Oppression of Women in the Middle East

I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up For Education and Was Shot By the Taliban

By: Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb

Why does gender stratification still exist in many Middle Eastern Societies and how are women rising above this adversity?

In Bangladesh, Muslim fanatics throw acid in the faces of unveiled women

Accounts of lashings, stonings, and honor killings are regularly in the news

"They would hit us and spit on us, and then we would have to come in to the hospital to do our work."

Why does gender inequality exist?

Men claim that Islam states they are superior to women   Many male scholars have interpreted the Qur’an in ways that limit the rights of women For Example: The Qur’an states that “Woman must lower their gaze and be modest”, many males have over analyzed this and have in some areas have required women to wear burqas which significantly reduces their rights to choose what they want to wear

This Claim has been proven wrong because………

  Islam is a religion that respects women and humanity The Qur’an required that women have a say in their marriage, gave them the ability to inherit property and granted them the right to initiate divorces   The Qur’an does not state any where that women should be secluded in their homes One of Muhammad’s wives, A’isha was a scholar of many subjects and was an influential teacher

The Taliban

   The Taliban’s version of Islam is not supported by the world’s view of Islam The Taliban regime has cruelly reduced women and girls to poverty, worsened their health, and deprived them of their right to an education The Taliban closed down the women’s university and have forced nearly all women to quit their jobs

Life for women Under the Taliban

   The UN has estimated that only 7% of girls in Afghanistan attend school The life expectancy of a widow under the Taliban regime is 44 years old Afghanistan has one of the highest rates of infant mortality, 165 of every 1000 die before their first birthdays

Quotes

Quotes from women who have been oppressed  "When we are together, everyone here is talking about how the Taliban has destroyed our lives. They won't let us go to school because they want us to be illiterate like them."--Nasima, 35-year-old

Kabul resident

 "Because of the Taliban, Afghanistan has become a jail for women. We haven't got any human rights. We haven't the right to go outside, to go to work, to look after our children."--Faranos

Nazir, 34-year-old woman in Kabul

Quotes from the Taliban’s perspective  "If a woman wants to work away from her home and with men, then that is not allowed by our religion and our culture. If we force them to do this they may want to commit suicide."--Mullah

Nooruddin Turabi, Taliban Minister of Justice

 "We have enough problems with the education of men, and in those affairs no one asks us about that."--Qari Mullah Din

Muhammad Hanif, Taliban Minister of Higher Education

Rules that the Taliban has for women



Women are not allowed to:

• Speak or laugh loudly • Ride bicycles or motorcycles • Show their ankles • Wear shoes that click or wear makeup • Leave home unaccompanied • Attend school • Speak to men who are not close relatives • Work

How are women rising above this adversity?

Spreading Education

 Many people are doing whatever they can to educate young women in the Middle East even if it means defying the law http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/10/02/dr-yacoobi-afghan-institute learning

Protest

Yemeni women burned their veils to protest their inability to vote Women in Saudi Arabia protested for their right to drive

Forming Groups

    The Feminist Majority Foundation has been fighting the mistreatment of Muslim women for years They have created a campaign complete with rallies, petitions, and fundraisers Many women have organized movements in countries such as Iran, Lebanon, and Egypt. Women in Middle Eastern Nations such as turkey, Morocco and Tunisia already enjoy almost western levels of freedom One of their central projects is progressive religious reform which prevents the practices of veiling, arranged marriages and a restriction of what they can wear

Using the Written Word Women have been writing memoirs to express the unfair treatment of women in their homelands. The written word has become a powerful tool for women because it has allowed them to make the global community aware of the gender inequality that exists in their world. It gives them a vehicle to escape the terrible conditions they have faced in their homeland without the consequences of persecution. Malala uses her memoir as an avenue to continue her drive for women’s education.

Speaking out

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrasFcGqM_s  Malala speaking to the UN about how she continued to advocate for her education despite being threatened by the Taliban

In Conclusion

 Although the Taliban and conservative religious groups have been degrading women and denying them basic rights such as education, women have been boldly defying them in a variety of different ways. They have been using their voices to speak out against oppression, they have organized protests, and documented their experiences in powerful memoirs. Middle Eastern women have been active letting the global community know that something has to be done about this issue

Bibliography

Asfour, Nana. “Women Under the Influence.” BookForum Apr. 2008: 12. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 11 Nov. 2013 Esposito, John L. “Women in the Qur’an.” The Islamic World: Past and Present. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 11 Nov. 2013 Lacayo, Richard. “Lifting the Veil: About Face.” Time 3 Dec. 2001: 34. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 11 Nov. 2013 Sommers, Christina Hoff. “The Subjection of Islamic Women.” Weekly Standard 21 May 2007: 14-20. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.

United States. State Department. Report on Talibans War Against Women. SIRS Government Reporter. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.