Women in the Middle East

Almost Finished…

krmize — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:05:58 +0000

So the class is coming to an end which puts me in the final stages of this blog project. This blog has been an interesting experience for me and I have learned a lot. I went into this project knowing that Middle Eastern women did not have the same rights as us, but not knowing exactly in what ways that was the case.

In some instances, I had exaggerated the problem in my head; and in this way my research helped me to realize that not all women are completely helpless and have made much more progress than some people think.

In other instances, I did not realize the severity of occurrences that I thought were a thing of the past; and so my research helped me to understand the obstacles that are still out there.

I have learned not only about the difficulties women face, but also about how they vary from country to country and just how closely they are actually related to Islam.

I definitely plan to continue following Middle Eastern women in the news and hopefully I can continue to share what I learn with other people.

Culture and Politics vs. Islam

krmize — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:03:54 +0000

One of the things that I’ve struggled with in this project is the negative portrayal of Islam in news coverage of Middle Eastern women. The general tendency is for people to blame any Middle Eastern issues (terrorism, women’s rights, etc.) on the Islamic religion, and it has never been my intent to turn this into an Islam-bashing blog.

To some extent, yes, I think the issues women face stem from radical religious conservatives who justify their policies as the will of God. But notice that I used the words RADICAL and CONSERVATIVE, meaning it is not a general Muslim practice to abuse their women. And in fact, the things that religious leaders use to justify the mistreatment of women are often not even actually mentioned in the Qur’an or Islamic writings. It is more an issue of religious leaders and political leaders abusing their power, and of age-old cultural customs that have put women in the background. Muhammad was actually one of the biggest proponents of women in his teachings and writings, advocating for their rights and well-being, particularly in relation to their husbands. He repeatedly warns against mistreating women.

PBS has a website devoted to exploring this:

http://www.pbs.org/muhammad/ma_women.shtml

Saudi Arabia

krmize — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:45:55 +0000

Because Saudi Arabia is notoriously the worst Middle Eastern country in regards to its treatment of women, I decided to compile some facts on exactly what the situation is.

Women make up 70% of those enrolled in universities, but under 5% of the work force– lowest of any country in the world. They also have these stipulations:

The woman should need to work in order to acquire money she needs.
The work should be in a place that is only for women, and there should be no interaction with non-mahram men, such as if she works in teaching girls, whether in administration or technical support.
The work should be suited to the woman’s body physique and mentality.
It should not lead to her neglecting her household duties.
Her work should not lead to her travelling without a close male relative.
Women are allowed to work with their husbands’ permission only

Women are allowed education, but it is sex-segregated; and because many women do not have easy access to transportation, their college classes are often online distance-learning.
Women cannot drive cars, ride bikes or motorbikes, or be alone in a car with a non-mahram man.
As far as legal matters, women are only allowed to testify if it is a personal matter that did not occur in sight of men.
All public places such as restaurants, offices, schools, and libraries are sex-segregated and women must have a husband or close male escort. Restaurants will turn a woman away if she is not with a close male relative.
A male doctor is not allowed to treat a women unless there are no female specialists available
Women are required to be completely covered and wear the veil in public

These are just some of the policies in place for women in Saudi Arabia, in addition to the various inequalities within families and high rates of domestic violence for women in Saudi.

Even Saudi Arabia, though, is making progress. Women are now allowed to study law, check into hotels alone (though the hotels are required to notify the police of this occurrence and the length of the stay), and carry identification cards. And, as mentioned a few weeks ago, the country just opened its first co-ed learning institution where women are not required to veil, can study alongside men, and are allowed to drive.

Speaking of Afghanistan…

krmize — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:42:21 +0000

The breaking news article on Afghan women made me think of a book I read this past year, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Kholed Hosseini. The book takes place from the 1960′s to the early 2000′s and follows the lives of two different Afghan women in two different situations and how their lives intertwine. It is a fictional story, but was actually difficult for me to read because of the vivid details it uses to describe events and the fact that even though it is fictional, there are real women who have experienced the events firsthand. It is a good book, however and I would recommend reading it.

I think that reading this book is what rekindled my interest in Middle Eastern women. Until that point, it had been at the back of my mind for a few years. The book itself goes through the various Afghan regimes, including the Taliban- probably the low point for Afghan women– and also shows the differences between how families view their females, from the more liberal families to the more conservative ones. If you see it, pick it up.

Grand Ayatollah

krmize — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:26:51 +0000

I mentioned in my breaking news post a couple of days ago the Grand Ayatollah Safi Golpaygani. He spoke out against the oppointment of women as governors in Iran. In response to this, I have been researching the influence of Grand Ayatollahs on the people of Iran. Grand Ayatollah is the highest rank accorded to Shia clerics. Literally, it means `Source of emulation.’

Because Iran is a Muslim country whose government operates under sharia, the Grand Ayatollahs have a large influence on the Iranian people. (Although Ayatollahs exist in countries besides Iran, Iran is the one I am going to focus on here) Here is an example of their influence as stated by PBS’s Ayatollah Watch:

“On the night of September 19, the Supreme Leader of Iran declared that he had observed the crescent moon, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. However, his proclamation was ignored by a dozen or more of the grand ayatollahs, who together marked the end of Ramadan on the following day. More than simply a public disagreement, the dispute forced millions of Shite Muslims to choose between the ayatollahs and the Supreme Leader for guidance on which day to celebrate the religious new year.”

A dispute that may seem trivial, but in reality shows the sway of the Grand Ayatollahs over millions of Muslims whose religion is their way of life. The word of high religious leaders (Such as the Grand Ayatollah) often trumps the word of the government.The Grand Ayatollahs have something to say about just about every political, societal, and religious decision, and on each occasion the public must choose between their word and that of the Supreme Leader.

And a little side note in reference to Dastjerdi, the women appointed Health Minister: Apparently the decision is controversial anyway because she is a long-time advocate of segregating medical care for the sexes, so that Iranian women can only be seen by female doctors — something that reduces women’s access to medical care.

Islamic Clothing

krmize — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:42:43 +0000

My biggest fear with this blog is that I am going to misrepresent information. I am by no means an expert on the Middle East; I’ve never been there; and basically everything I know is from my research. I have absolutely zero firsthand experience. So here’s a little disclaimer: If I in any way present anything different from what it is, I apologize. I am doing my best to give the facts as I find them, but I realize that often does not make up for what I don’t understand about Arabic and Islamic culture.

That being said, I’ve actually read a few articles lately over clothing disputes, including the one I posted in the breaking news section earlier today. In most of these, the conservative proponents cite Islamic law for strict women’s dress rules. So I decided to see what exactly the Qur’an says about appropriate Islamic dress. Here is what I found:

Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: And Allah is well acquainted with all that they do.

— Qur’an [24:30]

And say that the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms …

— Qur’an [24:31]

O Prophet! Tell thy wives and thy daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them. That will be better, so that they may be recognized and not harassed. Allah (SWT) is ever Forgiving, Merciful.

— Qur’an [33:59]

The interpretation of the word ‘modesty’ is what seems to vary from place to place. Here is a link to a blog that explains the reasoning for the Hijab and other head coverings: http://islamicmyths.wordpress.com/2008/01/06/ It also shows the difference between various head coverings.

World’s Most Powerful Women

krmize — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:03:19 +0000

Yesterday under breaking news, I posted the link to the Forbes list of the world’s 100 most powerful women. Of this list, four were from the Middle East. I mentioned that this info was a little skewed as the Middle East does not have the resources of the Western world to make a significant showing on the list– regardless of whether it were men or women. I became curious to see if I could find a list of the most powerful women in the Middle East, so that their status of “power” wouldn’t have to compete with other much more wealthy countries.

Actually, Forbes made a list of its own of powerful women in the Middle East. The catch? It’s from 2005. Here’s the link anyway, it’s still worth a look: http://www.forbes.com/2005/07/28/lists-powerful-women-middle-east-cz_ms_05powom_0728middleeast.html.

So far it looks like Kuwait leads the pack in having women of status– Or at least status enough that they reach Forbes’s eye. Those not mentioned in the 2009 world’s most powerful women include:

Dr. Faiza al-Kharafi; Former president of Kuwait University; Kuwait

Shaikha al-Bahar; Head of corporate banking, National Bank of Kuwait; Kuwait

Maha al-Ghunaim; Founder, vice chair and managing director of Global Investment House; Kuwait

Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser al-Missned; Vice president, Supreme Education Council; Qatar

Raja Easa al-Gurg; Managing director, Easa Saleh Al-Gurg Group; United Arab Emirates

Lujiana Mohsin Darwish; Managing director of Mohsin Haider Darwish; Oman

Hanzade Dogan; Chief executive, Sanyo, Chief executive, Millyet Newspaper; Turkey

Galia Maor; President and chief executive, Bank Leumi; Israel

Dr. Judith Richter; Founder and chief executive, Medinol; Israel

New Legislations?

krmize — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:35:00 +0000

What I’m finding as I read news items is that the current focus tends to be on reforms that are being attempted rather than on the actual abuses of women in the Middle East. I suppose we could take this as a good sign– There are reforms to report on. I, personally, am encouraged by this. But by no means do I think that this means the issue is no longer a concern. Actually, I think just the complete opposite. I think this makes it as big of a concern as ever. These reforms and legislations will not be met without opposition, and more than likely there will be a lack of enforcement of enacted laws– which is where much of the concern comes in. Countries which have not taken steps toward legislation will be looking at those that have, and judging the results. What comes about can potentially have a large impact on influencing the future reforms of other Middle Eastern countries. In addition, the women of the Middle East will be looking toward these reforms as a sign of hope. If the reforms do not actually produce any amount of change, they could effectively discourage these women from standing up for themselves in the future. It is fantastic that countries are taking steps toward women’s rights. At the same time, however, we must make certain that the steps are taken in the intended forward direction rather than unwittingly falling backwards.

Research Slow-Going

krmize — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:17:10 +0000

I have been spending the past couple weeks researching Middle Eastern women when I’ve had a few moments here or there. What I have found is that it’s actually fairly difficult to find current information on the issue. The majority of articles and sources that come up are at least four or five years old– But most are around the timespan of 2002-2004. I believe this at least supports my theory that the sudden interest in Middle Eastern women came about simultaneously with the War on Terrorism. I find it a bit sad that the coverage has died down so much. Possibly this is because the propaganda is no longer necessary to the American people. Or possibly, it is because since the Taliban are no longer in control in Afghanistan, the abuse of women’s rights no longer qualifies as severe.

It makes me think of the old saying, “Out of sight, out of mind.” If the media isn’t reporting on it, most people are probably not thinking about it– Which makes reforms more difficult to enact.

The good news is, reforms ARE being enacted. Maybe not at the rate we would like, and maybe not in a way that they are effectively enforced– but just the fact that there is a push for these reforms to be put into motion to begin with is a huge step for Middle Eastern women’s rights.

My First Blog: A Journey into the Lives of Middle Eastern Women

krmize — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 19:55:05 +0000

My first exposure to the lack of women’s rights in the Middle East came, I think, at the same time it did for many other people: The few months immediately following 9/11. In this time, the United States had declared war on terrorism and what ensued was a media barrage of images of human rights abuses in the Middle East– Particularly in Afghanistan, and particularly against women. At the time, I was not old enough to truly understand the issue at hand, and quite honestly, I think the sudden overflow of media coverage was just a propaganda trick to gain support for an invasion of the Middle East. Regardless, though, it is an issue that has stuck in my mind ever since .

Living in a country such as the United States can make it easy to forget that there are people of every demographic group all over the world facing challenges that many of us cannot even comprehend. We see images; we hear stories; but for some reason, the information does not effectively sink in. My goal with this blog is to expose the struggles faced by one particular demographic– Middle Eastern women– and hopefully, cause it to “sink in.”