Muslim Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Muslim Women - Essay Example Women constitute a group whose rights are systematically violated around the world. A holistic look at an average Muslim woman’s life can help determine the allocation of inferior rights in Islam. In most Muslim countries, especially in the rural regions of developing countries, if girls are born, they are considered as a burden on the family for reasons associated with fear of loss of dignity and honor and as a symbol of inferiority as they are viewed as a cumbersome duty levied on the parents. The omnipresence of these notions varies only slightly across different cultures, but what is important to note here is that these notions are almost ubiquitous. Moreover, upon reaching adolescence, women are obliged by Islamic law to wear hijab (veil) which serves the purpose of covering all of their body from head to toe except the face and hands. In a modern, globalized society like today's, this obligation works more on the subconscious than on the conscious side of the mind. It re inforces the flawed image of patriarchy, in the minds of women, as a self-sustaining way of nature and further suppresses women in society. This carries on to wider scales of inequality where women are subject to ‘the glass ceiling effect’. It is an illusionary structure whereby women are made to believe they can acquire key positions, instead of women are made to go through the male-dominated ways of the world only to fail at the end. There is a large difference in the number of women in international arenas concerning politics.... A holistic look at an average Muslim woman’s life can help determine the allocation of inferior rights in Islam. In most Muslim countries, especially in the rural regions of developing countries, if girls are born, they are considered as a burden on the family for reasons associated with fear of loss of dignity and honour and as a symbol of inferiority as they are viewed as a cumbersome duty levied on the parents. The omnipresence of these notions varies only slightly across different cultures, but what is important to note here is that these notions are almost ubiquitous. Moreover, upon reaching adolescence, women are obliged by Islamic law to wear hijab (veil) which serves the purpose of covering all of their body from head to toe except the face and hands. In a modern, globalised society like todays, this obligation works more on the subconscious than on the conscious side of the mind. It reinforces the flawed image of patriarchy, in the minds of women, as a self-sustaining way of nature and further suppresses women in society. This carries on to wider scales of inequality where women are subject to ‘the glass ceiling effect’. It is an illusionary structure whereby women are made to believe they can acquire key positions, instead women are made to go through the male-dominated ways of the world only to fail at the end. That is precisely why there is a large difference in the number of men and women in international arenas concerning politics, administration and business. An issue that combines traditional Islamic ideology with the modern new-age thinking is the fact that, emerging neo-modern schools of thought promoting women’s rights are artlessly classified as ‘secular Muslim feminism’. This has