Women in the Middle East

5/7/2012

This week e are going to begin discussing the roles and perceptions of women in the Middle East. Read the following two articles and post your comments here. Do you agree with any aspect of the two articles? Is there something that is missing or not discussed that you think is important to know about how women live in the Middle East (particularly in Egypt)?

What Factors Determine the Changing Roles of Women in the Middle East and Islamic Societies?
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/questions/women/#quran
Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this article and watch the Related Video on Veiling and Feminism!

Why Do They Hate Us?
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/04/23/why_do_they_hate_us?print=yes&hidecomments=yes&page=full

20 Comments

Adam

5/7/2012 01:25:19 am

For the first article, I agree with all of its aspects, mainly because it shows the "real deal" views of women's rights in Islam. It also shows the achievements women have done in aspects of being religious leaders and showing personal abilities amongst other aspects. It also goes in depth on the actual concept of the veil, which is something that many Westerners approach with a stereotypical point of view. For the second article, I did not agree so much with its concept. It seemed biased, as it focuses entirely on her view on the treatment of women in the Middle East in what seems to be entirely negative. And I do agree that these negative aspects should be dealt with, to allow women more freedom. Her point of a man starting the Arab spring and the women ending is something that I would not see happening. It is possible, but all political troubles have varied results, so nobody knows what to expect. I think both articles in a way acted as opposites of each other. The PBS one acted as a positive view in the lives of women in terms of the rights they have. The "foreign policy" article acted a a negative view of the treatment of women in the Middle East, although that article by the very end seemed to an extent hopeful.

Factors that would determine the roles of women are their roles in the community and in the government. Aiming for more rights, greater freedom, and more expansion into the societies they live in also act as factors for them, as they feel somewhat oppressed and limited on what they can actually achieve. Their determination to achieve these goals may very well be the biggest factor, as without that determination none of these goals may actually get anywhere.

Hussein

5/7/2012 03:33:27 am

After reading both articles objectively, I have come to the conclusion that they cover the two extremes on women in Islam. The PBS article, covering the history of women in Islam and the prominent women in Islam, speaks correctly and factually on the perception of Islamic women. Women are not objectified nor undermined in Islam, although they do not always have the equal rights of men, as in education and voice, but they are extremely valued and awarded. Being an Islamic woman doesn’t strictly forbid you from being a person, rather, there are many women that have had roles such of those of men. There have been many women that were on battlefields as leaders, and leaders politically and socially. Fortunately, recently women have acquired several leadership roles such as political figures and prominent executives. Unfortunately, they are not treated one hundred percent as men. In Egypt today, women are given several leadership roles but not equally to men, due to either the lack of interest or popularity because of the close-mindedness of men in power. Most of the society welcomes women but don’t always acknowledge their presence. I generally agree with the view of Middle-eastern women by the Western world, but they sometimes view them as being harshly treated. I’m not denying the fact that they are sometimes ripped off by society, but when that happens, it is greatly frowned upon but not correctly condemned, as seen in the Foreign Policy article. Middle-eastern women deserve more rights and privileges than they get, but it should not interfere with their religious views and religion. They should be equally treated as any other human being and other [men] in society.

Baheya Mansi

5/7/2012 03:57:08 am

I totally agree with the first article because it summarizes everything about women in the Arab World, their role, looks and accomplishments. It shows that Arab women are not only about being veiled, but they have accomplished various things the past years. They also talked about the veil and how foreigners should stop looking at veiled women in a weird way and end the stereotypes. Being veiled is a choice made women because it is an extremely religious thing that other cultures must respect. Women have the ability to achieve their goals in society without seeking help from the men. They used a good example of a strong woman, Aisha, Prophet Mohamad's wife. She was very powerful, both personally and politically. I also liked that they talked about the Quran, and how it was stated that men and women should be treated equally in terms of education, marriage/divorce, property and public participation. I think that this article covered mostly everything about the role/ treatment of women in the society.
"Why do they hate us?" is an article that talks about how women have the power to act but are not given the rights to express their thoughts. Sexual harassment in Egypt is 80% and is high in other countries as well. Women are not getting the respect they should normally get. In Saudi Arabi, in a fire, 15 girls died because the firefighters didn't save them because they weren't veiled. The parents didn't say anything about it. It is not a normal thing to do, but they couldn't say anything. I agree with this article when they said that "the revolutions were started by a man and they will end by a woman." They also gave us powerful examples of accomplishments by women in the society. These examples gave me hope that one day, women will finally be heard. Both articles sent a message about women and I totally agree everything that was said.

Raya

5/7/2012 04:06:57 am

In the first article, it is clearly described about the rights that the religion gives versus the rights that are given by each type of society. It says that the society imposes more restrictions on women than the religion. I completely agreed with it that it is not the religion that is taking away the freedom of women, instead it is the society. The article even had written what the Quran has regarding women. It clearly shows that women have rights to own property, have freedom and are the same in the eyes of God. Yet, some countries impose more restrictions on women that show they are inferior. For example, Saudi Arabia does not allow women to drive and Yemen’s literacy rate for women is very low. The article mentioned individual women who like Zaynab al-Ghazali , Razia, Amina. These women are leaders whose leaderships are no less than men. It tells us that about women’s achievement politically, socially, and economically. Now, women’s role has advanced a lot, yet there are still many women in the world who are abused and objectified because of their gender. According to law, women in most countries should be treated parallel to men but this is not always the case in reality. The video talks about the main idea of being veiled and covered. The idea is about being modest. The second article raises the issues of objectification of women, abusing of women by men, and it gives examples of different types of problems that occur to a women for being a women or for wearing veils. It was very surprising that some girls did not wear veils; they were left to die by the police and fire fighters in an accident. This show that it is not the government or religion that suppress freedom of women; it is the people and society themselves that have such a perspective where women have lower position than men. So, I agree with the aspect of both the articles. There was not anything lack in the first article but I certainly think that they could have mentioned not only about women in Middle East but also women in other regions who are facing same problems or being objectified. The writer was perspective was radical in the second article. It gives us accounts of different incidents in which women are being treated badly. It makes us aware that even in today’s world when women are advanced and are competing with men, such things happen.

Nehal

5/7/2012 04:15:31 am

I do agree with mostly everything the two articles say. I believe, however, that the second article is more accurate than the first one. The first article, in my opinion, is a bit too extreme. It, however, shows some degree of truth. Men actually use Islam as their pitiful excuse to treat women badly. Islam, the enlightened religion it is, encourages men to treat their wives equally and with respect. It never said women belong at home, with just the sole purpose to give birth to children. It never states anywhere that a women should be denied education or beaten up. It does ask women to dress modestly and in a well-mannered way, like most religions do. There are some people who hide behind the cloak of Islam and use it as an excuse to undermine women on the political, education, and humanitarian level. That does not mean that all Muslim men do that or that Islam encourages such a pugnacious action. Women in Egypt, especially, have a lot of freedom. A woman can dress however she likes and she won't be touched. She will most likely just get a few (maybe more than a few) disapproving looks and slightly rude comments. I am not going to claim that all of Egypt's population is enlightened when it comes to this matter, but compared to other countries, the majority are. Most women in Egypt are treated with respect and equality. It is only in the lower classes that one might see a case where a man beats his wife constantly or forces his daughter to marry at an extremely young age. One can usually blame such action on the uneducated and unenlightened state that the man is in. It can also be blamed on the cultural traditions and the society that man lives in, like article two stated. Sadly for women, however, the extremists who hide behind the cloak of Islam, like the Salafis and the Muslim Brothers, are starting to gain power. They do, and they will continue to, use Islam as an excuse to undermine women and subordinate them to men. The question to be asked is not what is the state of women in the Middle East right now. It should be: What will happen to women if such extremists gain power and control?

Farah

5/7/2012 05:20:33 am

Of course I agree with the first article! None of the information on it is false. On the contrary! Some of the information is actually much more clear to me, a Muslim girl, because of this article. Islam has a lot of rules that are to be followed by men and by women. However, people such as Sheikhs shouldn't force women to put on a veil. Countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran not only suggest that women should wear a veil, they actually punish women if they aren't veiled. This is something that is clarified in the article. Islam wants women to be veiled, but it wants people to be fully convinced before actually doing it. Just because you're veiled doesn't mean you'll go to heaven, and just because you don't have a veil on, doesn't mean you'll go to hell. There's a lot more to Islam that just that. This is one thing that the articles haven't clarified to the Western, non-Muslim part of the world. Although people hate the fact that class and wealth have to do with how powerful a person is, it is something that cannot be denied. It has been stated in the first article that rich, high-class women have many more rights than poor, low-class women.
In the second article, the use of the phrase 'treated like animals' to describe how women are treated by men really annoyed me. Women are equal to men in all ways and shouldn't be discriminated that way. The virginity tests that women have to go through and having their genitals cut are two things that I just cannot understand. This is very humiliating to women and I have no idea why women put up with this. If the first women who had to go through such a terrible experience stood up for herself and tried doing something about it, women wouldn't have been looked down upon. I hope no more women have to experience any of the discriminating, humiliating things they've been experiencing since the beginning of time.

Sarah

5/7/2012 05:21:19 am

Ranna

5/7/2012 05:29:19 am

When I read the first article, I found that I agree with all aspects of it. It talked about how Islam gives Muslim women many rights and some that were not even practiced by Western women until the 19th century. The article mentioned that the Quran stated that men and women are equal in the eyes of God. Some women rights mentioned in the Quran include equal education for girls and boys, right for women to own property, right to divorce and marry, and right to participate in politics. A very good example they mentioned that I really liked was the role of Aisha, the wife of Prophet Muhammad, in politics and even her participation in the Battle of Camel. Also, Khadija, the first wife of Prophet Muhammad, was a successful businesswoman. She hired Prophet Muhammad to work for her and then proposed marriage to him. This clearly proves that Islam grants women many rights that should continue to be practiced and no country should oppose any of this. Many cultures believe that Muslim women are not allowed to work, learn, or have any rights. For example, women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia and they do not have the same rights as men. Saudi Arabia is an Islamic country and it should know what the Quran said about women. Also, both men and women are required to dress modestly and this should not be a reason to believe that women are not allowed rights. Being veiled is a choice that many Muslim women make because it is what Islam requires and people all over the world should not use this to undermine rights of Muslim women.

The second article talked about sexual harassment, how women are badly treated, and how they don’t have equal rights as men. Even though I agreed with the first article that talked about women’s rights, I also agree that many countries are not allowing women to practice these rights. I agree with this article because many women are facing these problems in the Middle Eastern countries and especially a lot in Egypt. Something that really annoyed me was the part that talked about women getting beaten up “with good intentions.” How can there be good intentions in beatings? Also, women continue to lack equal rights as men in many Islamic countries. For example, in Yemen, 55% of women are illiterate and only one woman serves in the parliament. In Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to vote, drive or have any rights as men. This only shows that many countries are not following the Quran on women’s rights and they believe that women are subordinate to men. In a survey in Egypt, more than 80% of women were found to have been harassed at a point in their lives and more than 60% of men admitted to harassing women. Those are the ones that admitted but many more may have been harassed by someone or harassed someone. I believe that women must have the same equal rights as men, as mentioned in the Quran, and that gender inequality should come to an end.

Abdelrahman

5/7/2012 06:39:43 am

I agree with the views or the point of view of the first article, its portrays women as prominent people whether they are Muslims or not, and that they could very well take on the roles of men at some times, they might not always be held in 'equal' regards as men but they do play a huge, important role in life as the article has shown. There were many prominent, famous women in Islamic history. Being an Islamic woman doesn’t necessarily limit you to being a housewife; rather, there are many women that have had roles such of those of men. There have been many women that were on battlefields as leaders, as well as political and social leaders. I do not agree with the foreign policy article. Hate is a strong word; I do not believe that men HATE women, granted some take women and their kindness for granted, emphasis on the word "some." Others simply believe they are under appreciated, being the only member of the household whom is forced to labor and provide food, water and proper living conditions for the rest of the family. And others, simply do not agree that women take leadership roles, for many reasons, one; they would not have time to take care of the house hold, after all, a woman is suppose to be the lady of the house. Two; it presents men with a dilemma, as some men perhaps feel "less of a man" if they 'allow' their wives to work for example. These two articles do a great job in providing the two extreme points of views on the matter, however, no matter what the circumstances are; there should be democracy and equality between all men and women, to be provided the option to do whatever they please with no consequence, in both public/social life, and household life as well.

Priyanka

5/7/2012 06:43:02 am

I agree with the first article because it talks about the rights women get. I believe that it’s very important to know what the Islamic religion beliefs in and what’s actually written in the Quran. Muslim women should get everything they deserve and equal rights. The Quran states that men and women are equal in front of God. It also says to educate daughters. The veil that is known as a religion is actually not religious it’s a symbol of social class. Accordingly to the Quran men and women dress modestly. Islamic religion is followed by the Quran then why is there a gap between the men and women? Women should get all of the rights that they deserve according to their holy book. The rights should be equal not looking at whether their rich or poor, men or women.
The article Why do they hate us? , is about sexual harassment and how women get disgraced. In Saudi Arabia 15 girls died just because they were not veiled. The police stopped the firefighters from rescuing them just because they were not veiled and did not wear cloaks. According to the first article the Quran says that women don’t have to be veiled. Then on what bases did they do that? I liked the first article better because it said everything that Muslim women are allowed to do and all the rights that they have. The second article talks about harassment and how women are disgraced and some events that happened.

Sarah

5/7/2012 07:45:03 am

All over the world, but especially in the Middle East, sexual harassment runs rampant. In Libya, women who were victims of sexual assault were forced into "social rehabilitation centers" and were not allowed to leave unless accompanied by a male relative or suitor. This is appalling that women are being "blamed," as if there is something wrong with them, because they were the ones that got raped. Muslim men blame the women for getting raped because they dressed too provocatively, when this is almost never the case. Muslim women dress conservatively and are most often veiled, devoutly following their religious dogma that states that Muslim men and women should both dress modestly. Only women in rural areas tend to dress less conservatively and are frequently not veiled, just like in Libya. Urban and elite women are the ones that are more strict in their dress. In the Middle East, veiling rules varies from country to country. In Turkey, the state is more secular, so women are not permitted to be veiled in public offices, whereas in Iran or Afghanistan, strict laws on women's dress are used to stress the religious orientation of their own specific governments. I believe that there should be equality for both men and women in dress and all aspects of life. Some women were denied inheriting property from the death of a husband in the past, but now women are able to fight for "custody" of the land. This goes to show also how far women have gone by attaining some freedoms, however, today women are still considered to be subordinate to men for a variety of reasons. One reason that women are considered to be inferior to men is that they simply are not men. What I mean by this is that in some countries, it is condoned for men to beat up or punish with a shameful death their wives or pregnant teenage daughters if they have dishonored your family by cheating or having premarital sex.
I am in acquiesce with most of the "Why Do They Hate Us?" article, however, I believe that the author bashes the religion of Islam too strongly. Assuming she is a staunch feminist, she has an extremely powerful voice that she uses to clearly and capably articulate her argument, however, she does not address all sides of the argument- the men that do not use Islam as a "shield" to hide behind while they use it to blame any matter on their wives and assert male dominance over the women in their family.

In the other article, I found it interesting because it thoroughly addressed women that have been political and social leaders for a small portion or a substantial amount of time. Women have been obtaining many leadership positions even today, with some countries of the world having female presidents. However, I do not believe any Middle Eastern country will ever have a female leader in my lifetime. The women of the world have been pushing for rights since the 19th century and it is almost as if we are going backwards in time when women are being forced to wear veils in Saudi Arabia. In the Middle East, women have not made much progress in their movements for equality due to it being pardoned by law for a man to kill his pregnant underage daughter.
Women in Egypt have a number of rights, more than other Middle Eastern countries. This includes freedom of speech and freedom of dress. The women of Egypt, the feminists in particular, have potent voices that they use to speak up and create change. Women played an immense part in the Arab uprisings in Egypt, fighting for freedom from oppression and all sorts of rights as well for women. Women are also free to wear whatever they please, whereas in Saudi Arabia, women are forced to be veiled. I believe that women that are forced to be veiled are victims of severe oppression. Women should choose to wear the veil either as the traditional sign of social status or when they decide that they are "religiously ready" that they will wear it for the rest of their lives. In the Middle East, women differ from women in the United States. Women in the United States expose more of their bodies and Hollywood promotes the commercial celebration of the female body. In Muslim women's points of view, this is abuse to the beauty of women. Muslim women in Middle Eastern countries believe that veiling is a way to cover a woman's body and to dress modestly, not making men focus on their psychical appearance, but to make them look into their eyes and fall in love with them for their beautiful personalities. Other rights that Egyptian women have are the privilege of driving. In Saudi Arabia, it is illegal for women to drive because the Saudi Arabian men believe that if women drive, promiscuity will increase because their wives may sneak around with other men.
Women say that they want more rights and want to be equal to men, but in the West, women are being treated as objects and losing their self confidence. How can women ask for rights and participation in government, but at the same time only focus on their appearances?

Faisal

5/7/2012 02:03:59 pm

I agree with all aspects of the first article. It talkes about how Islam gives Muslim women many rights and some that were not even practiced by Western women until the 19th century. It also explains that, simply by being a Muslim woman, that does not hinder your ability to be a normal, functioning member of the society. It also talks about how many women were given important roles of leadership and prominance throughout islamic history, not just in recent years. Some were political leaders, others are religious leaders, and others simply have important roles in their societies. There are many examples that proves that Islam grants women many rights that should continue to be practiced and no country should oppose any of this; many of which are of Prophet Muhammad's wives. Many cultures believe that Muslim women are not allowed to work, learn, or have any rights, but that is not true, women have the choice to education, work, and other things in many places. Being a Muslim woman does not limit your humanity or degrades a woman compared to a non-muslim woman. The second article talked about sexual harrasment and how men are treated badly by men in the middle east in particular. It portrays women as second class citizens which is a disturbing, demeaning, and unacceptable image for both women and men. Fortunately, women had begun to take leadership roles recently, which has increased they role and involvment in the society. Hopefully, soon enough there will be an end to sexual harrassment as well.

Mounzer

5/7/2012 03:52:29 pm

The first article talks about women in general and then specifically talks about Muslim women in the Middle East. Women are looked down upon in the Middle East because of the culture not because of their relign. There are many non-Muslim women who don't have rights in the Middle East. Western people think that Muslim women have no rights whatsoever. That is not true at all. There are some rules that Muslim women have that Christian women or women from other religions don't have. For example, Islam gives women the right to divorce their husbands. Western women are allowed abortions but Muslim women are not. The veil is also misinterpreted. Although it is required, it should not be implemented by law. A Muslim women that is not veiled in Saudi Arabia will be punished severely.
The second article is an article that I personally didn't like, but agreed with. It's true that women are mistreated in the Middle East but that's because the men are illiterate and have no idea that women are supposed

Mounzer

5/7/2012 03:54:08 pm

....are supposed to be treated exactly the same as women. Many things prove this point, some of which are the Muslim women who participated in the battles, and the western women who are queens, parliamentary members and important people in the society.

Youssef

5/7/2012 04:38:58 pm

I agree with the first article and its aspects. Most women in the Arab world follow the Qur’an. The Qur’an gives the women proper rights that are equivalent to the ones of males in some way. Also, the article discussed the influential roles many women had played in the Middle East. Women such as Egyptian singer “Umm Kalthoum” had an influence on Arabian people. Egyptians consider Umm Kalthoum’s voice as the voice of conscience of Egypt. She is still recognized today by all Arabian countries. Although the Qur’an provides women with rights, it suggests that women should cover their body as a symbol of modesty. However, many countries think differently about women laws and consider that wearing a veil symbolizes a woman to be subordinate to a man. The second article focused more on women abuse and the way women are treated in society. The issue in Saudi Arabia where the police didn’t save the girls because they weren’t veiled was extremely brutal. As a result 15 girls died. The article tries to send a message by stating that women are not receiving proper treatment in the Arab world. However, it’s neither religion nor heritage that is causing that flaw, it is the minds of people and society that is causing the harm.

Ashley

5/7/2012 04:51:06 pm

I truly agree with the first article, “Why do they hate us,” but I find the second one to be more moderate and fair. I believe that all the issues discussed in the first article and true but might be a bit harsh on the people of Middle East. It solely recognizes the bad things going on this region and states anomalous occurrences that happened in chosen countries in the Middle East. Although, some countries do have it worse than the others, for example Saudi Arabia has some of the most fetter laws on women rights. They aren’t allowed to drive and doing so will be punished severely and be required a royal pardoning. Also, another bizarre example of unfair laws on women, is that when a women was gang raped in Saudi Arabia, she was punished solely because on the fact that she agreed upon entering a car with strangers. I agree with the second article because women are supposed to have equal rights as men. In the Quran, it was mentioned that women are supposed to be educated, allowed to work, get divorced, and inherit property. Also, Khadija, the first wife of Prophet Muhammad, was a businesswoman. So, as I mentioned earlier, I absolutely agree with both articles, women should have equal rights and the second article already starts mentioning the ways to make a change.

Nadim

5/7/2012 05:26:27 pm

I personally agree with first article, since Islam grants women rights, similar to those of men. However Islam requires women to be modest in life. Being modest includes dressing conservatively and respecting Islamic law of marriage. Many Muslim women were influential to the society. For example an Iranian women won the Noble peace prize last year. Speaking of the veil, the veil is something that a Muslim woman should consider doing because it is something that the Islamic religion requires. However, if the government implements it and a woman is not convinced, God will not give her any blessings for it because it isn’t her choice and she isn’t convinced. A woman should be veiled with the intentions of doing so. There are several reasons to why women decide not to get veiled, and that’s because of the stereotypes that come along with it. Veiled women all over the word are treated differently. In France women are fined for wearing a Niqub, which is more extreme than a veil. Women all over the world should have the freedom of expressing their religion, without mistreatment being an issue. In some Islamic countries, women are starting to receive roles in government. For example women are allowed in parliament in Egypt, but the percentage of seats reserved for women are extremely low compared to those of men. There are only 6 women in Egypt’s People’s National Assembly. Women are probably deprived of power due to the narrow mindedness of men, or their fear of being lead by a woman. I personally think that women should get and equal chance in society to men, but in Egypt, six women in parliament is a start. Egypt is a country which suppressed women for several years, but it is very recent were women started to stand up and speak up for their rights, however they do not show the urge to participate in government, but that is probably because of their fear of speaking up. I believe that women’s rights is an issue that will be resolved, and time will improve a women’s status in an Islamic society.

Autumn

5/7/2012 05:34:45 pm

In the first article called, "Why Do They Hate Us?" the feminist author talks about how women are being treated unfairly in society all over the world. Women are equal to men on paper with few freedoms, but social inequalities exist between genders. Women are constantly "persecuted" and harassed all over the world, but more so in the Middle East. In some countries, the criminal code states that men can beat their wives and not get into any trouble if they do it with "good intentions" or have a good reason for doing so, such as a wife not being loyal to her husband. Many men hide behind the "mask" of Islam, "rightfully" asserting their superiority over women. However, this is not realistic or valid because in Islam, men are encouraged to treat their wives with respect. Islam also promotes men and women to dress modestly. If a woman gets raped, man and society blames her for dressing "provocatively," when it has been known that many women who were raped were fully-veiled and wearing burqas. This is an absolute outrage that women are being blamed for being harassed when they are in fact the victims.
Women are not treated equally as men, however many women have come to power and have participated actively in politics over the course of history. These influential women assert influence over their peoples and are revered as great political leaders today, even if they have not spent a significant amount of time in politics.
Women in Egypt are given a number of rights, including freedom of press and freedom of speech. Egyptian journalists can write basically about anything they want now that is fit to print, especially with the newfound freedom of speech due to the revolution in Egypt. Women can wear whatever they wish, say whatever they please, however some consequences of this result in women being given "disapproving" looks by other conservative Muslim women and men as well as men not liking the new more open, modern women that do wish to speak up against prejudice with their powerful voices. They can make a difference. I strongly believe that women will be in more positions of power than what history's hand has dealt them so far. If women speak up against this view that women are subordinate to men, they can will become confident, empowered by their desire to make a change in the world, forever shattering the illusion that women are inferior to men. Equality of men and women in society is the next step to making our modern world even more outstanding, advanced, and to-be-remembered than it already will be.

Hasnae

5/7/2012 05:41:23 pm

The first article “Why do they hate us”, explains the reality of women in the Middle East, and proves people’s belief that they were wrong. Many never knew that women in the Middle East have as much power as it was mentioned in the article. When it comes to having a conversation of women in the Middle East, people would discuss about how much freedom is being taken away from them. Women there are known as forced by their husband to wear a veil, when it is false. Also that they cannot do much without getting permission. This article can finally show who women in the Middle East are. In the second article, it mentions that all women, based on the Qur’an, deserve to have the same rights as men do. Education, getting a divorce and inherit property, are some of what it is mentioned in the holy book of Islam in which women must have the right to do. I agree with both articles, but mainly with the second one. Everyone deserves equal rights and are free to do whatever they want.

Alaa

6/12/2012 04:58:27 am

When thinking of women in the Middle East, mainly Saudi Arabia, the first thing comes to the mind is how many rights have been taken from them. I do not disagree with the idea that women all over the world should have rights equal to men. They have the right to work , to wear whatever they want (as long as it is appropriate ), they should not have to wear the veil if they do not want to. They should not be forced to wear the veil. The problem is the people ( mainly men ), they think the way you should treat your women is with force and that it is absolutely wrong for women to have the right to drive and to work . Recently there is big number of women are working in Saudi Arabia, but they cannot drive. it is the men who are being ignorant to keep women from driving. What gives them the right, to take the rights of others? However, there are many women don't wear the veil, they just wear the cloak . They can go where ever they want. what I am saying is even if the government allowed the women to take off the veil most of the men won’t let them. They can go to schools, colleges, and they can travel alone and all of these things. but other than driving and the " veil " they can do whatever they want. I personally think they should be given freedom, and if someone said more adultery will happens well I will tell him that you are wrong because the man can take the car and go wherever the women is . So that doesn't make any sense. Also, in the first article it was saying that women in 13th-17th centuries were in powerful positions, but people these days can’t understand it as well. One of the last wills of Prophet Muhammad is kindness to women. So it makes me wonder, why is all of this is happening in Saudi Arabia and some of the Middle East contries!?!?!?!

Women in the Middle East

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