culture from around the world. It is especially difficult to understand by those in western societies. People who live in western societies tend to have this stigma towards people from the Middle East that they’re bad people and they’re all terrorist when in fact they’re not. They are a regular society, deeply rooted in tradition and culture. Westerners sometimes don’t understand that because it’s western ideology to be civilized and conform to what those with social power say what’s right. For many years, the people of the Middle East have been targeted by western imperialism to try and change who they are and what they believe in, but most countries put up a fight. The role of women in the Middle East has been especially difficult to understand by those outside of the culture. Contrary to what many people might believe, women play a major role in their society and are not as oppressed as many people may think. They contribute highly to education, the economy, and other social and cultural factors such as religion, family, and the social status of women in the Middle East.

The bombing of the Twin Towers turned America’s focused toward the Middle East. The War on Terrorism began in earnest. This war has brought about more than one conflict. As a nation, the United States is unique. The government is not run by any particular regime or religion, there is freedom. Yet, this is our unique brand of freedom. The Middle East is full of peoples with their own way of life that do not necessarily agree with the way we see freedom. Lila Abu-Lughod discusses one of the many difference between the United States and the Middle East, the use of head coverings and the burqa, in her article “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?” She examines the cultural significance and different types of veiling.

People were not only discriminated due to their race but some of their gender, which affected their political rights in a multitude of ways. To illustrate, one of the Colonies most unspoken laws, dating from Ancient Greece to 1920, is that women have no right to vote and that only the gentry could contribute in political matters according to the Governor. Additionally, a law from Great Britain in stated that if a landowning woman is to marry, she must sign a document stating she is giving her property to the husband. However, in the case of Anne Cart, a wealthy indigo farmer who was engaged, she testified to a jury that the land was worth more under her ownership and she won the right to own it. Another example is that 97% of court cases involving dark magic is directed towards women accused of witchcraft and found that 78% of the women are convicted and hung. This shows that in the 16th century, people thought women were generally inferior to men and treated them as such politically.

Between 500 CE and 1450 CE, elements of women’s roles in the Middle East were changing while others remained the same for over 900 years. The duties women filled in society remained constant through the years. Changing, though, was the decline of social importance of women and a degradation of their rights.

Understanding the current situation within Iraq, we will take a look into the country’s history. In 1920 Iraq started its rebellion against the British which lasted until 1932 when it declared its independence. Iraq was governed by a monarchy until 1958, when a group of Iraqi military officers staged a coup and over threw the monarchy declaring Iraq a republic. Major General Abdul Karmel Qasim took over as Iraqi prime minister, minister of defense, and commander and chief after the successful coup. In 1963 yet another military coup was enacted that inevitably led to the death of Major General Abdul Karmel Qasim. In 1978 Saddam Hussein became president of Iraq. A short time later in 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait; this sparked the start of the infamous

In America we have the “Four Freedom” , According to the Washington Post , which is “freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want , and freedom from fear”. This freedom is for both men and women. In the Middle East , women’s freedom is limited. According to The World Post, “Currently, 88% percent of the population in the region resides in countries that are Not Free”. This means that the percentage is really high compare to America, and women are not having the freedom they deserve in the

As a result of Western imperialism circa 1900, throughout the Middle East things began to change. European writers and tourists flooded into Middle Eastern countries and developed a very exoticized view of the men and particularly women who lived there. Ultimately the general consensus was that Middle Eastern women were oppressed by Middle Eastern men. Through the Western lens this perceived oppression was indicative of the “uncivilized” and stunted nature of Middle Eastern society. Western influence was forcefully pervading Middle Eastern society. Imperialism via tourism, travel literature, European schools as well as other vehicles, changed how people both within the

Many politicians argue that foreign interventionism is a responsibility of the United States, as the “world’s policeman,” but perhaps the responsibility lies instead with the church. For example, protestant reformation started as a push for religious freedom and correct theology, yet it fundamentally altered political thought and the governments of many nations. The people of the Middle East suffer primarily from bad government. Therefore, it can be fixed by a turn to government based on a Biblical worldview. The proper entity to fix the Middle East are the Christians living there, who must apply their worldview across the board, and who should reform their society on the basis of reality. Islamic law, beliefs, and unfriendly foreign interference have to halt before the Middle East can be a less violent and dangerous area.

As a woman, I have witnessed the progress that American women have made and continue to make, in fighting for women's basic human rights. However, the road has been far more difficult for Muslim women in the Middle East. Muslim women in the Middle East are currently being oppressed. They don’t have the liberty to freedom of speech, and choice of marital status/marital spouse. They are also prone to violent crimes, and sexual assault. All under a systematic government that is dedicated to dominate women. (CNN Wire) The Islamic religion does not oppress women, men within their patriarchal society do.

The omnipresence of the American and European culture in the countries of the Middle East is a universally recognized phenomenon. The culture, thoughts and status quo of the people have been and continually are being changed and challenged due the mass spread of American goods and ideas. The American national culture largely revolves around the wants, needs and goals of the individual. As the one of the greatest superpowers of the time, its influence on the global community towards the focus on the individual is nothing short of inevitable. The movies, clothing and new age mentality of America are sending all people regardless of age, upbringing and locale, into a grand scale social