Women’s Rights in the Muslim Culture
Shortly before dawn, the party ended. The women rubbed off their makeup, cloaked their beautiful party clothes under their manteaux, and tucked their coiffed hair under their headscarves. We warned them, be careful, watch for the roadblocks, and remember, please remember, if stopped by the bassidjis do not say where it was you drank the homemade beer.
-Laura Fitzgerald, Veil of Roses
In many Muslim societies women are treated unequally in comparison to men. Many justify these inequalities as part of the Islam religion. Does the Islamic holy book, the Qur’an, mention the suppression of women? Do the Qur’an’s words read that women are not equal to their male counterparts? The Qur’ans words are constantly being interpreted by many different Muslim governments and groups. Muslim fundamentalists, or radicals, are to blame for the lack of rights a Muslim woman has. The Islam religion specifies equality according to the Qur’an; however, whether it is their level of education, the type of clothing they wear, and whom they must marry, women in the Muslim culture are suppressed and treated as second-class citizens. With the spread of technology and globalization, an up-rise of women’s rights movements are popping up throughout the Middle East; however, these movements are also causing a rise in “honor killings”.
According to Sechzer, author of Islam and Women: Where Traditions Meets Modernity, a Muslim woman’s status and equality to men varies in different Muslim countries. The interpretation of the Qur’an and Islamic law differs immensely depending on the country. (Sechzer, 2004). Like the Christian’s Holy Bible, people find different meanings within the religious text. Does the Qur’an mention that men have the authority to rule a woman’s life? The Qur’an part 33:35 reads, “for Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for...