Roles of Women: West vs. Islam

Paper Summary:

Women have always had to battle views that they are not significant members of society and should stay at home. In some cases, women have taken great strides forward towards equality and status. Oftentimes, however, women lose these battles and become inferior again. The position of women in Islamic society is a complex and frequently misunderstood issue. This paper argues that it is certainly true that Muslim and Western views of the role of women show sharp cultural differences, but the stereotype of Muslim women as uneducated, with no rights and with no opportunities is a caricature born of ignorance or malevolence.

From the Paper:

"The Muslim woman does not feel the pressures to be beautiful or attractive, which is so apparent in the Western cultures. She does not have to live up to expectations of what is desirable and what is not. Superficial beauty is not the Muslim woman's concern; her main goal is inner spiritual beauty. She does not have to use her body and charms to get recognition or acceptance in society. It is very different from the cruel methods that other societies subject women, in that their worth is always judged by their physical appearance. There are numerous examples of discrimination at the workplace where women are either accepted or rejected, because of their attractiveness and sex appeal. (MWL)".

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