Political status for women was possible, but only for those who were in the upper class and were important to society. Islamic and Christian women were viewed very similarly though they were from different religions; however, Islamic women were treated better. In Christian Europe, around 1000 B.C.E until around 1200 B.C.E, it was the dark ages. Because of educational and religious traditions, women had restrictions on entry and participation in the workforce. Women’s restriction in the workforce was also because of their forced dependency on men and poor socio-economic status of women.
In East Asia, women were subjected to a strong patriarchal authority. Through the use of foot binding (implemented when they were young) freedom was especially limited. Such as in present day Saudi Arabia women barely had any rights and were thought of as owned and a service to their husbands. Women in present day Saudi Arabia can’t go anywhere without a man and must wear a niqab or a burka to hide them from the affection of other men. Unlike Saudi Arabia today, East Asian women bind their feet to make them appeal more attractive to men.
Leila Ahmed’s The Discourse of the Veil explores the real source of women’s struggles in Islam versus the purely symbolic ones that the West concentrates its critique on. Since before the 17th century, the West has been forming opinion of the Middle East, depicting what makes it so different. Most of the ideas were focused on women, because they were the most visibly different to “western eyes.” Travelers and crusaders made uninformed assumptions about how women were dressed and how that reflected upon Muslim society. “The thesis of the new colonial discourse of Islam centered on women was that Islam was innately and immutably oppressive to women, that the veil and segregation epitomized that oppression, and that these customs were the fundamental reasons for the general and comprehensive backwardness of Islamic societies” (Ahmed 152). The idea that the veil is holding Islam back as a civilization was greatly encouraged by writer Amin, and
Restricted by Their Beliefs Elias Monsalve “I attest that this paper upholds the Manhattan College Honor Code as well as the expectations of and responsibilities for academic integrity outlined in The Community Standards Handbook.” Elias Monsalve Elias Monsalve April 15, 2014 Religion 110 Section 06 Dr. Shefferman Restricted by Their Beliefs History has revealed to us that women have been treated unequally up until the early 20th century in The United States, and other countries have followed in our footsteps. Although all this good is happening, Islam tends to restrict opportunities to women of all ages. The Middle East is a cultural region full of rich history, but does not see forward progress due to restrictions placed on women for employment, education, and even lifestyle. It is not only just that women are treated equally but a moral obligation to mankind. Whether you are a devote Jew, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist or atheist, it is a human beings right to get an education, work where her heart pleases her, marry who she wants, or even be allowed to wear what clothes she desires.
Women felt they were treated equally prior to the war; however, that changed after US’ occupation in Iraq. Not only in the aspect of the work force but daily activities as well. Riverbend comments on how most women lost their jobs or risked their lives if they worked. Also, men carried guns, giving them a sense of power, and that they were dominant over women. Additionally, women could not leave the house after the war without being accompanied by a male.
Muslims, the First Feminists In her 1994 book, Price of Honor, Jan Goodwin wrote a chapter titled, ‘Muslims, the First Feminist”, where she discusses the history of the Muslim religion and what it is actually like today. She then goes on to describe the shame a daughter can do to the parents and their relationship and the life that child will go on to live, if she does live. Goodwin concludes by pointing out that feminism in the Islamic world has a long history. The history of the Muslim religion was unknown to me and I think most non-Muslim people can say the same. It begins with Mohammad’s first wife, Khaclija.
As a child, in the USA and many other countries, you are seen as an inferior to adults. As we grow, boys and girls alike have the opportunity to prosper and become more superior to others. This is not true in some eastern countries, like Saudi Arabia, where men are always superior in the Islamic religion. The Muslims’ religion believes there are ten parts of desire, men being one part and women being the other nine. This belief alone led to the oppression of women and the title of the book Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks.
Yet, just like terrorism only a select few carry out these blasphemous deeds against woman and because so affect the repute of the Muslim people. In truth, most Muslim communities give women the same rights as any American women, they can own property, divorce, manage household expenses and own businesses. As a matter of fact, there have been many female Muslim leaders, such as Benazir Bhutto former prime minister of Pakistan and the Bangladesh Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. America has yet to have estrogen running the country. Also, it could be argued that while some Muslim villages have traditions where woman are held to a certain standard, in America we have a standard for our women to be impossibly beautiful.
The majority of African slaves in the Islamic world were women who served wealthy households as concubines, servants, and entertainers. The trans-Saharan trade route also included a much higher proportion of children than did the Atlantic trade. However, like the Christians of Europe, Muslims saw no moral impediment to owning or trading slaves. Islam considered enslaving pagans to be a praiseworthy act because it brought them to faith. Sub-Saharan Africa had much longer exposure to Islamic culture influences than to European cultural influences.
Alexa Nickell Pre-Modern History 115 Roles of Women In Patriarchal Societies Exploring the Differences Between Egypt and Mesopotamia ! In an age where women are fighting desperately to be on the level of their male counterparts, patriarchy is nearly unheard of, especially here in the United States. Patriarchy, an age old social system, allowed men to direct political, economic, and cultural life, causing the role of women in most societies to deteriorate almost completely. 1 So why, one might ask, did women allow this to happen? Well, for most women subordination to men was the norm, from childhood young girls were taught that the father was the head of the family.