Middle East: Civil Liberties & Women's Rights

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the images that Americans saw of bias and brutal cruelty towards females in Afghanistan, perpetrated by the Taliban, which have become a regrettable stereotype attached to all Muslim women in all Muslim nations by some in the Western media. This paper argues that those images are simply not accurate and explains that women are seeking and receiving a growing degree of fairness in civil rights. The paper brings to light the facts about women in today's Muslim communities in the Middle East.

From the Paper:

"While addressing the truths about women's rights in Muslim nations, it is first perhaps helpful to address some of the myths, and remove them from the table before one sits down to partake of the food of facts. In her article, "Distorted Image of Muslim Women", Sister Naasira bint Ellison points out that Americans for the most part don't understand divorce in Islam; Muslim myth #1 has been perpetrated that a man can divorce his wife by simply uttering "I divorce you" three times. "The truth of the matter is that Islam has the most humane and most just system of divorce that exists," she writes. Yes, the man says, "I divorce you," but that is followed by a waiting period that lasts through 3 menstrual cycles, to be sure the wife is not pregnant, and to give the couple ample time to reconsider their decision, according to Sister Naasir. And if she is indeed pregnant, the man provides all her needs for her throughout her pregnancy, as he did before. And until the child is weaned, the ex-husband cares for both child and mother; after weaning, the man is obligated to provide for the child until he or she is no longer in need of support."

More papers on Middle East: Civil Liberties & Women's Rights:

• Argumentative Essay # 132027 : "Civilization and the Middle East"
• Essay # 71640 : "Women's Human Rights in the Middle East"
• Persuasive Essay # 106795 : "The War on Terror - Threats to Civil Liberties"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: