Muslim Women In Today’s World Essay Example for Free

Muslim Women In Today’s World Essay It is true that Muslim women are now discovering freedom from their old traditions and today the veil, as it is often called by the Western population has adopted many meanings for the Muslim woman. Some Muslims think of the veil as a symbol of modesty, while others place a huge emphasis on the hijab as a religious statement by Muslims. Many Americans pull back from the image of the way Muslims dress and think of it as a sign of terrorism and aggression which targets people who aren‘t Muslims, while some feminists, who are mainly American, while many Muslims, view the hijab with other signs of significance, which is the oppression and control of Muslim women. Ideas about Muslim women have been born by television programs that display women in Afghanistan, who are shrouded in a burqa, while being beaten because they are showing an ankle or a portion of their skin. Many Muslim men also are expected to dress in a modest style, wearing a turban, and other flowing garments. The way women Muslims dress is seen as sign of the larger restrictions they have to abide by in many under Muslim countries. About 10 % of the Muslim women population wears the veil or hijab. We realize that these amounts may be increasing while more people change to the Islamic religion. Its not for certain how many Muslim women wear the hijab out of the 10,000 Muslim women. Almost every Muslim woman who is asked, say that wearing the hijab was a decision they reached on their own. The Quran which is the Muslim holy book doesnt mandate that all Muslim women wear coverings on their heads. We learn from the Quran 4:124 that, â€Å"Misinformation and misconception about Muslim women proliferate in the world today among non-Muslims and Muslims. I hope that instead of falling into the typical stereotypes and cultural innovation, the information here will pique your interest and help you to understand the true stance Islam takes on gender issues and the role of women. † The topics concerning of women Muslim in Islam is extremely controversial. Various offerings and opinions about women Muslims must be should dealt with using caution due of the alternate opinions. We realize that the rights of Muslim women in the Quran and by the prophet Muhammad have made vast improvements when you compare the laws pertaining to women who live in Arabia before the change of Islam which was only after the death of the Prophet, while the rules directed at the women in Islam started to decrease, then turn back to the pre-Islamic ways. While the womens movement of the West started to increase in strength, during the twentieth century we know that the exact event took place, in the lives of the Muslims. Feminists who fight for the rights of women in the Muslim world during the twentieth century, up until around the 1980’s, usually were women with money. These modern day Muslim women used their feminism that was molded after the feminists who were from the West. The modern Muslims world that was brought on prior to the colonial period which was in the twentieth century began to turn from the Western models that were evident in society. The feminism that was apparent in the Muslim world started adopt Islamic styles that mocked the Western feminist ideas. This pertains not only to Muslim women. It pertains to all women throughout the whole portion of the third world. After removing the restraints that were present during the colonial imperialism, Muslim females living in the third world are growing rapidly, resistant against the cultural imperialism sold by Westerners. Women who live in the third world are finally coming to the conclusion that even though they have many ideas that are similar, because of the hard fight of Euro-American feminists, we realize that what is best for Euro-American women isn’t, of course, going to be the best solution for Muslim women. Muslim women have lately started to develop a Islamic feminism that was molded from the growing concerns of the higher classed Euro American females. The variances between Western feminism and Islamic feminism deals with the topic of the veil. The veil is a scarf or head covering that is usually worn by female Muslims. Many people view this veil as oppressive to women; a sign of a female Muslims obedience. It is often a surprise to Western feminists when they see that the hijab has started to become common throughout the Muslim world. You can see the veil worn by college women who display the veil as an important symbol of their Islamic identity. We learn from Islamic scholar, Dr. Zeenat Ali, that, (Zeenat, 2007) â€Å"The Mission of The New Muslim Woman is to help new Muslim women from all around the world in gaining knowledge about different issues in Islam from learning how to pray to the roles women have In Islam. We also learn that â€Å"The Mission of The New Muslim Woman is to help new Muslim women from all around the world in gaining knowledge about different issues in Islam from learning how to pray to the roles women have In Islam. Giving support and helping each other strive hard in pleasing our Rabb (Lord). Knowledge is the cure for ignorance. The more we learn and grow in our understanding of Islam, the more we can Insha Allah (God Willing) increase in Emaan(Faith). † We understand from listening to Isobel Coleman, that (Coleman, 2006)â€Å"The Mission of The New Muslim Woman is to help new Muslim women from all around the world in gaining knowledge about different issues in Islam from learning how to pray to the roles women have In Islam. Giving support and helping each other strive hard in pleasing our Rabb(Lord). Knowledge is the cure for ignorance. The more we learn and grow in our understanding of Islam, the more we can InshaAllah (God Willing) increase in Emaan (Faith). † We also understand that, â€Å"The Mission of The New Muslim Woman is to help new Muslim women from all around the world in gaining knowledge about different issues in Islam from learning how to pray to the roles women have In Islam. Giving support and helping each other strive hard in pleasing our Rabb (Lord). Knowledge is the cure for ignorance. The more we learn and grow in our understanding of Islam, the more we can InshaAllah (God Willing) increase in Emaan (Faith). † These criticisms are not without merit, and the ambiguity of the new constitution is a cause for concern. The centrality of Islamic law in the document, however, does not necessarily mean trouble for Iraqi women. In fact, sharia is open to a wide range of understanding, and across the Islamic world today, progressive Muslims are seeking to reinterpret its rules to accommodate a modern role for women. Iraqs constitution does not specify who will decide which version of Islam will prevail in the countrys new legal system. But the battle has already begun. Victory by the progressives would have positive implications for all aspects of the future of Iraq, since womens rights are critical to democratic consolidation in transitional and war-torn societies. Allowing a full social, political, and economic role for women in Iraq would help ensure its transition to a stable democracy. Success for women in Iraq would also reverberate throughout the broader Muslim world. In every country where sharia is enforced, womens rights have become a divisive issue, and the balance struck between tradition and equality in Iraq will influence these other debates. Prime Minister Tony Blair and author Salman Rushdie praised a British official on Tuesday for raising the difficult issue of whether Muslim women visiting his office should remove their veils. The comment by Jack Straw, a former foreign secretary who now is leader of the House of Commons, has plunged Britain into a debate over Islamic integration. Its important these issues are raised and discussed, and I think its perfectly sensible if you raise it in a measured and considered way, which he did, Blair said of Straw during an interview with British Broadcasting Corp. television outside his office. I think we can have these discussions without people becoming hysterical either way about it. Rushdie, (Rushdie, 1989) whose book The Satanic Verses, once led to death threats against him by Islamic clerics, told BBC radio that Straw was expressing an important opinion, which is that veils suck, which they do. I think the veil is a way of taking power away from women. Straw said in a newspaper column published Thursday that he believes the veils favored by some Muslim women inhibit communication and are a sign of division in society. At his constituency office, Straw said he asks that veiled women reveal their faces, adding that the women have always complied, and a female assistant is always present. On Friday, British media quoted Straw as going further, saying that he would prefer that Muslim women not wear veils at all. I just find it uncomfortable if Im trying to have a conversation with someone whose face I cant see, Straw told the BBC. Many Muslims in Straws parliamentary district of Blackburn, in northwestern England, reacted with outrage. The uproar also left many questioning whether Britains multicultural ideals can withstand the strains of a cultural divide that is increasingly tormenting much of Europe. The difficulty of the issue was obvious during the Blair interview when he was asked if he would prefer a Muslim woman he met took off her veil. Once led to death threats against him by Islamic clerics, he told BBC radio that Straw was expressing an important opinion, which is that veils suck, which they do. I think the veil is a way of taking power away from women. Straw said in a newspaper column published Thursday that he believes the veils favored by some Muslim women inhibit communication and are a sign of division in society. At his constituency office, Straw said he asks that veiled women reveal their faces, adding that the women have always complied, and a female assistant is always present. The difficulty of the issue was obvious during the Blair interview when he was asked if he would prefer a Muslim woman he met took off her veil. The veil represents a symbolic set of rules for the Muslim Woman and many choose to do away with the scarf, in order to voice their opinions about how they feel about wearing it, and the symbolic meaning behind the veil. We understand that, (Manarj, 1998)â€Å"There are some Muslims who make a big deal about trivial issues that border on ignorance. For example, we are told that the use of nail polish invalidates one’s ablution wudo hence, some women perform wudu before applying nail polish as a workaround. Also, we are told that perfume which may contain alcohol must not be applied to one’s skin, because it can get into the pores, and this is equivalent to drinking it (i. e. the alcohol); moreover, owning a TV or camera has also been deemed prohibited (haram) by some, and so on. In fact, there are those who do not tolerate anything that was not practiced or known to the inhabitants of seventh-century Arabia. These are strange ideas to associate with the most universal and rational religion in the world. Obviously, these alien notions fossilize Islam and constitute a serious misreading of the true Islamic messages. † There is a clear understanding that Muslim women think they must keep their bodies pure and by wearing nail polish and other feminine products, in some cases they feel that they are damaging their bodies by using harmful products. Modern Muslim women are changing their ideas about the way they live and dress as they adopt more western ideas and start to become modernized, in society. We learn that some of the most serious problems that we American Muslim women face include: domestic violence, abuse of divorce and child custody laws, abuse of the polygamy system, and isolation and exclusion from various aspects of Muslim life. We are going to provide a few anecdotal cases simply to illustrate the depth of the problems. We have given the women in the stories names to make it more personable, but their identities have been changed and their confidentiality is protected. The stories are shared simply to illustrate and give life to the specific suffering of American Muslim women today. These are true stories, these are real women who have suffered. These stories were compiled by speaking with Muslim community leaders, social workers, psychologists, lawyers, doctors, mostly in southern California, but throughout the United States. We also obtained information from a thing called Sistersnet, which is an E-mail network of Muslim women throughout the United States and other countries. But unfortunately, there is no database, there is no accurate information that exists as to the frequency of any of these abuses that occur. Further research of these issues is desperately needed Many Muslim are facing serious social changes as they mesh into society as a modern Muslim woman. They have came a long way from past traditions and have adopted a new way of thinking and style that reflects these changes. American Muslim women face many unique additional hurdles. We are discriminated against by both non-Muslims and Muslims in America. For instance, a woman who wears hijab, which is the traditional head-covering, is often taunted at work and on the street, and the careers of a lot of these women are actually jeopardizedthey are discriminated against at work and they are not given jobs. And, women who wear hijab in the United States are obvious targetsthey are obviously Muslims, and because of this they bear the brunt of the ignorance about Islam; they face sexual harassment, and often their actual physical safety is jeopardized. Muslims come from different backgrounds. In America, we have immigrant Muslims, who face a whole host of problems such as xenophobia. In the U. S. in recent times, there has been a growing hostility toward immigrants, and they are often erroneously blamed for all of the socio-economic problems that we face in the U. S. , and are harassed because of that. And we have a large African-American Muslim population, and they face additional hurdles, because being part of a racial minority in the United States, they have had to deal with the problems of racism, discrimination, segregation and the vestiges of slavery.

History Of Music :: essays research papers

Music has been around sense the dawn of time. When man first started to discover music it was not the kind of music we have today. All it consisted of was grunts, moans, and banging things. Music has evolved just as much as the people that created it. From Chromagnum men to musician and from grunting too classical music, rock, and rap. The first people imitated music from nature. They mimicked the sound from their every day life. It had no rhythm, beat, or tune it was just noise, but later turned into what we now call music. Ancient people used music for much more than entertainment they used it in every day life. They would yell and scream during battle, blow a horn as a warning, have ceremonies to honor the dead or bring the rain, signal danger, to show your importance in society, it was also used as a healing power. On the front lines of battle would be a soldier that would be holding a drum or a flute. When this was a common act the instruments would be spread around to different cultures after a battle. This brought on a new way of looking at music. Around the 16th century people started to collect instead of play music. A persons hands and feet were the first of all the instruments and is still the most common, because every one has them. A persons hands and feet were readily available, and easy to use. The drum is the second most common percussion instrument. Like most of the other instruments the drum was found by accident when someone hit a hallow log with a stick. The hallowed out stumps then became drums that were decorated. Drums were used for war or for signaling over long distances. The drum was a common instrument because it was so easy to use; all they had to do was strike it. The second percussion instrument was the rattle. The rattle was found later in the time when humans started to grow plants. It was found accidentally when someone picked up a dried out gourd of some sort and shook it. The ancient rattles were readily available because the people that grew the plants were just learning how to grow plant so they made many mistakes. The harp has been around since humans have started to use tools. The harp was founded during the hunt.

A reaction paper to the book: may god have mercy

The focal point of this essay is to prepare a reaction paper for the book May God Have Mercy: A True Story of Crime and Punishment by John C. Tucker. This 368 page paperback was written by the author to look into the death penalty of Roger Coleman in 1992 who was convicted for a murder case in spite of the evidences being placed on a soft ground. As a defense attorney of criminal activities John C. Tucker indulges himself in investigation and analyzes and criticizes the loopholes of the judiciary system and the prevailing criminal justice process. Wanda Fay McCoy, a young woman of 19 years of age, was found raped and murdered in her bedroom in March 1981. The prime suspect was Roger Coleman, brother-in-law of the victim. Roger Coleman had a history of sexual assaults in past thus he was the logical suspect for the small town police officials who were investigating the case. This was a perfect example of the ‘catch first, prove later’ fallacy rather than the rational approach to the case. The Grundy police suspected Roger Coleman for the rape and murder, caught him and them tried to arrange the case in accordance to prove Roger Coleman guilty. The entire approach was a short cut to success for the investigating cops and the entire scenario was close to an act of travesty. Therefore, as a result, though there was not much evidence against Roger Coleman to prove him guilty the convict was tried in a double quick manner and was thus found guilty. The verdict against him was death penalty. May God Have Mercy: A True Story of Crime and Punishment by John C. Tucker narrates the buildup and eventual conclusion of this legal battle and a man’s struggle to be free against legal system’s strangling notions. The author presents the documentations in a chilling mode where it becomes evident that something was going wrong somewhere. The defense lawyers knew this. The media knew this and so was the general mass. But for the judicial system Roger Coleman was guilty without doubt. The case of Roger Coleman as narrated by John C. Tucker appears to us as a frightening denunciation of political affairs as customary that is clear to confront the conjectures of a person who considers that the justice system of America is concerned first and foremost with righteousness. Roger Coleman's account is convincing, distressing, and awesomely wearisome. While reading May God Have Mercy: A True Story of Crime and Punishment by John C. Tucker it is virtually impossible for a person to be move away completely unaffected. This is because the author has done a remarkable job by presenting the rules and the process of multifaceted legal conceptions in a simple and clear language. Otherwise any such proceedings would have been bound to be confusing and rather dull. Tucker also incorporates many stories dealing with the personal parameters of the convict’s life to present a moving and powerful humane account. As for the settings of the case it should be mentioned that in general the judiciary system is arranged in such a manner that an innocent person is hardly ever convicted especially in the circumstances of a possible death penalty. But it was proved wrong in case of Roger Coleman's account of trial. It is not that Tucker advocates blindly with irrational suspicion that Roger Coleman's case was not guilty. But he simply points at the sustainable evidences that indicated that the convict was not to be blamed. Substantial evidence is what tucker is more concerned about and he tends to follow the proceedings of the law and identifies the evidences hardly proved the convict guilty with a full proof assurance. It is true that any judicial system should be rigid in some way or the other to pursue criminals into justice but it should always be remembered that justice as an individual objective is extremely volatile if it is not handled with proper care and common human sense of truth and rightfulness. Roger Coleman's account of a mishandled human being is the prime example of justice becoming a curse for the society and failing to follow the basic norms of a civilized human society. This basic norm of a society is undoubtedly a profound humane approach to any problem where solutions would be acquired with benevolent advance towards rational behaviors and accomplishments. It is not about the fact that whether truly Roger Coleman actually guilty or not but the main concern over here is the nature of the proceedings that were followed. This is the main issue of the book and the author has incorporated that needful doubt within the readers that should have been present within the faiths of judicial personnel in the first place. It is evident that if anybody commits to memory about the case not so far away from the media coverage it is obvious that he or she would be traumatized and horror struck at this chronicle with its deficiency of concern, ordinary logical conclusions and fundamental compassion towards human values of the legal system American government can acquire. Reference: Tucker, John C; August 10, 1998; May God Have Mercy: A True Story of Crime and Punishment; Delta Publications   

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