The Epic of Sundiata presents the Islamic faith in a way that encourages listeners to embrace it over their indigenous belief systems. The epic accomplishes this by incorporating elements and practices of the indigenous beliefs into Islamic tradition; and by adapting certain Islamic mythology — such as the Jinn — to the existing West African culture. It also asserts the superior power, morality, and strength of those who derive their power from Allah and the Jinn, to those who base their powers in ancestral worship and fetishes. Through conflict, adaptation, and tolerance, the Epic of Sundiata presents an accessible version of Islam to the people of the Mali Empire; and it promotes the acceptance of this new faith over the indigenous beliefs
...areas of emphasis. In contrast, Leila Ahmed analyzes representations and mores of Muslim women in different social and religious contexts in order to draw conclusions about their effect on women’s--and men’s in relation to women’s--status, in earlier periods of Islam, as well as the further-reaching implications they have had for modern Muslim societies.
This essay shall undertake a critical evaluation of the changes Western culture has had on Muslim woman in Morocco and how it has impacted their cultural norms. This shall be achieved by examining the changes in the areas of health, marital life, and education. Consideration shall be given to traditional Muslim life in Morocco and the changes that have been experienced in this country, before examining what may be described as a toxic infestation of Western culture and its effects and a conclusion reached.
The first issue addressed in this essay is the role of women in Islam. “Muslim women are having to confront not only the sexist assumptions from within their own communities … but also from British society as a whole.” (Butler cit Gilliat-Ray,2010: 215) This statement shows that women are facing sexist assumptions not only within the home but also from British citizens who presume that they are being forced into wearing the veil and following Islamic law because their husbands demand it, when more commonly women are following Islam because they want to. By having this presumption of Muslim women it is impacting on their identity, Britain has assigned Muslim women with the role of the victim, often pitied, this is a negative stereotype which can affect their lives. One of the most controversial issues for Muslim women is their choice to wear the veil. “The Qur’an does not impose any general religious obligation for women’s clothing but gives simple guidelines for social decency.” (Kung, 2007: 622)It is not commanded in the Qur’an...
Women have always been thought of as something that needed to be controlled in Muslim culture. Their bodies are a source of shame that must be covered during prayer and also in the public (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 3). Veiling, done by a hijab or chador, is when women either wear a headscarf to cover themselves or they wear a veil that covers their entire body, excluding her hands and eyes (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 1; Mir-Hosseini 2003: 41; Berger 1998: 93; Smith-Hefner 2007: 390-391; Brenner 1996: 674; El Guindi 1999: 6). Veiling is used as a tool for oppression. By having women veil themselves, it enforces the control by the male run and male dominated society (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 7). Also, the punishment for women appearing without a veil transitioned as the concept of veiling was addressed, transitioning from seventy-four lashes, to being arrested and held between ten days and two months for being “immodest” women and offending public morality, or fined 50,000 to 500,000 rials (Mir-Hosseini 2007: 8). The oppression of veiling is perpetuated through the thought that it is a woman’s religious duty to wear one, condemning foreigners and women in society if they refuse. Although it is a tool for oppression, there was resistance the oppression. In ...
Believers in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are found on every continent, but tend to be concentrated in North and South America, Europe, Australia, Western Asia and North Africa. Christianity and Islam are growing influences in sub-Saharan Africa, often replacing indigenous faiths. By studying the teachings of the western religions, we can comprehend the respectable position of women in the society and the urgent need to remove all social and gender barriers
When a person thinks of Muslim woman they may picture a woman who is devalued and underappreciated. People often blame the Islamic religion for the injustices towards women, when in all actually they are imposed by the politics and society of Islamic nations. Muslim women’s dress, role in the household and in society are common misconceptions of the Western world. The Western society’s stereotypical view of Muslim women is misplaced. People picture a woman covered head to toe in
Now more than ever the Muslim faith is being put into the spotlight. America continues attempts at banning 7 Muslim majority countries from entering the country. With all this negative publicity, there has been an increase in hate crimes towards Muslim people. It is often hard to tell a person’s faith just by their appearance. However, women who practice Islam are required to wear veils which cover their hair. By wearing the veil these women are susceptible to hate crimes since they can be identified as practicing Muslims. Additionally, in the Western society the women who wear the veil are often seen as oppressed. Homa Hoodfara, a professor at Concordia University, discusses the Western Societies’ views on veiled Muslim women in her article The Veil in their Minds and On Our Heads: The Persistence of Colonial Images of Muslim Women. In this article Homa discusses the negative interpretation that the Western society has on the veil. She also explains how these negative views contribute to prejudice views and the discrimination of veiled women. Lastly, Homa tries to explain how veiled Muslim women and women in general living in the Western society both suffer from female oppression.
The choices of females are often decided for them. This paper will focus on the young Muslim female and discuss the freedom and oppression attributed to veiling. The hijab is a religious and cultural head covering that post pubescent females choose to adopt to represent their heritage and devotion to Islam through chastity. The hijab has become controversial in Western countries as issues of patriarchy, gender equality, female choice, cultural resistance and racism have become embodied in the veil. The Muslim body has become a symbol, with various cultures forcing differing value and meaning onto the personal choice of being veiled or unveiled. Young Muslim girls are expected to assume an asexual lifestyle that protects and hides them from
The article authored by Lila Abu-Lughod explores Egypt from 1978 to 1980 in to the world of the Awlad 'Ali Bedouins, more specifically the worlds apart the men and women live in. The author aims to make a compelling argument that not all Muslim people, especially women, share the same ideology or methodology. She aims to provide the truth about the social morals, values, and lifestyles in general through her two year immersion with the Bedouin women located in the Egyptian Western Desert.
The Rihla, book of travels, was a “record of Ibn Battuta’s experiences, as well as his observations
The issue begins with Westerners’ false idea that Middle Eastern women envy them when in fact, they are very proud of who they are. What Muslim women envy are the positions of authority and the lack of poverty western women have. Their religion is important to them and who they are defines their culture and place in
Should be submissive and caretakers to their husbands which is made to be a historical been ideal feminine traits. Old-fashioned African society looked upon women as eternally dependent on men. Women have to be secure and directed by men. Women are often objects of utilization, and a source of wealth to men who handle them like personal property. For instance, in West Africa people subjected that married women should earn money
The Islamic world remains today a vast land stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, with an important presence in Europe and America. (Lecture 8/6) Being colonized for a quite a long time, North African coutries wishes to live at peace with the West as well as the East but at the same time not to be dominated by them. For many centuries, they had been functioning as the “cross-roads” (Clancy-Smith, 1) of culture, politic, trade, science and many more, and it still wishes to devote its religion, resources and energies to building crossroads.
•In many Muslim countries, strict standards exist regarding the appearance and behaviour of Muslim women, who must carefully cover themselves in