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Full-Text Articles in Islamic Studies
What All Americans Should Know About Women In The Muslim World: Clarifying Stereotypes About Muslim Women In Morocco, Alexandra M. Krain
What All Americans Should Know About Women In The Muslim World: Clarifying Stereotypes About Muslim Women In Morocco, Alexandra M. Krain
What All Americans Should Know About Women in the Muslim World
The stereotypes about Muslims in Morocco as well as Morocco in general are widespread and often incorrect. The present paper combines both scholarly review and personal experience to clarify stereotypes about public space, work, education, and personal life, focusing specifically on women. Hopefully, this analysis will assist in educating the public about Muslims in Morocco and reveal the under-appreciated similarities between Moroccan and American women.
Active Resistors: The Women Of Post-Revolution Iran, Sofia E. Mouritsen
Active Resistors: The Women Of Post-Revolution Iran, Sofia E. Mouritsen
What All Americans Should Know About Women in the Muslim World
In this paper, I challenge the notion that Muslim or Middle Eastern women are passive acceptors of discrimination. After examining how Iranian women resisted governmental discrimination following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, I consider a number of factors that may have led to the reversal of some of these discriminatory policies in the 1990’s. How much of an effect did women’s demands for equality have on the government’s decisions? This question of effectiveness introduces a longtime debate between Islamic feminists, who advocate for working with the theocratic government and using Islam to frame their demands for equality, and secular feminists, who …
Winning The Game: Muslim Women And Sport, Claire F. Benstead
Winning The Game: Muslim Women And Sport, Claire F. Benstead
Student Publications
Female Muslim athletes face a number of obstacles when playing sports, both at home and abroad. For example, those who wear hijabs may be banned from playing a sport in certain countries or international arenas because their headscarves are deemed unsafe by the organization’s standards. By contrast, they may be required to wear a headscarf in other countries if they wish to compete publicly. By examining case studies from a variety of sports and countries, this paper explains how female athletes have worked to overcome these obstacles and fought for equality and the right to join the game.
What All Americans Should Know About Islamic Feminism, Caroline M. Bosworth
What All Americans Should Know About Islamic Feminism, Caroline M. Bosworth
Student Publications
The concept of Islamic feminism depicts the history of Muslim women seeking gender equality on the basis of religion. Through rooting gender equality in the texts and practices of the Qur'an, Muslim women demand acknowledgement in society based on Islamic teachings. A common theme persists in American society, which perpetuates the misconception that Muslim women lack agency. In reality, numerous Muslim women have actively worked to ensure their rightful place alongside men in society, which is evident in the cases of both Egypt and Iran.
The Motivations Behind Westerners’ Obsession With The Islamic Veil, Claire K. Alexander
The Motivations Behind Westerners’ Obsession With The Islamic Veil, Claire K. Alexander
What All Americans Should Know About Women in the Muslim World
In a world where we are constantly bombarded with countless images of Islamic terrorism, violence, and danger, it is not surprising that we have come to associate all aspects of Islamic society with malevolence. This destructive way of thinking has impacted the way we—as Westerners— think about, portray, and perceive Muslim men and women. While Muslim men are often depicted as hostile, cruel, and savage-like, on the other hand, Muslim women are usually depicted as powerless, obedient, and docile. These stereotypical representations of Muslim men and women have harmful consequences—consequences that not only promote Western ignorance, but also tarnish the …
Gender Roots: Conceptualizing "Honor" Killing And Interpretations Of Women's Gender In Muslim Society, Brittany N. Barry
Gender Roots: Conceptualizing "Honor" Killing And Interpretations Of Women's Gender In Muslim Society, Brittany N. Barry
What All Americans Should Know About Women in the Muslim World
The phenomenon of “honor” killing is one that has formed out of deeply rooted concepts of sexuality and gender roles in Muslim societies. These conceptions have been implemented into everyday life and social infrastructure and have created, in some places, a generally accepted power dynamic that subjugates women and generates conceptualizations about women’s sexuality and their assumed obedience. In recent decades the gender constructions of, predominantly, the Middle East and of other Muslim populations have captured the attention of Western thinkers, especially with regards to feminist thought. The Western gaze has produced a number of responses, some of which have …
The Mainstream Misrepresentation Of Muslim Women In The Media, Megan A. Mastro
The Mainstream Misrepresentation Of Muslim Women In The Media, Megan A. Mastro
What All Americans Should Know About Women in the Muslim World
I discuss the widespread misrepresentation of Islamic women in multiple sources of media and its subsequent effects on the general population's perception of this demographic as a whole.
The Myth Of “Sharia” And Child Marriage, Megan S. Luckenbaugh
The Myth Of “Sharia” And Child Marriage, Megan S. Luckenbaugh
What All Americans Should Know About Women in the Muslim World
In American media, the term "sharia law" is repetitively used as a reason behind practices and actions linked to Islam which would be considered counter to Western morals. The term "sharia" is first clarified as having many definitions, but in legal terms each Islamic nation has their own version of "sharia." Child marriage is one of many topics often blamed on "sharia" and this essay attempts to debunk the Western portrayal of "sharia" by exploring the reality of child marriage in some Islamic nations. The examples depict both situations in which the people, despite the laws, are actively keeping this …
Muslim Head Coverings, Raven C. Waters
Muslim Head Coverings, Raven C. Waters
Student Publications
I researched female head coverings in the Muslim culture, to see how the veils affected society and society's response to the covering.
Muslim Women And United States Healthcare: Challenges To Access And Navigation, Dayna M. Seeger
Muslim Women And United States Healthcare: Challenges To Access And Navigation, Dayna M. Seeger
What All Americans Should Know About Women in the Muslim World
This paper offers an analysis of the interactions of Muslim women in the US healthcare system in order to unpack challenges and propose potential accommodations. Islam may inform values or considerations in the context of other cultural factors or present Muslim women with specific challenges in seeking healthcare based on Islamic teachings or social constructs. This paper examines these factors by elaborating on an overview of Muslim interpretations of healthcare using religious authorities, text from the Qur’an, and social norms. It then delves into challenges faced by Muslim women in the US healthcare system and the implications of those challenges …
To Veil Or Not To Veil: A Loaded Question, Lisa R. Rivoli
To Veil Or Not To Veil: A Loaded Question, Lisa R. Rivoli
What All Americans Should Know About Women in the Muslim World
What all Americans should know about women in the Muslim world is that Muslim women are increasingly prohibited through legal measures to choose for themselves whether or not to veil, which reduces their agency and perpetuates the harmful idea that all Muslim women need saving.This paper takes a look at political and legislative interventions on veiling in several countries.