Women in the Middle East
Mark Stapelkamp
Caralyn Canova
Chris Midura
Image of Muslim Women
The Islamic Religion is one of the main religions in the
Middle East.
For years and years, the average western person has
been subjected to one image of a Muslim woman:
mysteriously veiled, heavily guarded, living in a harem
with a brutal sex maniac for a husband. One can't really
blame this person if he or she accepts this image as
true especially if he or she never saw Muslim women in
any other light.
In Islam, men and women are created equal as human
beings though obviously not identical. Throughout the
Qur'an, it is repeated over and over that men and
women are created as companions on earth to
complement and comfort one another. They are both
held accountable for their deeds, individually. Both are
rewarded or punished equally for their deeds. Muslims
have been spared the debate about whether a woman
had a soul or whether she was a person or not. That
was never questioned while it was a hot issue in
western societies up to the 1930's when the Supreme
Court of Canada passed a judgment that women really
are persons! This was simply a fact asserted by a
religion that was born in a society where burying
newborn girls alive, out of shame, as common practice.
Sons were a source of pride while girls brought along
disgrace. Islam immediately prohibited such a brutal
discrimination. It was spelled out clearly that one
person, be it male or female, can be better than another
by virtue of his or her piety alone, not sex, not origin.
.
Islam, as a whole, is described in the Qur'an as
a religion of the centre balancing the needs and
freedom of the individual with the good of the
society. This is the general rule which also
governs the relationship between men and
women in society. They have the right to work
and mix together as long as that right is not
abused, hurting the society as a whole. This
implies that the environment in which they see
and talk to one another should be a clean
respectable environment where sexual
temptation is practically eliminated.
The Muslim Dress Code
Some westerners, and regrettably, some Muslims, take
what was on the following slides to imply locking up the
women or hiding them in veils. However, that
contradicts the practices in the Prophet's life when
women fought in battles, nursed the wounded, argued
with the Caliph and even taught religion. The whole idea
of modesty in dress is to ensure that both sides are not
distracted by physical appearances. The dress code
applies equally to men and women. Both should not
look sexually inviting. That might not seem like too
much fun, it certainly will not allow for Dallas-like
episodes, but it would improve the chances for a better
family-oriented society where men and women treat
each other with mutual respect as human beings, rather
than as sex objects. These are the general requirements
for the Muslim dress code for men and women. How
women actually dress in specific Muslim countries has a
lot to do with the local culture and not just with Islam.
Active Participation
The Muslim woman's active
participation in community affairs
was established from the earliest
days. This includes the right to
vote. She has always been a
separate individual with a separate
vote. She had to swear allegiance
independently of her husband and
father.
Women’s Rights in Israel
Israeli women created Bat Shalom; a feminist peace
organization of Israeli women
It works toward a just peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors
that includes recognition of a Palestinian state side-by-side with
Israel and Jerusalem as the capital of both. Within Israel, Bat
Shalom works toward a more just and democratic society shaped
equally by men and women.
Women’s Rights in Egypt
Egyptian women won the right to divorce there husbands in February
of 2000
In 1997, a poll done by government's National Population Center
shows that 35 percent of Egyptian wives polled had been beaten at
least once by their husbands. Of the beaten wives, nearly 70 percent
were attacked after refusing sex and 7.3 percent of the victims were
pregnant. But about 70 percent of all the wives polled also said that
such treatment was justified if a woman spoke to her husband ``in an
improper way.” The study polled 7,000 wives 15 to 49 years old.
the National Population Council published a poll, also done in 1997
indicating that about 80 percent of Egyptian women consider
female genital mutilation a positive tradition.
The council, which did not reveal the extent of its sample, also
said 97 percent of married women polled had undergone some degree
of the procedure to remove some or all external sex organs.
Women’s Rights in Iran
In 1994, a married Iranian woman was stoned to death in Tehran's Evin
prison for adultery.
In 1994, Iran's officials have annulled the decision by the National Iranian
soccer federation to allow women to watch soccer games. The annulment
came in coordination with the head of Iran's athletic organization,
Mostapha Hashemi-Taba. In a statement, the federation had said for the
first time since the Islamic Resolution in 1979, families are permitted to
watch soccer games. Since 1979, women have been banned from
appearing publicly in sport's centers in the presence of men.
Women’s Rights in Jordan and Kuwait
In both Jordan and Kuwait, men who murder female family
members in the name of preserving the "honor" of the family,
are, at most, are convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 3
years in prison.
Women’s Rights in Saudi Arabia
According to the report from Amnesty International, Saudi
women faced discrimination in almost all aspects of life:
decision-making, education, and work.
They are not allowed to travel outside the country without the
written permission of a male relative. They are not allowed to drive.
They are not allowed to go out in public without the presence of a
brother or uncle to whom marriage will not be permitted.
Men are allowed to marry up to four wives, and can divorce a
woman instantaneously. A woman may obtain a divorce if her
husband fails to maintain her, if he is impotent, or if he abandons
her or treats her cruelly.
Women’s Rights in Afghanistan
Since the Taliban became a military and political force in
late 1994, women and girls have b ecome virtually
invisible in Taliban controlled portions of the country.
Women are not allowed to attend school.
Women are not allowed to appear outside the home unless wearing
a head to toe covering called a burqa.
Women in need of medical treatment could only get that treatment
from another female. This is next to impossible for almost all of
the female workers lost there jobs.
Women’s Rights in Turkey
Turkish women detainees, and some men, are subjected to
rape and other forms of sexual assault while in custody for
both political and ordinary crimes. Although there are
strong cultural inhibitions against reporting sexual torture,
Amnesty International nevertheless frequently receives
allegations from women of rape.
Women in Turkey are often subjected to virginity testing.