Women in the Middle East: First Day!

                  This past Tuesday was one of my favorite class periods so far.  Women in the Middle East and in women in Islam are two subjects that are of great interest to me.  It was wonderful to have two different women come to speak so that we could get different points of view.  I only wish Professor Hanan could have stayed longer.

                  Gulnar’s presentation “Women in Islam: Debunking the Myth” was well prepared and thought out.  I could tell that she has done a lot of studying about women in the Quran and knew many of the questions that people outside Islam would want to ask.  But I also had trouble believing that the Quran is this favorable towards women.  It is hard not to draw a relationship between Islam and the oppression of women.  Let me explain why I think this is true.  It is true that almost every society through all ages has oppressed women in some way or another, whether it has been by physically oppressing them or by not giving them equal human rights with men.  Even some so-called Christian societies have oppressed women.  But when I look at the world today, I cannot help but see that most countries that have a majority of citizens who believe in Islam also have a huge problem with oppression of women.  You may again argue that other religions- including Christianity- and other countries have this problem as well, and that it does not necessarily mean that Islam in its true form is oppressive towards women.  But it is just as logical to say that if Islam in its true form frees women, then the majority of people who believe in Islam and/or interpret the Quran interpret it wrong.  Is that likely?  Maybe it is possible, maybe not. 

                  I hope I have not offended anyone; these are just my own observations.  I will leave them up to you to decide whether they are drawing accurate conclusions.  And many thanks to Professor Hanan and Gulnar for coming and sharing their views on this subject.