A Woman's Place in Islam? What Is That All About?
I have long wondered why in all the photos of rallies shown in the Middle East, there are no women visible? As the camera pans over the audience time after time, there are only men not even women in the back. Is it that the women are not allowed to participate in rallies or popular events? Is it that women do not have a place in expressing viewpoints and that only men can do so? Why exactly is this? Just consider the rallies held in Lebanon that were all over the news as examples, throngs of men, with no women present.
If you are a Middle Eastern Muslim woman, maybe you can tell me. If you are a Muslim man, stand aside and let the women comment here as this is their platform to express their views.
I acknowledge that women have a different place in Muslim cultures than they do in American and Western cultures, and that is not necessarily a bad thing, just different. I acknowledge that Islam expresses that women and men should not mingle together in religious places, but why is that and why the separation in public places as well? It seems to me that some of these rules are about men not being able to control themselves when in the proximity of women not about putting women in their place.
Here is an interesting article that speaks from a Muslim Cleric's point of view on women not wearing head scarves and that when their head is uncovered they should expect men to "hit" on them and that they deserve the attention and possible sexual overtures possibly including rape by their uncovered head. His comments have been widely criticized, and rightly so. But I just have to ask what is it that is so sexy or forbidden in Islam about someone's hair that to be considered dressing modestly, it must be covered?
Why is it that in Saudi Arabia women are not allowed to drive by law? What is that all about? Are the women such bad drivers that this had to be instituted or was this a male dominated society trying to keep a woman at home? Don't Saudi women chafe at that? Why is that considered an Islamic thing to do and yet in Iran women drive, they still wear head scarves, but they drive.
Why is it in Afghanistan that most women wear full bourkas versus the head scarf? I doubt they drive there either as it would be hard to do with a bourka on. Why is that?
If the Koran is a freeing influence for women and allows them to express their views, why is it only in the home environment or with other women that they can do that? They are clearly not out in public expressing their views or at rallies. And why is there such a disparity between the treatment of women in the name of Islam in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan.
I am not encouraging rebellion, but rather am expressing common questions that people in the West have on the topic of Islam and women, head scarves, and dressing modestly, as well as being separated from men in public. I welcome your education of my ignorance. Please click comments below to tell me so that I will understand the reasons for these actions and customs.
If you are a Middle Eastern Muslim woman, maybe you can tell me. If you are a Muslim man, stand aside and let the women comment here as this is their platform to express their views.
I acknowledge that women have a different place in Muslim cultures than they do in American and Western cultures, and that is not necessarily a bad thing, just different. I acknowledge that Islam expresses that women and men should not mingle together in religious places, but why is that and why the separation in public places as well? It seems to me that some of these rules are about men not being able to control themselves when in the proximity of women not about putting women in their place.
Here is an interesting article that speaks from a Muslim Cleric's point of view on women not wearing head scarves and that when their head is uncovered they should expect men to "hit" on them and that they deserve the attention and possible sexual overtures possibly including rape by their uncovered head. His comments have been widely criticized, and rightly so. But I just have to ask what is it that is so sexy or forbidden in Islam about someone's hair that to be considered dressing modestly, it must be covered?
Why is it that in Saudi Arabia women are not allowed to drive by law? What is that all about? Are the women such bad drivers that this had to be instituted or was this a male dominated society trying to keep a woman at home? Don't Saudi women chafe at that? Why is that considered an Islamic thing to do and yet in Iran women drive, they still wear head scarves, but they drive.
Why is it in Afghanistan that most women wear full bourkas versus the head scarf? I doubt they drive there either as it would be hard to do with a bourka on. Why is that?
If the Koran is a freeing influence for women and allows them to express their views, why is it only in the home environment or with other women that they can do that? They are clearly not out in public expressing their views or at rallies. And why is there such a disparity between the treatment of women in the name of Islam in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Turkey, and Afghanistan.
I am not encouraging rebellion, but rather am expressing common questions that people in the West have on the topic of Islam and women, head scarves, and dressing modestly, as well as being separated from men in public. I welcome your education of my ignorance. Please click comments below to tell me so that I will understand the reasons for these actions and customs.
I appreciate the one eyed comment you made on lack of equality between men and women in Islam which you daringly asked to be educated. Here is a source that you are familiar with if you are a christian: Check your Bible, Second Coranthian and read what Saint Poul says about equality among Followers. If you are in the know of what he says, then you are of the type who shuts his/her eyes delibrately to tremp on others in order to hide his/her ignorance.American women and their ilk kowtow to the luring comment of their men who turn them to sex machines. Refer to Dr Phil's show on a certain town in your America whose church leader marries as many women as his whims desire.The Guana tragedy is also an indelible case.
Posted by Anonymous | Sat Oct 28, 02:01:00 PM EDT
How ludicrous...To pick out individual people who live immoral life styles and wash the whole of America with the same soap, is ridiculous. You may as well say that because Europe and America have a fair number of fundamentalist, suicide bombing, nutcases who are hell bent on dominating the countries they have been allowed to live in, that the whole of muslim society is the same.The truth is that anyone, individually or corporatly, whose desire is to dominate through force,is not following God in any way shape or form because domination is demonic. Fundamental Islam is an evil that comes straight from the pit of hell, and masses of poor muslim women have no option but to suffer under the hands of the men who want to make their lives as vile as possible. Let them try living under a burka and see how they like it... stop the men driving cars... give the women the right to beat their men..let the women go around raping the men because their faces are on show, and let the men be put to death for it afterwards. Huge numbers of muslim women try to kill themselves by setting themselves on fir, using one of the few things availiable to them..cooking oil, in order to escape from the ungodly cruel monsters they have been forced to marry.
Posted by Bemused | Tue Oct 31, 05:02:00 AM EST
I agree wholeheartedly. Muslim men dominate their wives totally. The women have no freedom at all. People who like dominating others have a real problem with their own identity, usually having a low self worth which turns them into bullies.. It's quite funny really knowing that all those swaggering muslim nutters who spew their hate filled rhetoric on the streets, all have the inner knowledge that they are of no worth..and they have to dominate their women and the world, to show they are REAL MEN.
Posted by quias | Tue Oct 31, 05:13:00 AM EST