Oman is a small country located in the northeast by the gulf of Oman and southeast by the Arabian Sea, southeast by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The capitol of this country is Muscat. Oman covers an area of about 119,500 sq mi. Oman borders Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates. The Oman government, from what I have read, is ran by a sultan and seems to be somewhat democratic.
The population is overwhelmingly Arab, but significant minorities of Indians, Pakistanis, and East Africans are found in the principal ports. The majority of the population is Ibadhi Muslim; Sunni Muslims form the other major religious group. Arabic is the official language. The Life expectancy on average, is 70.25 years, however females seem to live longer; males: 68.31 years female: 72.29 years (1995 est.). There are about 6 children born to each woman. That just shows how much they value family as well as procreation in itself. The Languages are Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, and Indian dialects. (1)
One of the most interesting pieces I came across about Oman is how the women are treated. Usually when you think of Middle East women you assume they are oppressed or considered to be uneducated. However the women of Oman play a more active and visible role in society than in most of the Arabian Peninsula, where the role of women is still restricted. They have received encouragement and support from the government, which provides schooling and university education for girls on a par with that for boys, and has decreed that women should be given career opportunities and equal pay. In the capital many women now have jobs, especially with the government.
In the countryside women have always played an active role in the agricultural communities. For the most part Oman women are not veiled, although the women of some tribes still wear the burqa or facemask and black cloak, the abaya. After viewing many pictures of the women of this culture the majority of Oman women, however, wear very colorful clothes arranged in loose and flowing layers. They are generally not self-effacing and may be willing to talk to strangers, once the ice has been broken. But they are deeply Muslim and should always be treated with deference and respect. (1)
However, the film I chose to watch is called Osama. This film describes the life of women during the Taliban rule. Althoug...
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...far as what websites are available. The print media is mainly available in Arabic, and only about 2 Omani papers are in both English and Arabic. Tourist attractions such as hotels, may carry more of a variety of national papers.
Overall Oman is a very interesting country. They are progressing more into the future and at the same time not leaving their heritage or culture behind, but instead modernizing it. The sultan of this country has been in reign for over 30 years and has done nothing but allowed his country to progress. The fact that this is one of the few Arabic countries that actually allows women certain rights will hopefully educate other Arabic countries about equalization or steps towards allowing women to be freer.
Work Cited:
(1) http://www.arab.de/arabinfo/omanhis.htm
(2) http://www.omanobserver.com/
(3) http://www.arabji.com/Oman/media.htm
(4) Osama, directed by Siddiq Barmak , 2004
(5) WHO COMPARES HEALTH-CARE SYSTEMS ACROSS THE GLOBE , By: Ashraf, Haroon, Lancet, 00995355, 06/24/2000, Vol. 355, Issue 9222
The place of women in Saudi society is determined by a deeply conservative culture, vindicated by a narrow interpretation of religion, and enforced by law. That place it would appear is at home, subservient to and legally dependant on their male guardian. Saudi society suffers from pervasive segregation along gender lines and women's freedom of movement is impeded, forcing them to rely on male chaperons.
Saudi Arabia is commonly known for its strict moral values and customs regarding religion and women. Gender discrimination is a global conflict but it is prevalently seen in Saudi Arabia. Gender discrimination is so poignant in Saudi Arabia because there are strict sets of moral guidelines and ideologies that Saudi Arabian culture implements on its people. Although Saudi Arabian men impose restrictions on women for the sake of upholding their cultural beliefs and family’s honor, there is no doubt that Saudi Arabian culture is male dominated and holds misogynistic views on women, but progress is being made.
The Islamically based conception of equality between men and women is “an equivalency of rights and duties so as to ensure complementarity” (Egypt’s reservations to Article 16, which regards marital law, of the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women). This ideology which appears in most religious doctrines (...
Women’s rights in the Middle East are being restricted, therefore there are many different reactions. Some people were in favor of women having equal rights while there are some who are against women to have the same rights. Since before times, many countries in the Middle East have been taking women for granted and minimized their rights by telling them they can't do something or selling them as if they were prized. When women were treated as prizes it was a practice in Afghanistan called Ba’ad that used women as the compensation, for example a story of a girl named Sakina. She was a consolation prize so that her brother could marry a woman and the Jirga system told her she had to marry a 80 year old guy when she was like 18. This tells me
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...
Women in Afghanistan do not fully have the right to participate in their government due to the traditional values and behaviors. Most of the countries don’t allow women to represent government. Women in Afghanistan are not allowed to participate in politics because of traditional values and the patriarchal society. Women face oppression through every step of their life. Women in some countries are allowed to hold government seats but some countries like Afghanistan don’t want to give too much power in the hands of women. Afghanistan is overcoming this problem to due the western cultures and ideologies. Some women now have the authority to hold power in Afghanistan while other women are still facing difficulties.
In the book, Women in the Middle East, a Saudi Arabian proverb states, "A girl possesses nothing but a veil and a tomb" (Harik and Marston 83). The key words, "veil" and "tomb" lend evidence to the fact that many Middle Eastern women lack identity symbolized by the “veil” and lack the right of ownership except for their veil and the tomb. This statement further enforces the notion that many women in the Middle East are expected to serve and tolerate the oppression of the men in their lives throughout their lives on this earth. Moreover, it confirms that many of these women do not get the opportunity to obtain education, join the work force, and even participate in the political affairs of the country. This arrangement further helps the Middle Eastern men to view women as their properties, servants, or even as slaves. Ultimately, there are three main reasons why Middle Eastern men engage in the act of oppressing their women.
In the text, we see different examples of how women are treated. The Vizier tells his daughter a story of a man who beats his wife because she wants to know his secret. We also see women being killed for infidelity, women who curse men, and women who are portrayed as heroes, such as our young protagonist. (Puchner, Akbari, Denecke, & Fuchs 2014) How then, does this relate to the current times and how women are treated in the Islamic culture? The common picture, is a woman hidden behind a veil, silent, submissive. The web article “Women in Islam” explains that this was once the case in Islam’s dawning days. It quotes “in the tribal culture of Arabs, women were not equal to men with respect to many social and personal conditions and systems…Women did not have businesses, own property, or have independent legal rights…In Arabia, female infants were often abandoned or buried alive; and the practice of polygamy was common.” The article then goes on to explain how, over time, this has changed. The pursuit of knowledge is now the law, and what gender someone is does not stop this. Women also have the right to own land and buy businesses. It is said that during the time of the Islamic prophet SWA, women were encouraged to take place in social, military, and political affairs. His daughter Fatima, was even highly educated and well respected. ("Women in Islam"). There are
Progress and gender diversity varies significantly from country to country and tends to reflect how women are viewed in a region’s society. The gender gap index, which examines “the gap between men & women based on economic, political, education & health criteria”, is an effective measure to benchmark the national gender gap of each country. According to the Global Gender Gap report 2013 by the World Economic forum, the gap exists the most in Arab countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and many other countries. This paper will attempt to prove that this gap is mostly accounted to the prevalent cultural norms in the MENA region.
Women in Afghanistan don’t have as much freedom or no rights compared to the men in their country. Men are seen as strong ,controlling and Powerful. They often say that women are treated worse than the animals. Women are not treated really well in Afghanistan Men and Women should be treated the same.Hopefully one day we will see the rights and responsibilities change and women are valued as much as men
The Arab woman, is there really a clear cut, precisely defined profile of what characterizes a woman of Arabia? Barren sand dunes, nomadic tribes of cloaked men, wearing turbans, mounted on camels, wielding swords, and their weak woman folk to whom they dictate. This is a classic Hollywood image of the Arab’s of the Middle East. The helpless female who is subjected to the will of her militant husband or aggressive father is nothing new to the average person of the present time, where being dutiful and being tyrannized can easily have the same definition in Hollywood and American media. However inaccurate this may be for the entire of the Arab world, it is the societal norm to classify woman as the victim of their male macho society. On the contrary, there is no ‘one size fits all’ description for women coming from the many countries that make up the diverse region of the Middle East. In each country, in each region, in every city, town or village, each woman has her own story, personality, heart and mind; quite opposite from what American media would have one believe. In such as the women of the novels, A Balcony Over Fakihani, Pillars of Salt, and A Woman of Five Seasons, their roles as women, wives, mothers, and daughters portray something other than the Hollywood’s forever destined victim of the males figures in their lives.
The Women of the Middle East have played substantial roles for their corresponding countries since the advent of colonialism in the region. Middle Eastern women have worked in all types of fields including medicine, education, agriculture, government, private sector, and even defense. They have kept roofs over their family’s heads while their husbands were away in wars, or even in foreign countries to work in jobs that they could not find in their own countries. The roles of women in the countries of Yemen and Oman are no exception, but while they still find ways to contribute to their country, they care constantly stereotyped, discriminated, and ridiculed by men who are known and unknown to them. This paper will discuss the individual contributions of the women living in Yemen and Oman, and will discuss in further state laws and cultural norms that are affecting the women living in these countries today.
In discussing the role of women in contemporary society there are three main areas that can be addressed. The perceptions of woman within contemporary Muslim societies. The status, position and role of woman in the Qur'an and in early Islam
The role and place of Women in Islam has changed drastically, in a positive way, over the past millennium: the changes can be greatly attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, and the Qur’an. To understand the changes in women’s rights and freedoms, one must understand their role and place before Islam was created, which happened in the Arabia Peninsula, now Saudi Arabia (Angha). Before Islam was formed women lacked many of the basic human rights, and they were treated as more of a burden in their culture then someone who should be respected, but that is not the case today. Though women in Islam have gained many rights, there is still some controversy over whether or not women are still being oppressed and treated like second class citizens compared
UAE consists of seven emirates : Abu Dhabi ,Dubai , Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah , Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al-Quwain which is a federal state. Sheikh Zayed is one of the foundations of the Union on the second of december 1971 , where the Sheikh Zayed converts Emirates of empty desert into a green paradise . Consists state emblem is a science that combines four colors red , white , green and black . National anthem is the anthem Emirates National , which echoes in every morning in most government and private institutions . Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi is one of the most world cities sophisticated in terms of modern infrastructure fit its position as a hub economic and political to the United Arab Emirates are They combine its role as a destination for business and tourist destination from shopping in shopping malls Superior to swap in traditional markets as well as enjoy the miles of sand golden beaches to break in one of the public parks in the city and dine at five-star hotel to the safari distinctive and enjoyable , and famous Emirate and the largest in terms of area is Dubai . Arabic is the official language of all the people of the United Arab Emirates . System of government is a federal system known from time immemorial . The head of state , Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan , who is also Ruler of Abu Dhabi , who succeeded his father, Sheikh Zayed , the Minister is the Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum . Emirates has an area of approximately 83,600 km 2 ( 116 ) and estimate the proportion of water in which 1.1 percent , also the population of the United Arab Emirates to a 8.264 million rate of a million that have been counted in 2011 before 3 years . The population density of t...