Misconceptions About Women In Islam

7 Pages 1687 Words

Throughout history, women universally have been thought to be fighting a constant battle for equal status and rights as men. Particularly in ancient societies, women were degraded to being almost subhuman, without many rights, and perceived as property belonging to their closest of kin males. Women as a whole, to a certain extent, have since struggled to overcome such conflicts of sex discrimination and are now much closer to achieving their goals for equality than before. However, a new struggle has emerged for those women who view their lifestyles as being liberating, while most others see them as being oppressed. In recent times, only one identity comes to mind when speaking of oppression and women, and that is the stereotypical Muslim Woman. Female Muslims have been an absolute symbol of suppression in the world, and distorted images and thoughts of them permeate throughout western societies. These societies believe that Muslim women must be saved from a religion that denigrates, objectifies, and veils them. Without much research to their claims, such western societies condemn the religion of Islam for the treatment of women in most Middle Eastern and Asian countries. While western women are assumed to have, or at least be approaching, equality with men, Muslim women are simply seen as the victims of terror and oppression. It is unfortunate, because much of the motives and beliefs of Muslim women have been voiced by everyone else except for themselves. It is especially imperative to understand that many women of mainstream Islam view their religion as the right path for them and are content with their ways of living, no matter how western societies perceive them to be. It is important to separate the facts from fiction when it comes to the teachings of Islam, and to illustrate the true equality that streams from within Islam.

Consulting the primary text of Islam, the Quran is the most reliable and valid source of infor...