PALIN POWDER
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The Treatment of Women In Muslim Countries
The treatment of women vastly differs, dependent upon beliefs, heritage, governmental laws, religious laws, and even societal opinion. Within the various Muslim countries the most horrifying, ghastly, appalling and inhumane treatment of woman occurs on a daily basis. These women are forced to wear extraordinary amounts of clothing, forbidden from public unaccompanied, unable to attain a proper education, unable to own property or to inherit, nor allowed fair employment opportunities, especially in Afghanistan. Within the county of Afghanistan, the most strict and oppressive laws are in place. The countries ruled by Muslim law vary slightly, less strict ruling such as, like Iran in their governing. Contradictory to what Westerners think, many of the women of this region are quite content with their treatment. The word Islam means “…submission and obedience to the will of God”(Goodwin 8). In 1978 1978 there were approximately seven hundred and nineteen million Muslims world wide. Islam is not the origin of sexual inequality, it was amiRABt the Middle East countries long before Islamic religion was even introduced.
Since the Muslim society ideology tremendously differ from modern Western thinking, the Muslims have developed their own unique garments to accompany their ideas. The Hijab is an adjective meaning to cover the body and soul in English, and is often referred to when speaking about the Chador. The Chador is the piece of fabric that the Muslim women wear to cover their entire bodies from head to toe. However the Chador’s physical size may vary depending upon each countries ruling. Even underneath the Chador additional clothing must be worn; pants must be worn, no skirts are allowed. The more religiously conscious men require their female family meraber to wear gloves. Ironically the meaning of Chador is “tent” in English. The history of the behind the Chador is quite interesting. The veil concept originated in Iran many years ago as a fashion statement. The upper class women created a visual difference in appearance by wearing a veil (Goodwin 30). In most Muslim ruled countries it is required to wear one or more of these garments on a daily basis.
Afghanistan, a country the size of Texas is one of the most impoverished countries in the world. In Afghanistan, women are beyond suppressed, emotionally, educationally, and physically. Women living here are frightened for their lives daily, they have become mere pawns in the game of Islamic society of Afghanistan. Women do not have the right to vote, hold a governmental office or be employed where one might be exposed through media such as radio or television. If a young girl is brought into to public, for any reason, covered as the laws states, the accompanying adult is supposedly somehow through unspecified they are promoting her into prostitution. Each woman’s life is controlled by her closest male relative. This of course includes all monetary, property ownership, and inheritance. Basically, the woman has no say in what happens with her finances, she may even be beaten for voicing an opinion. Amazingly enough, the men have a right to strike their own wife or children.(Goodwin 16). Virginity before marriage is extremely important to young ladies. Within the Laws of Afghanistan, at the time to consummate the marriage, if the woman is in fact not a virgin, the man may divorce her, or her own brother may kill her for dishonoring the family (18). Because of laws such as this, surgeries called hymen restoration are not uncommon (32).
A horrific story in Price of Honor, by Jan Goodwin, about a little girl who was only about 6 years old was born into a family with a heroin addiction. Apparently that is not uncommon for that area of the world. Her father felt that she need to start making money for the family (addiction). He put her to work as a beggar, that way she would bring in a regular income. A way to enhance his personal possibilities for monetary growth, he decided that she would make more money is she was pathetic looking. He began to beat her with a club, broke her leg & arm severally. Then started to systematically start to burn portions of her body, with kerosene oil. One day, he must have realized that his little girl was dying right in front of him. So he took her in for treatment, and after many months she was released, and survived (67-68). It goes to show that people self consumed all over the world.
In all Muslim countries it is forbidden to bear children out of wedlock. Since that is the case 99% of all abandoned and murdered babies are female. They are actually considered to a burden to society(67). The 1% is of unmarried females who have male children, but are in fear that they will be killed by the man of their own house (67).
In Iran circumstances are a tad bit different than, Afghanistan. Iran is more liberal, and more financially secure than Afghanistan could ever hope to be. The majority of the horrendous behavior in Afghanistan is due the fact that their financial status is very bad. Within Iran there are different classes and definite difference is very visible. in Iran, within the last 20 years has over turned a Dynasty of Kings, and lived through the paradoxical Ayatollah Khomenini as their leaders. This was due to a revolution, one that women felt compelled to fight for. They would dress in men’s clothing to fight the Resistance Forces(Shaaban 29). Iran differs from Afghanistan in it’s governing, one such example is, when women were working and they are going to have a child they will have extended leave time and also earn their normal income. They are only require to work only 15 years before they are completely vested in their retirement funRAB and are able to retire. When a woman goes to secondary schooling, there limits of study. They are not allowed to study religion, and any other subjects deemed unsuitable.
In Iran, females were allowed an education, yet it was more specified to their domestic “duties”. They were taught what type of role they were supposed to play in life, mothering and nurturing for your family. These young ladies were also able to progress to secondary schooling. In 1977 – 1978, right before the Iranian Revolution, 30.9% of all students in attendance were female. Although, their fielRAB of study did not seem to have much emphasis upon a career, the majority was majoring in rather domestic degrees. Only 3.9% of the women students were studying natural science, and on a messily .1% was studying agricultural science (Shaaban 47). In 1986 Ayatollah Khomeneini was asked if his opinion weather or he felt it was allowable for women to become doctors, dentists and nurses without their husband’s permission. His answer was equivalent to saying nothing. “…they may, yet they cannot leave the house within their husband’s permission. In Iran most of the horrid inter-family abuse does not occur, like in Afghanistan. There is a much larger portion of their society, which is far more financially secure. Therefore, the majority of those abuses occur in villages and small towns (Smith 35).
Women in Iran only work if it is financially necessary for them to do so. Otherwise, people question the woman’s reasons for working. If a woman is working and there is no apparent reason to do so, the majority assume she must be “loose” in her values(Smith 36). It is felt that for women staying home and raising children is the ultimate privilege, and should not wish anything more. It is not so much their religious beliefs, but their societal beliefs that women should stay at home. When Mohammed wrote the book of Koran in the 14 century, he believed in equal rights from women and men. They were allowed to work side by side, there was no rules prohibiting that practice. Only recently has the extremism movement gotten strong politically, and the people have no choice then to comply to new rulings.
The treatment of women vastly differs, dependent upon beliefs, heritage, governmental laws, religious laws, and even societal opinion. Within the various Muslim countries the most horrifying, ghastly, appalling and inhumane treatment of woman occurs on a daily basis. These women are forced to wear extraordinary amounts of clothing, forbidden from public unaccompanied, unable to attain a proper education, unable to own property or to inherit, nor allowed fair employment opportunities, especially in Afghanistan. Within the county of Afghanistan, the most strict and oppressive laws are in place. The countries ruled by Muslim law vary slightly, less strict ruling such as, like Iran in their governing. Contradictory to what Westerners think, many of the women of this region are quite content with their treatment. The word Islam means “…submission and obedience to the will of God”(Goodwin 8). In 1978 1978 there were approximately seven hundred and nineteen million Muslims world wide. Islam is not the origin of sexual inequality, it was amiRABt the Middle East countries long before Islamic religion was even introduced.
Since the Muslim society ideology tremendously differ from modern Western thinking, the Muslims have developed their own unique garments to accompany their ideas. The Hijab is an adjective meaning to cover the body and soul in English, and is often referred to when speaking about the Chador. The Chador is the piece of fabric that the Muslim women wear to cover their entire bodies from head to toe. However the Chador’s physical size may vary depending upon each countries ruling. Even underneath the Chador additional clothing must be worn; pants must be worn, no skirts are allowed. The more religiously conscious men require their female family meraber to wear gloves. Ironically the meaning of Chador is “tent” in English. The history of the behind the Chador is quite interesting. The veil concept originated in Iran many years ago as a fashion statement. The upper class women created a visual difference in appearance by wearing a veil (Goodwin 30). In most Muslim ruled countries it is required to wear one or more of these garments on a daily basis.
Afghanistan, a country the size of Texas is one of the most impoverished countries in the world. In Afghanistan, women are beyond suppressed, emotionally, educationally, and physically. Women living here are frightened for their lives daily, they have become mere pawns in the game of Islamic society of Afghanistan. Women do not have the right to vote, hold a governmental office or be employed where one might be exposed through media such as radio or television. If a young girl is brought into to public, for any reason, covered as the laws states, the accompanying adult is supposedly somehow through unspecified they are promoting her into prostitution. Each woman’s life is controlled by her closest male relative. This of course includes all monetary, property ownership, and inheritance. Basically, the woman has no say in what happens with her finances, she may even be beaten for voicing an opinion. Amazingly enough, the men have a right to strike their own wife or children.(Goodwin 16). Virginity before marriage is extremely important to young ladies. Within the Laws of Afghanistan, at the time to consummate the marriage, if the woman is in fact not a virgin, the man may divorce her, or her own brother may kill her for dishonoring the family (18). Because of laws such as this, surgeries called hymen restoration are not uncommon (32).
A horrific story in Price of Honor, by Jan Goodwin, about a little girl who was only about 6 years old was born into a family with a heroin addiction. Apparently that is not uncommon for that area of the world. Her father felt that she need to start making money for the family (addiction). He put her to work as a beggar, that way she would bring in a regular income. A way to enhance his personal possibilities for monetary growth, he decided that she would make more money is she was pathetic looking. He began to beat her with a club, broke her leg & arm severally. Then started to systematically start to burn portions of her body, with kerosene oil. One day, he must have realized that his little girl was dying right in front of him. So he took her in for treatment, and after many months she was released, and survived (67-68). It goes to show that people self consumed all over the world.
In all Muslim countries it is forbidden to bear children out of wedlock. Since that is the case 99% of all abandoned and murdered babies are female. They are actually considered to a burden to society(67). The 1% is of unmarried females who have male children, but are in fear that they will be killed by the man of their own house (67).
In Iran circumstances are a tad bit different than, Afghanistan. Iran is more liberal, and more financially secure than Afghanistan could ever hope to be. The majority of the horrendous behavior in Afghanistan is due the fact that their financial status is very bad. Within Iran there are different classes and definite difference is very visible. in Iran, within the last 20 years has over turned a Dynasty of Kings, and lived through the paradoxical Ayatollah Khomenini as their leaders. This was due to a revolution, one that women felt compelled to fight for. They would dress in men’s clothing to fight the Resistance Forces(Shaaban 29). Iran differs from Afghanistan in it’s governing, one such example is, when women were working and they are going to have a child they will have extended leave time and also earn their normal income. They are only require to work only 15 years before they are completely vested in their retirement funRAB and are able to retire. When a woman goes to secondary schooling, there limits of study. They are not allowed to study religion, and any other subjects deemed unsuitable.
In Iran, females were allowed an education, yet it was more specified to their domestic “duties”. They were taught what type of role they were supposed to play in life, mothering and nurturing for your family. These young ladies were also able to progress to secondary schooling. In 1977 – 1978, right before the Iranian Revolution, 30.9% of all students in attendance were female. Although, their fielRAB of study did not seem to have much emphasis upon a career, the majority was majoring in rather domestic degrees. Only 3.9% of the women students were studying natural science, and on a messily .1% was studying agricultural science (Shaaban 47). In 1986 Ayatollah Khomeneini was asked if his opinion weather or he felt it was allowable for women to become doctors, dentists and nurses without their husband’s permission. His answer was equivalent to saying nothing. “…they may, yet they cannot leave the house within their husband’s permission. In Iran most of the horrid inter-family abuse does not occur, like in Afghanistan. There is a much larger portion of their society, which is far more financially secure. Therefore, the majority of those abuses occur in villages and small towns (Smith 35).
Women in Iran only work if it is financially necessary for them to do so. Otherwise, people question the woman’s reasons for working. If a woman is working and there is no apparent reason to do so, the majority assume she must be “loose” in her values(Smith 36). It is felt that for women staying home and raising children is the ultimate privilege, and should not wish anything more. It is not so much their religious beliefs, but their societal beliefs that women should stay at home. When Mohammed wrote the book of Koran in the 14 century, he believed in equal rights from women and men. They were allowed to work side by side, there was no rules prohibiting that practice. Only recently has the extremism movement gotten strong politically, and the people have no choice then to comply to new rulings.