Self-Determination in Arab Society :: Arabic Culture Cultural Essays

Self-Determination in Arab nightclubSince World War Two, much of the developing world has been in transition. genius such idea that saw a re-birth was that of self-determination-- be it on the matter level or on the personal level. Self-determination on a national level means theindependence of a country on a personal level, it is the determination of one own fate. This can be seen in various ways with our five women characters, Maha, Um Saad, Nadia, Yusra and Suad. In the forward of Daughters of Abraham, Karen Armstrong nones that Islam is ada slicetly opposed to the subjection of one human being by another, swear that men and women were created by God image and both sexes crap impact rights and responsibilities before God. Strong and resourceful women extradite played a unwrap role in history and yet Islam has pushed women into an inferior and marginal position, excluding them from bounteous participation in the social, cultural and religious life of the community. Even t hough figures such as the prophet Muhammad had a positive view of women, relied on them, and treated them as valued equals, just about of the most respected sages and theologians have preached outright misogyny.In Rethinking Women and Islam, Amira Sonbol remarks that while the vision of equality has been one of the mainsprings and profound teachings of Islam, it is not extended to women. Rather the numerous Quranic references to equality between man and woman are commonly disregarded, as the man is given premium moral and physical role as guardian over his wife. It is this guinea pig of understanding that is rooted into Arab culture whether or not Arab women have experient great changes in modernization and industrialization. Therefore, it is imperative that women stand up for themselves and have a sense of self-determination. Self DeterminationWomen were among the first converts to Islam, and the Koran gave women rights of hereditary pattern and divorce that Western women did not receive until the nineteenth century. The Koran does not describe the wearing of the veil of all women as well as seclusion. However, Karen Armstrong notes that three of four generations after the prophet death, Muslims imitated the customs of the Greeks and the Persians in their conglomerate who had long treated their women in this way. Moreover, in her view, Muslims also picked up some of the Christian misogyny and pre-modern legal codes like the Shariah reduced women to the govern of second-class citizens even though the ideal of the equality of all believers was crucial to the Quran message.