Women in the Middle East

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Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned is a Muslim women married to the Emir of Qatar (a sovereign Arab state in the Middle East. Her involvement in numerous organizations aimed at social and educational reform makes her a strong figure for women across the board; both Muslim and non. She fights for reform while still remaining faithful to Islam and makes important notes about the supposed oppression caused by it. In her speech The 'Women's Issue' in Context: Reframing the Discourse on Middle Eastern Women she states, "I strongly believe that separating women's status from the larger issues of the region is so loaded with political history and so burdened with misconceptions that it has become a counterproductive methodology. “ She notes that colonial feminism perceives an endless battle between women's liberation and religion. “They hope that we will come to our senses and reach the same rights and freedoms as they have only guaranteed by secularism” (Al-Missned).

Al-Missned goes on to say that the entire world is facing human rights deficits – not just the Middle East. “Particularly since Sep 11 and the ensuing war on terror gross human rights violations are being carried out in the name of democracy and security . Women are undergoing violation of rights both by their government and by occupiers” (Al-Missned) She quotes statistics that show that 98.8% of those surveyed in the region said that women have the same right to education as men . So the question is what is the real reason behind gender gaps? Studies haven’t divulged into any other reason than oppressive religion and therefore have no true answer. Without further investigation into the cause of the problem there is no ability to start fixing it. There...

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...he heart is humanitarianism and the fight against every kind of oppression. Who can take a woman seriously that fights against stereotypes of women yet allows prejudice to warp their own beliefs? Feminism is about equality – not supremacy.

WORKS CITED

Al-Missned, Mozah. "The 'Women's Issue' in Context: Reframing the Discourse on Middle

Eastern Women." Women's Rights in Middle East. James A. Baker III Institute,

Houston. 21 May 2007. Speech.

Mollmann, Marianne. "Why Women in Politics Matter." Salon. 24 June 2011. Web. 23 Jan.

2012. .

"Queen Rania." 2012. Biography.com 23 Jan 2012, 02:13

http://www.biography.com/people/queen- rania-23468

Winkler, Philippa. "Feminist International Relations." Transnation Feminisms . Northern

Arizona University. Flagstaff. 23 Jan. 2012. Class lecture.

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