Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!usc!samsung!crackers!m2c!wpi.WPI.EDU!zahle.wpi.edu!shari From: hanan@mcs213k.cs.umr.edu (Hanan Lutfiyya) Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam Subject: Re: Women Message-ID: <1991Jun20.152742.19343@wpi.WPI.EDU> Date: 20 Jun 91 15:27:42 GMT Sender: news@wpi.WPI.EDU (News) Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute Lines: 111 Approved: shari@zahle.wpi.edu Originator: shari@zahle.wpi.edu Nntp-Posting-Host: zahle.wpi.edu In Message-ID: <1991Jun17.133302.1993@wpi.WPI.EDU> someone from the MSA of the University of Nebraska, Omaha writes >Throughout history, women in the west and all over the world was first looked >upon as mere nonentity and later with the start of industrial revolution the >whole social scene underwent a radical change and women suffered their worst >possible suffering yet in history, were she was over worked like men in >addition to her responsibilities as a homemaker. Family life was ruined ever >since. Years passed and women in the west and all over the world is still >straggling for basic rights that by law were never given to them. Americans >till recently in their history gave women the right to vote. Women still tof >date don't get paid or be treated the same as men. >Needless to say, women in the west and including the US, are finding that their >newly won rights are not the answer for their quest of good life and equal >living and opportunity. The rights that men gave women came with other problems >and concerns when women found themselves again trying to balance work, family, >and other life matters. They are becoming to realize that earned/given rights >are not enough if they are not accompanied with real and genuine will from the >rest of the society. Men in the west have no motive to ensure and help freeing >women. So far fairly accurate. But, I think one reason for these problems is that the feminist movement concentrated on the woman. The feminist movement underestimated the adjustment that has to be made. >The previous lines only meant to represent the struggle of the western women >for rights and life that Islam gave right away to Moslem women accompanied with >the teachings that ensure the male respect for their rights and life and making >that as a part of being a Moslem. .... >Arab women, and they are mostly Moslem, were for many years subject to a >propaganda by the west and by the dictators ruling the Arabic/Moslem countries. >Their motives were and still are, to destroy the Arab family structure by >subjecting the society to a brainwashing campaigns and to economic pressures >to force the Arab women to go through what women went through in the west. >One of the obvious plans to destroy families through exploiting women were, in >most Muslim countries, forcing them to travel and relocate -most cases alone- >in order for them to start a job to earn a living and support herself and >family or just to continue her quest for higher education. Women are working more. The reason is the economical development that is starting to take place in many Arab countries. In any society, not just Arab/Muslim societies, economical development usually warrents a larger work force. This is because an economically well-developed society has many more jobs that are more specialized. The best way to increase the work force is by using women. This has happened in the West and is just starting to happen in the Arab world. Some may ask about countries like Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, where the percentage of women in the labor force is still small(although, there has been great improvement in the last few years). These countries are not good examples, because they have the money to increase their labor forces through importing workers. On the otherhand, take Iraq. Iraq does import workers. But, they prefered to encourage women to enter the workforce, esp. for managerial and skilled work, instead of importing foreign labor. BTW, you saw this to a lesser extent in Jordan(probably because Jordan's pace of economical development is slower). It interesting to note that Iraq has a pretty good record on womens rights. Ok, now my point: I ask you this: Is it really bad to have women working? In order for a society to develop, it must use all members of it in the best possible way, including its women. Yes, there is certainly exploitation. But, laws(no matter how slowly) can be passed to prevent exploitation. We are starting to see this in the West. There are many problems. But, I think this is because the West has not adjusted itself to the working woman. The answer is not to go back to the way it was, but rather to work towards a "new order"(yuck, I sound like Bush, but I couldn't think of a better combination of words). >Arab/Moslem women are still subjected to the western propaganda showing them >as women of the thousand-nights tales and notably women in the west are >currently actually living these same tales in real life with the influence of >ungodly power, drugs and alcohol addictions. I would agree that Western propaganda is not very accurate in its protrayl of Arab/Muslim women. It is inaccurate or misleading. In the above you seem to believe that Western women are influenced by drugs and alchohol addictions(ungodly power? I'm not sure what you mean by this). Sure, *some* are. As are *some* men. I'm not sure I see your point. You make it sound that *all* women are influenced by drugs and alcohol. This sterotype is inaccurate. I'm sure that you see women where you are working/going to school. Do they all looked "stoned"? Somehow, I doubt it. BTW, I am an Arab/Muslim woman. I don't feel the need for drugs or alcohol. I have found working and school to be both satisfying and enjoyable. As important as motherhood is, I don't think that my role in society should be limited to just motherhood. Society loses. >So, to sum up, finally huh? :) , whatever the west is claiming and planning for >the Arab/Moslem women is being supported be the local dictators working for the >same goals. Islam puts women on the same level as men both are subject to the >same rules and orders, and Islam even puts motherhood on higher grounds. I doubt the West has anything planned for the Arab/Muslim woman. At least not what you have said. Why? Because in the long run society benefits from working women. Hanan Lutfiyya University of Missouri-Rolla