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Muslim women have often been stereotyped in westernized civilizations as heavily veiled women who do no more than tend to their household and children. According to Camilla Fawzi El-Sohl’s book titled Muslim women’s choices: religious belief and social reality, this is simply not true anymore as it pertains to the contemporary Muslim women. This concept of the Muslim women may have been true in the past or even true of certain groups in certain Muslim societies but it has little relevance to understanding the everyday lives of these Muslim women. Indonesia, with a population of over 238 million has the largest population of Muslims. Muslim women on the many islands of Indonesia have been scrutinized in the media and other westernized arenas. To fully understand the concept of the modern day Muslim women, you would have to analyze the history of Indonesia, the history of Islam, and the gender relations as it pertains to Islam. After examining those aspects, looking further into how Muslim women are viewed in society and westernized societies and also their own specified role in society can give a deeper overview of the misconceptions perpetuated today. Finally, paralleling these concepts in Indonesia with those of American Muslim women can fully advocate for ideas of Muslim women in the world. Adequate understanding of these aspects can further delve into the ways of Muslim women and their effects on their country.
Indonesia, according to Wikipedia, is officially called the Republic of Indonesia and is a country Southeast Asia an Oceania. Indonesia is comprised of 17, 508 islands and thirty three provinces. It is the world’s most populous country with over 238 million people and governs under a Republic, with an elected legislat...
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...ve as many rights as men but because the women do not have equal opportunities does not mean that they are living under means that are uncomfortable or wrong to them. The westernized depiction of these women leads us to believe these views and though there is an ideology of an Ideal” Islamic women” (El-Sohl) they are not living in a completely controlled lifestyle and there is some flexibility.
Works Cited
El-Sohl, Camillia Fawzi. 1994. “Muslim women's choices: religious belief and social reality”. Providence, RI: Berg Publishers Ltd.
Karim, Jamillah Asira. 2009. “American Muslim women: negotiating race, class, and gender within the Ummah”. New York and London: New York Univeristy Press.
“Indonesia”. Wikipedia. Retrieved June 13, 2011 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia).
“Islam”. Wikipedia. Retrieved June 12, 2011 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam).
Tucker, Judith E., and University Georgetown. Arab Women: Old Boundaries, New Frontiers .Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1993. eBook Academic Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 4 Nov. 2013.
Muslim women living in the US: A pilot study. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 10(3), 257–262. doi:10.1080/13694670600630556
One of the most famous contemporary ethnographic studies of women and gender within Islam is Erika Friedl’s Women of Deh Koh, in which her main concern seems to be providing he...
Muslim dress for females, as Emma Tarlo explains, is a matter of individual choice. Tied up in issues relating to belief, freedom, modesty, traditional diversity and beauty, British Muslim females are articulating themselves yet not without some setbacks along the way. View from within and outside the Muslim religion is mixed and sometimes, passionate, though Emma Tarlo is determined to expose long held beliefs that Muslim women are not free to make their own decisions. She shows that Muslim women are no different from women of any other religion, and orthodoxy is not exclusive to the Muslim religion yet it is stigmatised much more than any other.
With the limitations of women's rights in the middle east there are people who a for women and think they deserve the same rights. For example, a document that was pro women was document 1 because it was about how an Afghan woman was abused by her husbands and other men, but she never let that bring her down because in the end she said “But i am woman, woman, a woman a
The first religion and its views on women that will be discussed in this essay is Islam. Islam is a religions founded in Saudi Arabia almost two thousand years ago, by the prophet Muhammad. In fact, Muhammad dedicated much attention towards women in the Koran, the holy book of Islam. However, even though much was dedicated to women in the Koran, it was not dedicated to them in the sense of equality. Women in Islamic culture were apparently much lower on the totem pole than men, "The men are made responsible for the women, since God endowed them with certain qualities, and made them the bread earners...If you experience opposition from the women, you shall first talk to them, then [you may use such negative incentives as] deserting them in bed, then you may beat them (129)." Excerpt...
...enging Myths of Muslim Women: The Influence of Islam On Arab-American Women's Labor Force Activity. Muslim World, 92(1/2), 19. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Lila Abu-Lughod’s article titled, “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?” takes a closer look at the problematic ethnocentric approach many have when trying to gain an understanding of another culture that may be foreign to that individual. In this analytical paper, Lughod looks at women in Islam, specifically the treatment of women and how it might be utilized as a justification for invading into a country and liberating its people. The country Lughod refers to in her article is Afghanistan, and Lughod points out the misunderstanding from the people to the Bush administration like First Lady Laura Bush who believed that intervention was necessary to free women from the captivity of their own homes. It is important to consider the role that different lenses play into all of this, especially when one’s lenses are being shaped by the media. Depictions of covered women secluded from society leave a permanent image in the minds of many, who would then later support the idea of liberation. This paper will discuss that the practice of using propaganda when referring to the lifestyle in the Middle East is not exclusive to the U.S; rather it has been utilized throughout history. Additionally, we will take a closer look on the importance of symbols, such as veils in this case; help to further emphasize the cause to liberate. Finally, we will analyze Lughod’s plea towards cultural relativism and away from liberal imperialism.
"We Muslim women can walk into the modern world with pride, knowing that the quest for dignity, democracy, and human rights, for full participation in the political and social affairs of our country , stems from no imported Western values, but is a true part of Muslim tradition.
Indonesia is a country in south-east Asia. It has the world’s highest population of Muslims and is the world’s 4th most populous country. Its capital is Jakarta. Having its world rank at 18th by economy, 15th largest in purchasing parity respectively, thus becoming a slowly progressive country.
F. Hasan, Asma Gull (2000). American Muslims; The New Generation. New York. The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc.
Okin states that a culture “endorses and facilitates the control of men over women in various ways of life” (12). There are several rituals, matrimonial cultures, and property ownership that make it nearly impossible for women to live independently. Although certain cultures have myths that justify control over women, or “to blame and punish them for men’s difficulty in controlling their own sexual impulses,” (14) several global cultures do not suppress women. Okin does not provide readers with the women’s perspective on their supposable suppression through their culture. An example of how Okin’s claim is incorrect pertains to Middle Eastern women that participate in Islamic culture. Women are required to wear the Muslim headdress, also known as the hijab. Although most individuals would assume that women wearing the hijab are oppressed, treated poorer than Muslim men, and are a symbol of modesty, when in fact the Muslim women wear the hijab to affirm personal identity. Leila Ahmed, author of the Veil debate- Again, interviewed different American Muslim college students regarding whether they personally believe the hijab is required in the Qur’an or not and their personal feelings towards it. A particular opinion from a woman states that wearing the hijab “is a way of affirming my community and identity,” (153) and another women states, “I believe it’s a choice not an obligation. I wear it for the same reason that
Based on the story of Islam Our Choice: Portraits of Modern American Muslim Women edited by Debra L. Dirks and Stephanie Parlove, I learned that not all people are born as lucky as we are. In this book, there are six short stories which are written by six different American Muslim women on how they encounter Islam. Each of them has their own stories about their background, carrier and their perspectives towards Islam before they become a Muslim. Truthfully, I enjoyed reading this book as it is written by those women who completely understand the limited freedom that they feel. Moreover, I also observed different culture in different society and how they see those differences as a unity instead of barrier to get close with each other.
As an Arab American, a Muslim and a woman writer, Mohja Kahf challenges the stereotypes and misrepresentation of Arab and Muslim women. Her style is always marked by humor, sarcasm, anger and confrontation. “The Marvelous Women,” “The Woman Dear to Herself,” “Hijab Scene #7” and “Hijab Scene #5” are examples of Kahf’s anger of stereotypes about Muslim women and her attempts to fight in order to eradicate them, in addition to her encouragement to women who help her and fight for their rights.
Indonesia is the largest country in Southeast Asia. Consists of more than 18,000 islands, Indonesia provides a beautiful views, cultures, and tourist resort. The capital of Indonesia and the largest city is Jakarta, located in Java Island. The Indonesian’s currency is rupiah. Indonesia is a republic country, and the government system is democracy Absolutely, Indonesia also have a lot of tribes with different languages and religion. Indonesia got the freedom from the Netherlands in 1942, and Japan in 1945.