READ FULL ARTICLE ON: That Veil Thing
Recently, Roqaya Al-Gassra from Bahrain competed in the Beijing Olympics wearing a head scarf and a full-length suit. I was surprised that her running gear did not occasion more comment. But if wearing a modest track suit allows her to compete in a sport that she wouldn't otherwise feel comfortable competing in, I think that's wonderful. I've already seen posts from several Muslim women cheering her on for solidarity's sake, and I empathize. But I'm left feeling vaguely troubled, because in all the discussions about Muslim head-scarves, I frequently see a gaping black hole.
READ FULL ARTICLE ON: To progress, Islamic countries must advance women's rights
By John Hughes
SALT LAKE CITY – Much is written about the conflict between Islam and the West. But the debate that will actually determine the future of Islam lies within Islam, between Muslim and Muslim. It is a debate that is going on in Arab lands from Morocco to Iraq and in non-Arab, but predominantly Islamic, lands from Pakistan to Iran. It is a debate about many things, not the least being the use of terrorism against innocent human beings. But particularly significant is the discourse about the role of women in Islamic societies. It is significant because the emergence of women from the subordinate role to which many of them have been relegated in Islamic societies would speed the economic and political progress of these countries in a positive direction.
In the economic field, some Arab countries have made progress, but a recent UN report prepared by Arab scholars found that over the past 20 years, growth in per capita income was the lowest in the world except in sub-Saharan Africa. The report concluded: "At an annual growth rate of 0.5 percent annually, if such trends continue in the future, it will take the average Arab citizen 140 years to double his or her income, while other regions are set to achieve that level in a matter of less than 10 years."
READ FULL ARTICLE ON: Veiled Muslim Women Not Victimized
The dominant U.S. view of the Muslim veil as a barrier may reveal our own cultural biases.
by: Ben Ritter
As a symbol of exoticism, it has been used to sell cigarettes, tennis shoes and pornographic picture postcards. As a symbol of oppressive patriarchy, it has been used to justify decades of U.S. military interventions in the Middle East. But above all, the familiar symbol of the veil has served as a representation of U.S. concerns and anxieties about power and tradition, according to Amira Jarmakani, an assistant professor of women's studies at Georgia State University, who spoke at UC Irvine on Thursday, Jan. 26 in Humanities Instructional Building 135. As part of her research, Jarmakani collected images of Arab womanhood in the United States, which fell into three basic categories: the veil, the harem and the belly dancer. She wished to understand why these images remained so salient in American culture.
Early examples of these images ranged from French orientalist paintings to photographs of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair (the debut of belly dancing in the United States) to early 20th century advertisements for Turkish tobacco blends.
READ FULL ARTICLE ON: Women's Liberation Through Islam
Women's Liberation Through Islamby Mary Ali and Anjum Ali
Today people think that women are liberated in the West and that the Women's liberation movement began in the 20th century. Actually, the women's liberation movement was not begun by women but was revealed by God to a man in the seventh century by the name of Muhammad (Peace be upon him), who is known as the last Prophet of Islam. The Qur'an and the Traditions of the Prophet (Hadith or Sunnah) are the sources from which every Muslim woman derives her rights and duties.
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