Paper Summary:

This paper examines how the trend of globalization fueled by new technologies and an ethic of free-trade continues to connect the nations of the world in unprecedented fashion and how Globalization relies heavily upon the spread of free-market capitalism. It evaluates how globalization is merely Americanization on a global scale and how for Muslim nations, this is a particularly alarming prospect. It examines how Muslim conceptions of human rights, gender equality, democracy and modernization do not often concur with those of the United States and the West- particularly among Islamist fundamentalists. It analyzes how the fruits of globalization such as technology, international business opportunity and access to foreign goods do tempt many Muslim leaders, thus causing a troubled split within Muslim states.

From the Paper:

"In these early years of globalization the cultural exchange has been decisively one-sided, with Western media images and icons infiltrating the fabric of Muslim society. In most cases, the Western value structure is inconsistent with its Muslim counterpart. Western conceptions of gender, for example, do not always gel with Muslim conceptions. Women, under Islam, are meant to be cherished; the Prophet Mohammed offers this prescription: ?Treat your women well, and be kind to them." However, Muslim society has, in many cases, used the tenets of Islam as a means to subjugate women, usually in ways the West deems wildly inappropriate. Polygamy, though uncommon, does have a basis in Islam. As do arranged marriages, which are still very prevalent in Muslim society. Muslim women are often veiled from head to foot as a testimony to their deep modesty, and in many societies the slightest indiscretion can result in severe punishments. In Pakistan, for example, it is possible for a woman who has been raped to be legitimately charged with committing zina, which refers to any form of sex out of wedlock. If she is a married woman, rape is considered adultery and can result in her being stoned to death. If she is unmarried, the rape is considered mere fornication, punishable with 100 lashes and many years of prison. In Iran, as another example, girls are legally declared fit for marriage by the age of nine, and can be sent off as brides with men five times their age."

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