...Islam Promotes Feminism In Afghanistan, there is a beautiful, young married lady, and her name is Aisha. She was tortured and burned by her husband, so she decided to go back to her family, When, husband knew that, he took her and chopped her ears an nose. What he did was horrible and inhumane, and it is really depressing to know that women are mistreated nowadays. “Afghanistan's propaganda war takes a new twist,” Anthony (2010). However, Blackburn, (2015), writes in her article “7 Remarkable Things About Khadija, Wife of the Prophet of Islam” that Muslim women enjoyed their freedom in the Islamic society. Islamic feminism existed 1,400 years ago. For example, the first Muslim woman is Khadija was the first woman that Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)...
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...PURDAH _____________________________________________________________________ Using Imtiaz Dharker’s collection Purdah, this essay will attempt to question the understanding or imagining of religious and cultural structures in reference to their effects—intellectual, emotional and spiritual— Islamic women. The first part of the essay will delve intodifferent viewpoints concerning feminism and Islam. The second shall attempt to juxtapose the opinions of traditional Islamic religious fundamentalists and those of social activists. There are a variety of themes which bring out these opinions via the help of Dharker’s collection. These themes lead us to question these opinions which may or may not hold true. [EDIT] _____________________________________________________________________ 1 Fundamentally, “the word ‘Purdah’ is used as a title for the set of injunctions which constitute the most important part of the Islamic system of community life. (Al-Ash’ari, 19) Purdah is the result of the “feudal ruler’s concept of izzat(honour-here used in the sense of inviolable feminine chastity)” This concept of izzat and its protection by men itself implied male superiority. It’s essential message was that woman needed to be protected and that man was her protector” (Asghar Ali Engineer,6) Hence, the men put ‘their’ women in Purdah and in doing so emphasized their dominance over women. In order for women to protect their...
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...Feminism in Multicultural Societies An analysis of Dutch Multicultural and Postsecular Developments and their Implications for Feminist Debates Eva Midden A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment for the requirements of the degree of PhD at the University of Central Lancashire May 2010 Student Declaration Concurrent registration for two or more academic awards I declare that while registered as a candidate for the research degree, I have not been registered candidate or enrolled student for another award of the University or other academic or professional institution Material submitted for another award I declare that no material contained in the thesis has been used in any other submission for an academic award and is solely my own work Signature of Candidate Type of Award School ___PhD_________________________________ ___Centre for Professional Ethics___________ 1 Abstract It was long assumed that both multiculturalism and feminism are connected to progressive movements and hence have comparable and compatible goals. However, both in academia and in popular media the critique on multiculturalism has grown and is often accompanied with arguments related to gender equality and/or feminism. According to political scientist Susan Moller Okin for example there are fundamental conflicts between our commitment to gender equality and the desire to respect the customs of minority cultures or religions. If we agree that women...
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...The religion of Islam has been in existence since the 7th-century C.E, with its founder being Muhammed. It was one of the first monotheistic religions along with Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity. Islam has always appealed to people of different backgrounds because of its universal message of paradise after death. Despite this, throughout its life, Islam has experienced changes such as the emergence of radical groups, more equality, and varying translations of the Qur'an while having continuities such as religious persecution, sect divisions, and rituals. Since the beginning, Muslims have shown religious fervor by spreading its core values to gain adherent whether voluntary or not. However, in recent years, there has been an emergence of extreme radical groups of Islam. These groups have committed terrorist attacks against U.S. and France in the name of Islam. Because of these small minority groups, Muslims are automatically seen as terrorist and extremely radical. A big step towards a change of the religion...
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...How has feminism attempted to achieve women’s liberation, and has the battle been won? This essay aims to outline how feminism has and continues its attempt to achieve women’s liberation.This essay will reflect the current situation in Europe. The essay begins by describing the first and second wave of feminism, providing an overview of the ideas of some important feminist thinkers and activists. It then introduces the third wave, modern feminism and concludes with some remarks regarding the development of feminism insofar as it affects modern organizations willing to tackle gender inequality. The concept defined as the ‘first wave of feminism’ finds it origins in the mid-nineteenth century, with the ‘suffragettes’—as those pioneers were called—and their struggle to achieve equal political rights. These women’s central aim was to obtain the right to vote, even if that meant they had to protest through various hunger strikes, as they did in London. The ‘second wave of feminism’ focused on ending all forms of sexism, and it fought both psychological and sexual oppression towards women. Among others, Betty Friedan realized that women felt frustrated due to the oppression that came from their perceived role in society, namely that of staying at home. The patriarchal culture started to be criticized by many radical feminists. This second wave was very marked by Simone De Beauvoir and her work, The Second Sex. She believed “one is not born a woman, one becomes one”. Eva Figes wrote...
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...examine the strengths/limitations of feminism in comparison to other social theories. You will need to critically analyse and evaluate the following claims in your essay. * Feminist theorists argue that religion is a: Instrument of domination A product of patriarchy Serves the interest of men * Women are always unequal to men in terms of: Institutions – leadership and hierarchy Representation – culture, in scriptures. Attitudes and beliefs - socialisation Item A Sociologists disagree about the role of religion in society. Functionalists, for example, see religion mainly as a positive force. However, Marxists see religion as a tool of capitalism. They argue that it acts to justify inequality, helping to keep the poor satisfied by giving them hope of better times to come and preventing social unrest and revolution. Feminists see religion as a force for subordination and patriarchal oppression. This view is supported by evidence such as the differential treatment of women in religious congregations. Other sociologists argue that such evidence is out of date and that women are no longer the victims of religious oppression. Introduction Briefly explain the feminist view of religion– negative – patriarchy – conservative force. Briefly compare to the Marxist view as it is similar. Feminists show us the negative elements of religion but fail to see the good elements as argued by FUNC, NR and NM. Paragraph 1: FEMINISM vs FUNCTIONALISM Point: religion...
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...Feminism in Bangladesh: Establishing equal rights between men & women in young generation. SADMAN ANIS Students University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh ABSTRACT This is basically exploratory study and was conducted at University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh & United International University, Dhanmondi,Dhaka, Bangladesh over a period of 10 days started from 1st December, 2012 to 10th December, 2010. The main objective of this study is to describe what the condition of feminism in Bangladesh and what is the thinking of our varsity girl about feminism. Total 21 respondents were selected based on age class of 18-22. Feminism is a belief in the right of women to have political, social, and economic equality with men. It is a discourse that involves various movements, theories, and philosophies which are concerned with the issue of gender difference, advocate equality for women, and campaign for women’s rights and interests. According to some, the history of feminism can be divided into three waves. The first wave was in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the second was in the 1960s and 1970s and the third extends from the 1990s to the present. Feminist theory emerged from these feminist movements. It is manifest in a variety of disciplines such as feminist geography, feminist history and feminist literary criticism. Although feminism has emerged in nineteenth in the world, it is yet unknown to women of our country. The concept of feminism in Bangladesh has...
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...White Feminism: the Self-Appointed Savior of the World The movement of (Eurocentric) feminism has been superglued to its privilege ever since the term “féminisme” was first coined in 1837 (source). Marked by its relentless, unapologetic, prioritization of the voices of middle-class, cisgender, heterosexual, white women over the experiences of queer women, women of color (third world women) , transgendered women; the movement has become an obstacle for equal rights in the broader sense. While “white” feminism is absolutely vital today and has produced outstanding achievements for women in the Western world, the byproducts of its undeniable privilege has been detrimental, to say the least, to women of third world countries in particular. Western...
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...Evaluate feminist views on the role of religion in society today. [33 marks] Feminism is a structural theory that takes a conflict view upon society. They view religion as a socially constructed institution in society that promotes patriarchy and is a tool used by men to oppress women. Feminism point out that religion is founded upon male-values, and use the example of Mary Magdalen’s unknown marriage to Jesus as a key point. However, some may point out that Feminist views on religion are outdated as religion today is less prevalent and no longer holds these patriarchal values as they previously have, and if there are any left, they are quickly disappearing. Firstly, a strength of Feminist views on religion is that they have recognised and criticised the inequality that is prevalent in religious organisations. They point out that women are not allowed access to the upper positions in the religious hierarchy in many of the traditional religions. For example, Orthodox Judaism and Catholicism forbid women to become priests. Karen Armstrong says to this that ‘the exclusion of women from the priesthood as evidence of their marginalisation’. On the other hand, the Church of England allowed for female vicars in 1994, and more recently in 2014/5, allowed for female bishops, with Libby Lane being the first. In addition, on the 12th January 2016, New Jersey Synagogue announced that they had hired the first female Orthodox Rabbi. However, one could point out that although women can...
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...Liberals think somehow closer to what humanism trusts. They believe woman as individual should get the same rights as man. Liberalism is based on some theories. First, liberals believe that women should be seen as individual in a society. Also, women are equal to men, but what makes them different is the physical structure which is still does not reduce the power of women. Second, equality of women can help the development of a society. For example, Choman Hardi as a feminist and liberal woman in the Kurdish society stands against the patriarchy, Islam Politics, culture and the traditions. In her writings and poems, Hardi focused on the gender inequalities and social constructions. In term of media, Choman Hardi illustrates that, it becomes mainstream for many news agencies to display women a sexual object and nothing else (Hardi, para 4). This shows the inequality and discrimination of women in Kurdish society and the cultural identity of women in the...
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...Similarly, Khadija, the first of Prophet Mohammed, became the first prominent businesswoman and the most successful woman in Islam (Badawi, 1995). Not to mention that Fatima, who was Prophet Mohammed’s daughter, is documented as being a very politically active woman (Al Sari, 2003a, 2003b). Additionally, Sukie’na, Prophet Mohammed’s granddaughter, was a well-known mathematician (Badawi, 1995). More recently, Benazir Bhutto, a Muslim woman, became the prime minister of Pakistan (Badawi, 1995). Finally, the Nobel Prize winner Shereen Abadi from Iran is also a Muslim women’s lawyer and a political activist (Al Sari, 2003a, 2003b). Despite the important roles played by the Saudi women in history, there are a number of inequalities that disadvantaged the women. For instance, the women were not supposed to drive cars or practice law or major in mathematics, and so on (Alhareth et al.,...
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...First Wave Feminist Movement Introduction Feminism is considered a political concept. It is an analysis of why and how women are oppressed. It is a vision of a society where women are liberated and sex role stereotypes are no more. It is also a conviction that oppression of women is a contradiction in society. Women feminists fought for their right to not be property, rights to their inheritance, rights to an education and to a religion that was not patriarchal. Even though feminism had been seen for quite some time, the actual term "feminist" was not first used until 1912. "The modern feminist movement began a as result of sweeping social, political and industrial changes in Europe and the United States" (Conger). Many suffragists did not refer to themselves as feminists. They advocated only for voting rights, not complete equality. Oppression as an Obstacle for Women Women advocated against a mindset, an entire system of socialization. "Women were socialized, both in their minds and in the minds of men, that their sole role in society was reproduction" (Fisher). "The average married female gave birth to seven children" (Conger). If a woman was engaging in public activities then "she was ignoring her biological weaknesses - a smaller brain and a more fragile physique - which she was supposed to protect in order to ensure her reproductive abilities" (Krolokke, 5). Women had little control over their life. Women were considered...
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...The social and economic inequality between men and women has existed for countless centuries within the human race. The broad gap between the two genders is especially evident in populations of the Middle Eastern nations. These countries are dominated by the religion of Islam, which has been widely interpreted by many of its devout followers with a distinct discrimination against women as the inferior gender. In the twentieth century, Middle Eastern countries, such as the Islamic Republic of Iran, began experiencing a substantial amount of influence from European and other Western cultures. Subsequently, the female populace was possessed with a wave of feminist ideals and a movement for equality that became apparent throughout the political...
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...Women in Islam & Feminist Politics* Syllabus Female, Male, Hon Eng Fall 2013 COURSE INFORMATION | Course Name: Women in Islam Semester: Fall 2013 Department: International Affairs College: Arts and Sciences | Course Code: INTA 203 CRN Code: L51, L01 Section: 13698, 14448 Core Curriculum: Elective | Day(s) and Time(s): MW 9.30-10 MW 2-3.15 Venue: Sharia 0147 Biz D203 | Credit Hours: 3 Prerequisites: None | COURSE DESCRIPTION | This course ‘Women in Islam and Feminist politics’ will look at the gender issue from an Islamic perspective. It will examine women’s issues related to Islam and contemporary Muslim culture and scholarship. It will explore the status of women in Islamic thought and practice from five perspectives: women’s position in Islamic theology, jurisprudence, history, Islamic feminism and activism and lived realities. | FACULTY INFORMATION | Instructor : Academic : Office Location: Office Hours:Telephone: E-Mail: Website: | Dr Hatoon AL FASSIAssistant ProfessorWomen Campus, stair 3, # 213 (male students by appointment) MW 12.30-1.30 4403-4948 hatoon@qu.edu.qahttp://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/hatoon.alfassi | REFERENCES AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES...
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... 3. EVIDENCE OF PATRIARCHYRELIGIOUS ORGANISATIONS• They are mainly male dominated despite the fact that women often participate more than men in organisations. For example, Orthodox Judaism and Catholicism forbid women to become priests. Armstrong sees women’s exclusion from the priesthood of most religions as evidence of marginalisation. View slide 4. PLACES OF WORSHIP• They often separate the sexes and marginalise women, e.g. seating them behind screens while the men occupy the central and more sacred spaces.• Women’s participation may be restricted, for example, not being able to preach or to read from sacred texts. Taboos that regard menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth as polluting may also prevent participation. For example, in Islam, menstruating women are not allowed to touch the Qur’an. Holm describes this as the devaluation of women in contemporary religion. View slide 5. SACRED TEXTS• They largely feature the doings of male gods, prophets ect, and are usually written and interpreted by men. Stories often reflect anti-female stereotypes, such as that of Eve who in the Judaeo-Christian story of Genesis, caused by humanity’s fall from grace and expulsion from the Garden of Eden. 6. RELIGIOUS LAWS AND CUSTOMS• These may give women fewer rights than men, e.g. in access to divorce, how many spouses they may marry, decision making, dress codes ect. Religious influences on cultural norms may also lead to unequal treatment, such as genital mutilation or punishments for...
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