Islamic Women In Western Culture Essay

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The Demeanor of Muslim Women in the West The western Culture’s misconception of the Muslim veil may stem from people’s different perceptions of beauty and sexuality while also being a result of the post-9/11 idea that Muslim women are associated with terrorism and “oppressed” by their male superiors. The Islamic cover for a women’s head is called a hijab; one of the most visible symbols of Muslim identity in the western society. The hijab is a scarf that usually covers a woman’s head and neck while leaving the face visible. Muslim women wear the hijab for different reasons some of them wear it to honor their cultural heritage and religion others just wear it as a personal choice. The Quran (holy book of Islam) states that women cover their hair to identify themselves as Muslims; to be recognized, it is an active truthfulness so that everyday knows that Muslim women are proud of being Muslims. However the Quran is very vague about what the clothing is for women, each woman interprets the Quran in her own way and basis her attitude towards veiling on that interpretation. Hijab functions to define Muslim’s identity; women create their own identity by covering their bodies and getting the privacy they want, it also performs a different attitude representing modest clothing and modest behavior, it resists sexual objectification, lets women afford more respect, preserve intimate relationships, and provide freedom.
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By wearing the veil, women are able to be out in public while maintaining their traditional modesty. The veil is supposed to tell that these women of enormous strength integrity will not lie will not cheat will be the best advisor and the best councilor. The western culture and the Muslim culture differs in the general perception of beauty and how sexuality should or should not be portrayed in public.

Many people think the wearing a veil is out of ordinary, therefore imposing negative stereotypes on the women who veils. Veiling in the west is an obvious sign of Muslim identity. Women in Islam has always been viewed as victims of male oppression, mysterious, erotic, suppressed and powerless, yet threatening. They are the uneducated foreigners with whom one has little or nothing in common. Unless one’s social circle includes Muslim friends and acquaintances, the impression of Muslim women would have been largely formed by negative media. For many non-Muslim people the information they have about Muslim women comes from the way they are presented in the media. However women are portrayed positively in the Quran, in which women are frequently referred to alongside men and both are described as friends and partners in faith. Quran rejects forced marriage. Muslim women are granted the right to own, inherit, keep their own names and identities after marriage, initiate divorce and obtain education. Moreover wearing a veil represents a woman’s confidence in not conforming to the fashion standards of the west. There is no modesty in a woman obliged to wear a veil because she is being compelled. By wearing a veil, a Muslim women is not tempted to do things that would be outside the moral standards of Islamic faith. Women monitor their behavior when they wear the hijab because they are representing Islam to everyone else. The veil sets boundaries between men and women, Muslims women believe that

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