I took this class as a writing intensive class and I enjoyed every moment in this class. At the beginning, I was assuming it would be a dull wring class with lots of weekly assignments. However, we had a weekly two page written assignment based on our readings and the lecture in class and the rest was discussion, sharing our ideas and views and listening to the lectures of fascinating guest speakers. We had guest speakers every class after our midterms. The speakers were Muslims who came from various different backgrounds and they shared their personal experiences of religion. Some of them converted themselves to Islam from other religions and they shared with us what intrigued them to this religion and how it happened to come about.
Before taking this class, I had minute knowledge on so many aspects of Islam that had been exposed to me only after taking this class. It expanded my mind to new ideas and gave me a new perspective about Islam and its laws and applications. My most favorite aspect of Islam is its respect towards women. I have not seen women being respected to this extent in any other religion. People who are ignorant about Islam might think that Islam treats women as inferiors and always tries to keep them in disguise from the society. It is completely wrong. Islam does not insult women, on the contrary. It gives women the rights that she deserves and the position that she deserves because she is no less than the other creation. She is a female and she has equal rights as men in a way that suits for her and her gender responsibilities.
The attitude of the Qur'an and the early Muslims bear witness to the fact that woman is, at least, as vital to life as man himself, and that she is not inferior to him nor is she one of the lower species. Had it not been for the impact of foreign cultures and alien influences, this question would have never arisen among the Muslims. The status of woman was taken for granted to be equal to that of man. It was a matter of course, a matter of fact, and no one, then, considered it as a problem at all.
In order to understand what Islam has established for woman, there is no need to deplore her plight in the pre-Islamic era or in the modern world of today.
...ople. It is heart breaking to see how few women contribute, compare to what they can contribute to the society for the moral and prosperity of the country. Islam teaches tolerance and sacrifice for both men and women because we are one under God’s eye. Women are not the only one to learn tolerance, sacrifice and serve men. It is important for people to educate themselves and find the purpose in making this world a better place for women and children. In addition, I wish to make every woman aware of their individuality that they are worthy in and of themselves and not by the men in the society.
It is a bible. The Koran gives examples of the ways a woman needs to act in society. A woman is supposed to be there for their husband’s. A husband can marry multiple woman and the woman may not be upset. A woman may have a dowry, but it is highly favored to give a portion of it to their husband’s. A woman is not allowed to provide testimony, because she cannot be trusted. The women in this document I feel are treated unequal to the male.
Contrary to popular belief, Islam is a religion that respects the rights of women. I was raised in a devout Muslim household, and I was raised to believe that women in Islam are amazing and powerful creatures that deserve respect, and this has had a massive impact on the woman that I aspire to be.
...se Hosseini was able to conduct such fieldwork and effectively published Islam and Gender, it is obvious that Muslim feminists are in fact making great strides in achieving modification in Islamic jurisprudence.
Dating back to ancient times, the role of women has never reached true equality with men. We can trace this inequality back to as early as the great Athenian society, where life as we know it today started taking form. On the other side of the inequality, throughout the ancient history of the world, the roles and positions that women have had have improved over time. We can see this tracing time from Athens, to Sparta, the Roman Republic, it's Empire and the rise of Christianity. Although some of theses societies lived parallel in time, each one shows a difference in the way they treat women. Each one did not treat women the same, but the end result compared to the beginning is positive for women.
A woman was not seen as being equal to a man. This is clear in the laws dealing with marriage. Women were contractually obligated to remain with their husbands only, while their husbands were permitted to have a mistress or second wife. If a woman was caught with another man, she would be drowned (“The Code of Hammurabi”). Another thing that shows that women were not equal to men is the fact that they could be sold into slavery by their husbands at any time. Women did, however, have some rights such as the right to own property and the right to inherit and pass down that property. They also played very important roles in society. Some of these roles included shop owners, bakers, or scribes (Judge and Langdon,
It can easily be seen that while men were considered to be the most powerful and wisest humans and gods, women had the power to significantly influence these men. From Uta-napishti's wife who convinced Uta-napishti to tell Gilgamesh about the plant that would make him young again to the examples mentioned above, several women were put in roles that had important effects on the men they encountered. Of course, this is not much different from the society we live in today. While many may believe that women have still not reached the point of true equality, it is hard to say that they are inferior and the significance of their roles in society is undeniable.
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 of these times were obviously not equal to their male counterparts. In modern days however, women are thought of as equals in society. The problem is that they are still not being treated as equals in a religious aspect as well as many other aspects. Elizabeth A. Johnson draws attention to how, despite being considered equal in Genesis, women had their worth ignored “Consistently subordinated and demeaned in the theories, symbols, rituals, A large wave of pro women thinking has arisen in the form of feminist theology. This line of thought draws from Genesis and the idea that men and women were created equally.
differences, it is easy to see each religion as a monolithic entity existing separate from
Since it is the responsibility of males to provide for females, women are liberated from all social, political and economic obligations. They are freed from all these burdens so they can enjoy the joys of housework and child-bearing and caring. And this is regarded as the special status that Islam has accorded woman, thus liberating her from oppression and suppression over 1400 years ago.
The traditions of Islam revolve around the blessed words of Muhammad revealed to him through Allah. These revelations guide Muslims through not only the act of worship, but also through a lifestyle strictly designated in the words of the Qur'an. Those who criticize Islamic customs often accuse the Qur’an of attempting to govern society under prehistoric law. This holy book dates back to the lifetime of the prophet Muhammad in the 7th centuries Clearly times have changed; yet many Islamic customs have not evolved through time. One of the most controversial topics in Islam today addresses women’s issues. Popular American culture portrays Islamic women as veiled and silenced figures living in a world of submission. Feminist groups in the United States focus on Muslim women and attempt to liberate the strong hold of Islamic tradition on women’s freedom. Over 900 million Muslims continue to worship Allah worldwide. Islam continues to thrive as one of the major monotheistic religions across cultures and the followers of Islam respect and defend the words and customs laid out in the Qur’an.
On the board on Monday morning, there were numbers one through five and they each had a religion written next to them. 1 was Hinduism, 2 was Christianity, 3 was Judaism, 4 was Buddhism, and I was lucky enough to get 5: Islam. Oh, I know so much about Islam culture and their religion, are you kidding? I don’t even know where Islam is. I’m just kidding, it’s not a country. There are many differences between Islam and the United states like our religion, clothes, and food, and becoming a Christian or a Muslim, but Islam is the second largest religion in the world, so it’s important to a lot of people. The followers of Islam are called Muslims. Becoming a Muslim is not an easy process. You must do a long list of tasks. After you become a Muslim you must do everything in your power to try to have a good Muslim lifestyle.
The role of women in religious scripture dictates an inferior position in society. Beginning with the creation of Adam and then Eve, as his helpmate. Her purpose was that Adam would not be lonely. This origin provides the ground work for inequality of genders on the basis of religious scripture. The roles prescribed determined that women should be in a subordinate position to man. The female role and relationship with God is defined by the various books of the Old and New Testaments, the reported actions of Jesus Christ, and finally the Qur'an.
Muslim women have to dress modestly, may choose who their own husbands are, have the right to an education, and are able to lead other Muslim women in prayer and preach. Women of Islamic faith have more rights than what is stereotypically thought, such as Muslim women being controlled by their husbands and having no freedom. Stereotypes will continue to follow Muslim women, but they just brush them off and continue doing what they’re doing, which is something every person should do.