Term Paper on "Religion and Gender Focus on Islam"

Term Paper 8 pages (2355 words) Sources: 3 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Gender and Islam

Religion is a very important part of any society. Within the context of many religious groups, gender plays a major role in determining how individuals are treated and their position in society. In most major religions women are expected to take a more submissive role. The purpose of this discussion is to explore gender and religion as it pertains to Islam. The research will focus on the manner in which women have been treated different Muslim nations. The research will also focus on the role of men in Islamic Society.

Islam

Islam is a religion that is practiced throughout the world and particularly in the Middle East and Eastern nations. However Islam is also one of the most rapidly growing religions in the Western Hemisphere. There has long been a great deal of interests in the Islamic system of beliefs.

What many have come to understand in recent years is that there are certain branches within the religion. The two primary branches are Shiite and Sunni Muslims. Sunni Muslims hold that the first four successors after Mohammed, reffered to as caliphs, rightfully took Mohammeds position as Islamic leaders ("What is the Difference Between..."). In addition, Sunni Muslims believe that the successors of the four caliphs as genuine Islamic leaders. These successors were continuously in power in the Arab world until the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I ("What is the Difference Between...").

On the other hand, Shiites hold that only the heirs of the fourth caliph, are the legitimate successors of Mohammed. In the year 931 the Twelfth Imam vanished. This episode was particularly devastated Shiite Muslims. The author further explains that,

According to R. Scott Appleby, a professor of history at the University of Notre Dame, "Shiite Muslims, who are concentrated in Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon, [believe they] had suffered the loss of divinely guided political leadership" at the time of the Imam's disappearance. Not "until the ascendancy of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1978" did they believe that they had once again begun to live under the authority of a legitimate religious figure ("What is the Difference Between...")."

In addition to this major difference as it pertains to authentic leadership, these branches of Islam have been feuding for centuries. A great deal of the feuding had to do with which group is in positions of power within the muslim world. This feud is currently the most evident in Iraq and errupted in a significant way after the fall of Suddam Hussein.

Following the terrorists attacks of September, 11, 2001, there has been an increased interest in Islamic religious practices particularly as it pertained to the treatment of women in Afghanistan. Afghanistan was of particular interests because it was believed that the mastermind behind the attacks was hiding in Afghanistan with the support of the Taliban.

Women in Islam

Afghanistan and the Taliban great deal of this interest arose as a result of reports that began to surface about the Taliban in Afghanistan. Even prior to the terrorist attacks, there was some attention paid to this particular group of radical Muslims. The Taliban is a group of Muslim extremists that are notorious for their brutal treatment of women in Afghanistan.

The rulers and members of the Taliban are from some of the most conservative groups of Islam. According to Tell (2002) the Taliban begin in the wake of wars and civil unrest in that region of the world. By 1994 the Taliban had become a military force and they used the Islamic faith to justify all of the rules and punishments that they established. The Taliban asserted that the manner in which women were treated were consistent with the teachings of the Koran. However religious and Islamic scholars have posited that the edicts of the Taliban are not supported by the teachings of the Koran. Many have pointed out that the first task of the Prophet Mohammed first was to liberate women.

There were several edicts or regulations placed on women under Taliban rule. These regulations included the wearing of a Burqa, Male accompaniment, Education restrictions and limited access to medical physicians. The wearing of a Burqa was perhaps one of the most oppressing elements of life for women under Taliban rule. A burqa, also referred to as a chadari, is a full length covering with only an opening for the eyes. The author points out that, women in this area of the world wore burqas prior to the Taliban coming into power but it was always voluntary; when the Taliban came into power the wearing of the burqa become mandatory. The author also points out that the Burqa was so oppressive because the heavy cloth covering can induce panic, claustrophobia and headaches. it's a psychological hobbling for women that is akin to Chinese foot binding. it's also life threatening. Try negotiating a busy Kabul street-around donkey carts, careening buses and the Taliban roaring by in Datsun pickups -- when your hearing is muffled and your vision is reduced to a narrow mesh grid (Tell, 2002-page 8)."

Not only were women forced to wear the Burqa under Taliban rule, they could be punished brutally for not wearing one or not wearing it properly.

Although this was a serious issue, there were additional edicts under the Taliban that were even more detrimental such as limitations on the education of women. Under the Taliban schooling stopped at the age of eight for girls.

According to the author women and girls were the most resistant to this ban. This resistance came because the women knew that without an education they would be completely powerless. As such there were many teachers that had underground schools where girls could be educated. However, if the Taliban found out about the schools, the teachers could be killed.

In addition to the wearing o burqas and bans on the education of girls, there were also restrictions related to access to medical care and women had to be accompanied by men in public. The lack of access to medical care was a major problem and many women did not receive the care they needed.

Islamic treatment of women in Moderate Muslim Nations

Although there were many restrictions on woman under Taliban rule, these restrictions against women are not reflective of the entire Muslim world. Indeed, there are several Muslim nations in which women are highly educated and edicts such as male accompaniment and the wearing of burqas do not exist. These nations include Turkey, Morocco and Jordan. In these nations women hold high positions in government and society and there is a more liberal approach to the manner in which Islam is practiced.

Although people in these nations are also devoted to their religious practices, they do not hold to some of the more fundamentalist beliefs that are pervasive in other parts of the Islamic world, particularly as it pertains to women.

Within these nations, women are still expected to embrace some traditional role in the home and marriage (this is true of all women regardless of religion). They are also expected to respect and honor their husbands. However, they are also expected or encouraged to get an education and they have a right to get an education. In these nations women have the right to vote and the right to hold public office. Although these nations have not always embraced the rights of women, they do today and the equal treatment of women in these societies has greatly aided in the relative stability of the aforementioned nations. Although there are many factors about Islam that are still oppressive toward women in these nations, there has been and continues to be a great deal of progress in this regard.

It is important to note that although Muslim women in Egypt enjoy many more freedoms than Muslim women in other parts of the world, the status of women in modern Egypt pales in comparison to the status of women in Ancient Egypt prior to the Muslim raids. Although there has been some progress towards equality for women in this Muslim nation, it still isn't as equal along the lines of gender that it once was.

Muslim women who live in the Western World may have a slightly different experience than those that live in the Middle East or Africa. These differences exist because of the presence of and prevalence of democracy and the fight for equality for women. For instance, in the United States there is religious freedom, however there are certain laws that govern that freedom. Therefore it would be illegal in America to beat someone because they didn't wear a burqa or to keep them from seeing a physician. In some ways the amount of freedom that a Muslim woman has is directly correlated to what country they live in and the type of Islam that is practiced.

With these things being understood, there are instances in the world in which Muslim women are not treated in a manner that is equal… READ MORE

How to Reference "Religion and Gender Focus on Islam" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Islam: Gender and Family Term Paper

Islam: Gender and Family

Within the varying interpretations of Islam there are many varied views on the institution of marriage, specifically on the number of wives one is allowed or… read more

Term Paper 5 pages (2235 words) Sources: 3 Style: MLA Topic: Religion / God / Theology

---

Gender and Religion Term Paper

Gender and Religion

Women are viewed in many different forms by different religions. Some consider women as the integral part of the religion or of the society while some provide… read more

Term Paper 8 pages (2305 words) Sources: 8 Style: MLA Topic: Religion / God / Theology

---

Islam and Women Term Paper

Islam and Women

Not a few Muslims have carelessly accepted and adopted the Judeo-Christian view or assumption on woman's natural weakness and inclination to error for seducing Adam to disobey… read more

Term Paper 11 pages (3597 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Religion / God / Theology

---

Islam in Bosnia Essay

Bosnia Islam

The Islamic Faith in Bosnia: A Critically Overlooked Diversity

The Islamic faith represents one of the most widely spread and acknowledged religions in the world. Often misunderstood and… read more

Essay 8 pages (2530 words) Sources: 4 Style: Chicago Topic: Religion / God / Theology

---

Islamic Extremism in Britain Term Paper

Islamic Extremism in Britain

How Did a Minority of the Current Generation of British Muslims, Mainly Children and Grandchildren of Muslim Asian Immigrants to Britain After World War 2, Turn… read more

Term Paper 21 pages (5886 words) Sources: 15 Topic: Religion / God / Theology

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>