In the Middle East, women’s roles in society have been confused with the different interpretations of the Qur’an and different influences the regions have had from pre-Islamic times until the 21st century. Women’s roles in marriage in the Qur’an is equal and loving but has been twisted and altered due to different interpretations of what marriage means in the regions. Tunisia is a significant country in the Middle Eastern region as far as women’s rights go. It is important to distinguish what “women’s rights” means in the Middle East versus what the Western world perceives, and often times expects, of those societies. Women’s rights in Tunisia have improved and go against the many stereotypes the West has about the region to this day. This can be shown in aspects of everyday life such as their role in the family, marriage, and divorce. While there were vast, legal improvements made after independence, it can be seen that they were not always followed and weren’t firmly put into place until much later. ??!?! when? Marriage began to change drastically and significantly in terms of divorce, polygamy, and custody rights. One of the more controversial aspects of marriage is polygyny. The political and societal practices and interpretations of Tunisia have changed drastically. Shari’a Law is flexible enough to be vastly different based on interpretation of the Qur’an and Hadith but it seems apparent that its sources, the Qur’an and Hadith are not, in fact, permitting the practice. Tunisia started to make the changes seen in the laws related to family stemmed from the French occupation from 1881 until March 20,1956: when they claimed independence. Power went to the nationalist Habib Bourguiba that led to a law reform (in August of 195... ... middle of paper ... ...0225767#reader_0520225767 http://doras.dcu.ie/15733/1/5.pdf - Reforming the family code in Tunisia and Morocco: the struggle between religion, globalization, and democracy Boittin, Jennifer Anne. 2010. "Feminist Mediations of the Exotic: French Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, 1921–39." Gender & History 22, no. 1: 131-150. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed November 30, 2013). "World Intellectual Property Organization." Tunisia: The Constitution of Tunisia, 1959. http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/text.jsp?file_id=188948 (accessed November 24, 2013). - PRIMARY SOURCE: TUNISIAN CONSTITUTION Tamanna, Nowrin. 2008. "Personal Status Laws in Morocco and Tunisia: A Comparative Exploration of the Possibilities for Equality-Enhancing Reform in Bangladesh." Feminist Legal Studies 16, no. 3: 323-343. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed December 2, 2013).
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.
Trofin, Liliana and Madalina Tomescu. “Women’s Rights in the Middle East”. Contemporary Readings in Law and Social Justice Vol. 2(1). 1948-9137 (2010): 152-157.
There seems to be a question of what resources are given to women in the Middle East and North Africa for them to have social change and be given the rights that they declare. Based upon their age, sexual orientation, class, religion, ethnicity, and race this identifies someone’s social status which results in the ge...
The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the topic of religion in marriage. Specifically it will discuss whether Islamic marriage is better or worse for women than Christian marriage. After study of these two religions, it becomes quite clear Islamic marriage is much worse for women than Christian marriage. This essay will show that Islamic women are subjugated by their religion and do not enjoy the freedoms or the equality that Christian women enjoy, and perhaps even take for granted.
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...
Historically, before Muslim women in Morocco experienced a cultural transformation and succumbed to the influences of Western culture, they lived their lives in very traditional Muslim ways and were perceived as wives and mothers. Muslim women traditionally married young, they did not receive much in terms of an education, and were expected to accommodate two types of work, domestic and reproduction (Sadiqi and Ennaji 2006 p.91). The former is learned in childhood and the latter acquired through education and training (Sadiqi and Ennaji 2006). Whereas economic provision is the responsibility of men, women were expected to marry and reproduce to earn status (Ahmed 1992). Men, unlike women, also had the unilateral right to divorce, whereas a woman could work and travel only with the written permission of her male guardian, family honour and good reputation (Ahmed 1992).
Middle Eastern women need to stand up for their rights and get educated to reverse the notion that they are servants and properties of their men. Furthermore, they need to rise up to their potentials and prove beyond doubt that they are equal to men. This practice would lead the path for future generations to follow and protect the inalienable rights of women. Finally, these women need to break the cycle of oppression by addressing these deeply rooted beliefs, gaining the tools to fight back, and joining forces to make lifelong changes.
The Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1979 created a lasting affect on the societal role of women through modern day Iran. Women in Iran before the revolution were not entirely treated equal to men, but despite some cultural perceptions of women being inferior to men, they had made progress to become socially equal under the Shah. Several misconceptions and theories have been published and studied to show the inequality of women versus men because of Islam. However, contrasting theories have also been made to show that inequality has little to do with the religion, but instead with the forceful nature upon which it was implemented in the revolution. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the Islamic and political history of Iran and its social implications over Iranian women.
According to Schneider, honor could be understood as the “ideology of a property holding group which struggles to define, enlarge, and protect its patrimony in a competitive arena” (Schneider 1971:2). This initial conception makes sense, for in the absence of official states to illuminate borders, honor became a way for pastoral groups to maintain boundaries and preserve loyalty within the group itself. The understanding that social honor initially arose from competition over ecological resources, however, leaves room for one to question the role that women have in the construction of communal honor and dignity. In an effort to address this confusion, Schneider asserts that in a social environment marked by competition for a variety of resources, women’s reproductive capabilities became a way to control established group boundaries (Jowkar 1986; Kressler 1981; Schneider 1971). This contention is not novel, and can be found at the center of many investigations focused on the historical development of honor- and shame-based societies. Subsequently, the notion of the importance regarding the chastity of women in relation to the success of a community lends itself to an understanding of the over-arching construction of honor and shame upon virginity and purity. Within Muslim communities throughout the Middle East and North African region specifically, there is a close connection between women’s status in society, gender positioning, and the way in which the role of gender is modeled. The ability to understand the contribution of that construction of gender is not, however, solely related to a functionalist understanding of reproductive control, nor can it be derived from theology alone.
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 Iraq, the family elders typically arrange marriages for their children (Fig. 1). Family members chose women’s groom based on his social status, religion, and educational level. Woman who refuses to marry the person appointed by her family can create a pretext for punishment by her family. Those punishments range from mental and physical abuses to locking their daughters in houses. On the other hand, child marriages are still practiced and considered auspicious among tribes (USAID: Iraq Access to Justice Program 32). The average marriage age of Iraqi women in poor areas is 10, even though the law states that girls must be at least 18 to marry (Iraqi Al-Amal Association Data Base 10, 11). On the other hand, around 3 million Iraqi widows and divorced women fare worst because of discriminatory customs that often leave them without basic necessities of life and without a place in society (Iraqi Women in the Aftermath of War and Occupation
Most of these things it is possible to see through the analysis of the situation that exists in practice and analysis of several court cases. In France, for years women with Hijab encounter problems, both in education and in ...
“The Harem Within” is a pioneering work that opens discussion of women’s rights in Islamic societies. With her humble life story Mernissi gives not only a voice to Moroccan women, but stands her advocacy for individual freedom and battle against the harem within. The narrative is a literature example that figures the women discrimination and appeal for
...tober 2004. < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1599003.stm .> Pelham, Nick. "Morocco continues liberal moves." 22 October 1999. BBC News Homepage. October 2004. < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/482053.stm .>
The first essential means by which the writings can be connected is through the settings of both the authors and the writings presented. Some basic research of both Nawal El Saadawi and Laurie Penny will expose the underlying beliefs held by both authors, namely feminism, or essential human rights in general. The society and culture of both Britain and Egypt provide ample opportunity for one to conn...