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thesis paper on does islam oppress women
use of women in quran
use of women in quran
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Women in Muslim Society
Muslim society over the centuries has treated women as second class citizens. It's been this way since the beginning of time. Women are treated in this manor for a number of reasons, but all leading back to the Quran. Women are considered inferior to men, are treated unfairly in marriage, and even are oppressed legally, but all are approved of in the Quran. It describes in detail the way that a women is to be treated and the way a women should treat her husband. The Quran expresses the equality of the sexes in the following. "And their Lord answereth them, `I will not suffer the work of him among you that worketh, whether of male or female, to be lost. the one of you is the issue of the other."(Q 3:195) So while the Qur`an holds the works of men and women in equal regard and acknowledges that they are completely interdependent to their very existence, They are not regarded as having equal worth as people. The fact that men are a step above the women and superior to them is evident in the following verses. "And it is for the women to act as they (the husbands) act by them, in all fairness; but the men are a step above them."(Q 2:228) "Men have authority over women because Allah has made the one superior to the other."(Q4:34) Women are thought of as being lower in intellect and spirituals in comparison to men. In the Quran it states, "And of His signs is that He created for you, of yourselves, spouses, that you may repose in them."(Q 30"21)
This causes many Muslims to look at women as creations like the animals and plants and other useful things created by Allah. Muslims believe that women are lacking many of the traits that men possess. The believe that women are lacking gratitude as well as intelligence. The Hadith speaks of this subject saying,
"Women are ungrateful to their husbands and are ungrateful for the favours and the good (charitable) deeds done to them. If you have always been good
(benevolent) to one of them and then she sees something in you (not of her liking), she will say, `I have never received and good from you." Also women are not reliable witnesses due to their lack of intelligence and their emotional state. It is said that, "Women was made to bear and feed children. Therefore she is very emoti...
... middle of paper ...
...d on a prohibited degree.
5. If the marriage contract is imperfect (i.e. if she had sex with someone by mistake, the man thinking she was his
Wife)
6. If the wife is too young to have sex
7. If the wife is imprisoned even if innocent
8. If the wife doesn't surrender herself in his home on the day due to illness.
9. If a wife was raped
10. If a wife goes to perform a pilgrimage (she in this case would not be under her husbands care at this time)
These instances of inequality among men and women of Islam where not the isolated or uncommon examples. I found that for the most part this is the way the Islamic women live their day to day lives. Unusual to Americans this is the norm for that part of the world and many people both men and women are fighting to keep it that way. Many of their beliefs are suprising, but are their results justified? Their goal is to secure a descent wholesome family free of adultery and divorces. However unusual they believe their means are justified.
There was a time (not so long ago) when a man's superiority and authority wasn't a question, but an accepted truth. In the two short stories, "Desiree's Baby", and "The Yellow Wallpaper", women are portrayed as weak creatures of vanity with shallow or absent personalities, who are dependent on men for their livelihood, and even their sanity. Without men, these women were absolutely helpless and useless. Their very existence hinged on absolute and unquestioning submission…alone, a woman is nothing.
...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.
In the Koran women are repeatedly regarded as inferiors to men. Women are given less rights and privileges in contrast to men. Women are seen as objects to own and control, and not as equals.
Muslim women living in the US: A pilot study. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 10(3), 257–262. doi:10.1080/13694670600630556
The Bible requires that women must remain subordinate to the man who is the head of the family.
Men tend to feel more superior to others and think they deserve more which is what “the culture of Entitlement” is about “have a shockingly strong sense of male superiority and a diminished capacity for e...
One of the most famous contemporary ethnographic studies of women and gender within Islam is Erika Friedl’s Women of Deh Koh, in which her main concern seems to be providing he...
The omnipresence of the American and European culture in the countries of the Middle East is a universally recognized phenomenon. The culture, thoughts and status quo of the people have been and continually are being changed and challenged due the mass spread of American goods and ideas. The American national culture largely revolves around the wants, needs and goals of the individual. As the one of the greatest superpowers of the time, its influence on the global community towards the focus on the individual is nothing short of inevitable. The movies, clothing and new age mentality of America are sending all people regardless of age, upbringing and locale, into a grand scale social transition. The Arabs and Muslims beliefs, traditions and entire state of being are no longer as they were 20 or 30 years ago. The women of the novels, Nadia, Fatima, Umm Saad, Maha, Asya, and Su’ad, each living in various Arab countries with unique situations of their own, all are united on the common ground of American introduced idea and concepts of individualism through such venues as feminism, capitalism, sexism and consumerism which adversely affect their society.
Ideas on social and gender hierarchy are evident in this religious text. The Qur’an states that both men and women are spiritually equal and equally rewarded by God. But, as it continues, it goes on to state that, “Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because God has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means.” Men and women are said to be “spiritually equal”, yet men are still seen as stronger and women should be “devoutly obedient” to their husbands. Women subordination during the Middle Ages was shaped mostly by local culture, which varied with time and place. In early communities, women had more liberty, but by the mid 700’s, women began to be subordinated, especially elite women. Though the Qur’an guaranteed woman more rights than the Bible, it also subordinates wives to their husbands, and women’s inheritance to
The position that women have in religious scripture has given them a lesser spot in society. When God created a man it made sense to create his partner, the female. Because the man is created first and then the women from his rib, the female gender in religious scripture has been discriminated on. This is shown in the various books of the Old and New Testaments, teachings of Jesus Christ, and the Qur’an. First, the Old Testament illustrates women as the corrupter of men. Next, the teachings of Jesus show more equality among genders even though the New Testament does not. Finally, the Qur’an depicts women as having a subservient role to men allowing men to take advantage.
Smith, Jane I. “Women’s Issues in American Islam.” The Duncan Black MacDonald Center for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations. Hartford Seminary, Hartford CT, 2002. http://macdonald.hartsem.edu/smithart1.htm.
The Koran's Attitude Towards Women. The Koran is a book about the religion of the Muslim people. In it, many aspects of their ways of life and their attitudes towards different people are addressed. It mentions the strong feelings of the true believers towards Jews and Christians, however it gives a view of women that is taken two ways.
Ali, Yusuf. The Holy Qur’an; Translation and Commentary. Ludhiana: Lahore, 1934. Al-Bukhari, Muhammed Ibn Ismaiel. Sahih Bukhari. Trans. M. Muhsin Khan. Vol. 8. Riyadh: Darussalam, 1997. Print.
In this story, as it is the women who are inferior, it is them doing
...el the status of women in the Muslim world today as "Islamic" is as far from the truth as labeling the position of women in the West today as "totally liberated and equal".