Women in the Middle-Eastern Culture

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Middle-Eastern Women
The Middle-Eastern culture is very different from that of the United States. Particularly, the way women are treated. Women in the US have as much freedom as they would like; whereas the women in the Middle-East have very little. In the Middle-East women are severely restricted in every aspect of their lives. They are not allowed to drive a car or go in public without the presence of a male family member, they have to be covered from their heads to their ankles in the presence of men, and they have very little choice, in who they marry.
Once a girl has her first menstrual cycle she is not considered a child anymore and is required to cover her face in the presents of men outside of her family. There are many types of veiling used in the Middle-East. Depending on the religious beliefs of the woman’s family or the laws of the country that she resides in, will determine what type of covering or veiling a woman will wear. Whether it is a hijab (also called a shaylah or a tarhah) that is a scarf like fabric that covers the hair and neck, warn with whatever modest outfit she chooses; or a nigab (also known as a burqa) that covers every part of the woman, which can also include the eyes. With the burqa she is allowed to wear anything she would like. Many woman wear western style clothing underneath their burqas. Veiling is said to be form protection from gender interaction and is also a showing of modesty for women.
Although there are no laws on the books against women driving a car in the Middle-East, it is banned and women cannot get a driver’s license. In recent years women have pushed issue by having protests and getting behind the wheel. One such protest was on October 26, 2013; about thirty-five brave women...

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...nd the Veil in Saudi Arabia. 2004 Sasson
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Jamjoom, M. and Smith-Spark, L (2013). Saudi Arabia women defy authorities over female driving ban. CNN Retrieved on 11/16/2013 http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/26/world/meast/saudi-arabia-women-drivers/ (2011) Saudi Arabia: Towards Understanding an Arranged Marriage. American Bedu. Retrieved on 11/17/13 http://americanbedu.com/2011/09/25/saudi-arabia-towards-understanding-an-arranged-marriage/
Lindholm, C. (2013). Power, Law and Blood: Sources of Patriarchy in the Middle East.
Al Omran, A (2011) 'A Historical Moment': The Saudi Women Challenging A Government By
Driving. NPR. Retrieved on 11/20/13. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/06/19/137271964/a-historical-moment-the-saudi-women-challenging-a-government-by-driving

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