Women in Islam & the Middle East

Women in Islam and the Middle East

Introduction:
When talking about Islam or any of the countries in the Middle East, women go way back to the
roots on which these Middle Eastern countries are built upon. The system and routine on which
these Islamic societies are governed is in many ways very different than the way things are
governed in the West. This being said, in dialogues of broad concerns regarding women in the
Islamic societies and the Middle Eastern societies, the miscellany of feminine regimes and
situations is repeatedly lost. Habituated to stereotypical interpretations, the world has always
portrayed the Middle Eastern ladies to be unreceptive, fragile, and constantly veiled. In many
cases it is supposed that the unadorned settings in Saudi Arab, where females are prohibited to
drive automobiles epitomize the rule for females all over the Middle East and in Muslim
world. Whereas the truth is, Saudi Arabs sorts of Islam and prejudice are relatively distinctive in
their meaning of ruthlessness. The 21st century, it is seen that women appreciate political and
communal privileges in most Muslim nations, and as of earlier Egypt declared giving females the
right to end their marriages if they wanted to. Similarly in adultery is strictly prohibited but
abortion remains legal. InEgyptian, Tunisian, Iraqi, Jordanian and Syrian governments, women
have participated and sat in congress and ministries. However the complications of Middle
Eastern ladiespersistcritical. The Males of Jewish, Islamic, Christian, Theologians and Jurists
have hampered the females of the Middle Eastern society with vast amounts of conformists and
exclusivist elucidations iof laws from the religious side. The objective is to shine the light on the
role of women in Islam and the Middle Eastern societies, focusing primarily on how they are

Women in Islam & the Middle East

being used to manipulate certain aspects of culture, political, ideological or legal matters of
numeral countries.1
Even though religion abides main obligation for the mediocre eminence of females, it cannot be
exclusively liable for the femininity issue in the Middle East. The concept of realism states,
hiding behind the name of culture has been used more protuberant in disseminating the
domination of ladies. Women genital defacement is an example of a traditionalrehearsal that has
tormentedfemales in numerousvalues throughout the course of history. The starring role of the
West concerning Middle Eastern females is repeatedlyconcealed. Western majesticauthorities
have traditionallymade comments regarding the difficulty of Muslim ladies and have disparaged
Islam for all thistyranny. Oddly, in primitiveeras Islam was condemned by Christian activists for
being too liberal and lenient in communal and voluptuousdifficulties.2
Importance of Women in Islam:
The prestige of women as demarcated by Islam, A female who is a mother is said to have
paradise lying under the feet (Al Tabarani). According to an authentic hadith, a man once asked
the Prophet PBUH that who is the most worthy and deserving of ones care and the Prophet
replied it is your mother thrice to the same question and on asking the question the fourth time,
the Prophet said your father, this clearly shows the compassion of a mother that Allah has placed
in ones life. It is a fact that women accumulate to partial of culture and they are equally as liable
for the fostering, supervision and restructuring of the successive generations of sons and ladies.

1 Stacey, "Why Muslim Women Wear The Veil - The Religion Of Islam".
2AbuKhalil, "Women In The Middle East".

Women in Islam & the Middle East

Allah, glorious is He, states3:
{Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him and that you be kind to parents. When
one or both of them attains old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor repel
them but address them in terms of honour.

In Surat Al-Shura (42), Ayah 49, Allah has emphasized on the process of birth and said females
are as equal to males and have enough rights as their brothers who were born from the same
womb as their mothers. And the Prophet PBUH even said Women are equal sisters of men.
When it comes to the worldly matters, the female has complete monetary eminence which is
equal to mans. Her rights are the same as of men, to acquire all sort of wealth in any form
possible including real estate, property, assets or cash and she also has the right to use her wealth
however and whenever she wants, it just has to be approved by the Sharia Law. This means she
is free to buy, sell, do a business, exchange assets or currencies, take loans or whatever, no man
can interfere in this.
According to Al- Bukhari, women have the right to free slaves and to send gifts to people other
than her husband or her son. He gave the example to MaimunahBinte Al-Harith who was a wife
of Allahs Messenger and she decided to free a new born slave without asking for the Prophets
permission.

3 "Surah Al-Isra [17:23-24]".

Women in Islam & the Middle East

Breaking the stereotypical talks here, Islam has been pro woman rights since the beginning of
time, if one reads the Quran it is clearly states that Muslims should educate their daughters and
not just sons, women have a right to disagree and refuse a probable husband, women have a right
to file for divorce and women have rights if they are given divorce from their husband. Women
also inherit the wealth of their fathers like men, according to preset percentages.4
Females as Political Leaders in Islam and Middle East:
The Muslim world is known for some very prominent women who have acted as political
leaders. In the predominant times, the females of the Prophets family were very well aware of the
way things worked in the Muslim community and were aware of the practices and teachings of
the Prophet. Aisha, the wife of Prophet PBUH had strong political influence in her time and she
was even a part of the Combat of Camel.
Talking about the modern day women who have contributed to the field of Politics, Razia
Sultana happened to be a Muslim Rule of India who existed in the 13th Century. Her main work
consisted of the slaves and their freedom. Another Muslim ruler in the 16th was Amina, who was
the Queen of Zaria (known today as Nigera). Another women in Islam was Shajaratul-Durr who
was Sultan for a brief time in Egpyt, and even after her time on the throne she remained powerful
and resourceful.
Another significant woman in Islam was Huda Shaarawi of Egypt, she gained popularity from
removing the veil form her face and later on established a political party for women focusing on
the main agenda of liberation from Britain.
4"Surah Al-Isra [17:23-24]". 2016. The Noble Quran - .
http://quran.com/17/23-24.

Women in Islam & the Middle East

As of now there is a modest amount of women in the governments of Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan
and Turkey and it is expected that Morocco is going to bring 25 percent of women in the
parliament.
One of the most famous and successful female political figure of the Islamic world is Benazir
Bhutto, who dedicated her life to politics and to continue her fathers (Zulfikar Ali Bhutto)s
legacy. She became the prime minister of Pakistan in 2000 and she was the leader of Pakistans
Peoples Party until she was assassinated in 2007.
Why Middle Eastern Women are Great Political Leaders:
Though females repeatedly make unequaled government officers, they also have this natural
capability of having economical political operation contenders. According to many political
consultants, they would gladly work for a resilient female runner than an emblematic male
nominee for numerous explanations. Whereas lady candidates and nominees are outstripped by
the masculine equivalents currently, the increasing number of skilled females in the political
campaign races is quite encouraging. According to the political consultants, these are the main
reasons why females could be great political leaders;
1 Communication Skills: As a natural trait that women have, their natural and intrinsic
communication skills are far better than men. They can be very persuasive and convincing when
it comes to sending a message and get their work done. Their emotional side adds the cherry on
top, and appeals the mass audience.
2 Less chances for Closet Skeletons: as a fact and throughout the course of history, men are
usually more of the secretive types who have deep skeletons in the closet and that makes them

Women in Islam & the Middle East

not only corrupt but vulnerable and easy to manipulate. Females on the other hand, are less likely
to have these sorts of issues.
3 Better at Making Supporters/Volunteers feel Appreciated: As a fact, women are more caring
and sentimental whereas men are more solid and stiff in these matters. As a mass audience, we
often seem to feel wanted and appreciated and we can develop that bond with a female far easier
than a man. Therefore women can express themselves better and make people feel more
appreciated than men can.
4 Women are Patient and the Farthest from Hot Headed: Most of the men are usually hot
headed and spaz out when dealing with stressful situations, they often seem to lose track of what
they are doing and end up making decision which will later on come to bite them. Whereas
women as more calm, and can handle heated up things much better than men.
5 Greater Chances than Men: According to a political consultant Phil Van Treuren, there is no
reason but women just have a head start when running for anything, there is no reason but the
fact that they are women.5

Stereotypes about the Middle Eastern Females; Fact or Fallacy?

In order to get the true and fair picture of what is real and what is delusional, it is vital for one to
open their mind to the liberal sides of things and to not hear everything people say. A famous
blogger Samantha Bryant wrote an article on the common stereotypes which western people

5Five Reasons.

Women in Islam & the Middle East

have in mind for Middle Eastern women, and so she visited the Middle East in order to get the
knowledge on this matter6.
1st Claim: Middle Eastern women are forced to wear Abaya and Hijab and so they cannot
entertain fashion.
Fallacy: the fact of the matter is that nowhere in Quran is it written to wear these things, it just
says to apply modesty in your clothing, but still women choose to cover their heads in respect
of the religion. And in this whole process, they are up to date with the trends and fashion, their
head scarfs are modern with floral and designer prints.

2nd Claim: Middle Eastern women are very unreceptive.

Fallacy: Women in most of the Islamic countries such as UAE, Qatar, Pakistan and Egypt are
very well aware of their rights and do not allow any men to walk over them, religiously and
legally both. Women are driving cars, voting and even expressing whatever wrongs they see in
the streets.
3rd Claim: Middle Eastern women are not allowed to enjoy themselves:
Fallacy: this used to be the most common misconception which people believed in the most, but
after personally visiting Middle East a few times, I think the Middle Eastern women enjoy
themselves more than the western woman, in their own different ways of course. Women here go
shopping together; go to movies, dinners, and drives and much more amongst themselves. Not to
forget the tea parties with other ladies.

6 Bryant and Bryant, "Common Stereotypes About Middle Eastern Women".

Women in Islam & the Middle East

4th Claim: Middle Eastern women cannot think for themselves:
Fallacy: this is absolutely not true, Middle Eastern women have a brain and the educated ones
know what kind of life they want how to get the life they want, and that is the key reason why
they choose what they want for themselves and it is their own decision. Especially now when the
corporate world has kept a lot of females in the offices.

Women as Religious Leaders and Scholars:

As far as the role of women is concerned in the religious aspects, we have a tremendous input by
the females. Another concept here is Sufism; it is a vital subdivision of Islam which focuses on
mysticism and the inner and personal connection directly with Allah himself. The roots of Sufism
were initiated by a female called Rabia, a slave who was freed and then later on worked to
become an aspiring scholar in Basra, Iraq in the 8th century. She was so consumed with her love
for God that she refused to get married or get involved in any of the worlds distractions. Till this
date, Sufism is a vast branch which is followed by millions of people in the middle east, famous
woman in this category are AbidaPerveen, NusratFateh Ali Khan etc.
When it comes to devoutness and religious leaders, the Prophets PBUH daughter, Fatima and
His granddaughter Zainab where constantly there for the women of ancient times and are still
considered to be role models for the Islamic World, time after time these wives and mothers of
Prophets and his followers have proven to be just as wise as them and equally capable of
handling situations and in some cases even entire countries.7

7Fisher, "The Real Roots Of Sexism In The Middle East (It's Not Islam, Race, Or 'Hate')".

Women in Islam & the Middle East

Female Islamic Scholars:
Islam is a beautiful and diverse religion which promotes equality and respect to everyone. And
this being said here a few female Islamic scholars:
-

Nilufer Gole (Professor of Sociology at Bogazici University, Istanbul Tukey) has focused
on higher studies in Islamic Principles and Sociology and believes in the collective
identity which is caused by Gods rules and the Muslim identity, she says the famous
women in Turkey, Egypt and Iran have a different behavior which is modest and pure.
She believes these women believe in something and are pursuing it in the boundaries of
Islam. She has given her opinion about the popular matters such as Hijab, Covering up,
Self-control, Communication, Restraint, Feminism and the political view of Women.

Amina Wadud (Professor of Islamic Studies, Virginia University): who herself wears a
scarf has given her part of contribution in matters such as evolution, symbols and identity
one uses to represent themselves, justification, modesty, development, hierarchy and the
environmental changes. According to her, covering ones head is a paradox, because of
the mixed explanations between oppression and liberation. 8

United Nations & The Middle Eastern Women:

Amongst the after effects from widespread revolts well-known as the Arab Spring, the United
Nations has a vital and significant factor to perform in supporting females in the Middle Eastern
countries by convoking incongruent expressions and categorizing innovative approaches of

8"Elevation OfWomenS Status (Part 5 Of 5): Conclusion - The Religion Of Islam".

Women in Islam & the Middle East

assistance, professionals on females constitutional rights Azza Karam who also happens to be
the senior Adviser in the population fund of UN, stated, What the insurgencies that have been
clarifying since 2012 have enforced us to comprehend is that we must take stare at the
associatesonce again,. This was after she noted the significant roles of females in overthrowing
the old traditional regimes in Libya, Tunisia, Yemen and Egypt. She continued to state, We must
recognize new voices, arrange and re-evaluate the conglomerates and recognize innovative ways
of working in a team, which might end up imposing us to reevaluate the developmental process
in the United Nations structure. This was decided on the matter of the women growth in the
Arab Spring, which had an audience of almost one twenty people at the United Nations Head
Quarters which included students and professors from universities all across New York. As all
this was happening it was quite noticeable that women were in the front lines the same way as
the men, this made the speakers say that their focus now is on the advanced education, advanced
literacy throughout and in the active involvement of work.
All this material and evidence is a clear sign that this world is evolving and is not stopping for
anyone, so say it the significant role of women in Islam and Middle East countries or call it the
need to involve women in everyday activities is as much as men. The fact of the matter is that the
uprising of women have already been started in countries like Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey and
Pakistan and it will keep growing until it matches the level of the western world 9.

9"UN News - UN Has Key Role In Empowering Women In Post-Revolutionary Middle East,
Experts Say".

Women in Islam & the Middle East

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Offenhauer, Priscilla and Alice Buchalter. 2005. "WOMEN IN ISLAMIC SOCIETIES:". Federal
Research Division, Library Of Congress A SELECTED REVIEW OF SOCIAL SCIENTIFIC
LITERATURE. https://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/pdf-files/Women_Islamic_Societies.pdf.
"Middle Eastern Western Stereotypes". 2010. Challenges To Perceptions.
https://caoshea.wordpress.com/various-topics/middle-eastern-western-stereotypes/.
Fisher, Max. 2012. "The Real Roots Of Sexism In The Middle East (It's Not Islam, Race, Or
'Hate')". The Atlantic. http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/04/the-real-rootsof-sexism-in-the-middle-east-its-not-islam-race-or-hate/256362/.

Women in Islam & the Middle East

Bryant, Samantha and Samantha Bryant. 2013. "Common Stereotypes About Middle Eastern
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Hoodbhoy, Fawzia. 2012. "WomenS Empowerment In The Middle East And Worldwide".
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"UN News - UN Has Key Role In Empowering Women In Post-Revolutionary Middle East,
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