Dina –

1. What do you see a woman as?
2. How do you see women in the ME and do you force that definition on them?
3. What is a women’s movement? What would you expect of it? And do you think it’s possible in the ME?

Burka is oppressive? A ME Women’s movement would be so different from the women’s movement we know here?

A women’s movement is probably about choice, and about allowing women to have the choice to live the lives they could or want to?

Is oppression different? Is it the same as some of the oppression we even experience where we put the oppression on ourselves?

Religion: There are so many different fragmentations within Arab cultures because if you are arab that does not mean that you are a muslim. Religious ideology is extremely diverse.

There are many different ways that you could have a women’s movement… it could be about politics, or about sexual freedom, or about whatever…..

A women’s movement there could have positive/negative (depending on how you see it) on western women.

Elite aristocratic society equated equality and secular ideas that came with colonialism. But the lower and middle classes, completely downtrodden, stepped up and put their foot down and said the “reason” that

If a woman cannot gain an education, they cannot read, and because they cannot read the kuran, they cannot make their own decision about

The veil: Not just something you cover your hair necessarily, sometimes you cover your whole face other than your eyes (afgani women).

Burkha

Nichob

Himar

Is it really a commandment of God for women to cover their hair? Not in the Koran.

Hadith (Holy Hadith – God to Muhammed)

(Unholy Hadith – Muhammed said it)

(Strong Hadith -

(Weak Hadith -

The concept of the Veil came from Iran – Persian culture – Aristocratic women would wear the veil to show they are from an aristocratic family. Arab cultures also adopted this into their culture to show their aristocracy/separation from the slaves.

Greek women (during the Hellenistic period) would cover themselves except for their eyes (probably some of the worst treated women in history) … this veil infiltrated into our society.

Jahiliea (Pre Islamic Arabia) – Women would be born and buried immediately… they were unloved and unappreciated. Women were also powerful because they could give pleasure and had power over men with sex. They were sexy and wore bangles… and they had husbands, but they also were having sex with everyone and had many lovers.

Islam was the first abrahamic religion that did away with many inequalities, such as equality in education, working rights, marital rights, like finances and sexual rights, .. women could now DIVORCE their husbands. Even slaves had rights.

Muslims in Europe are taking steps to educate others and to educate themselves about understanding and tolerating things in each other’s cultures.

Men and women are now trying to foster healthy interaction between the two genders in school, in the workplace.

Familial perceptions generally decide how women live their lives. In many families the woman’s honor is connected with the family’s honor.

Pan-Arab Movement – Uniting arabs across the ME.

“What’s right with Islam is What’s Right with America” and “American Islam” are good books.

Dina shared an experience about her father’s funeral, where she couldn’t sit by her brother because women and men were seated in separate rooms.

“A women’s movement is just a humanitarian movement.”

The Quran – Tarif Khalidi (This is Dina’s favorite translation of the Quran –

Lebanon Palestine, Egypt and Morocco give women more freedoms – where women are given the best human rights.

Saudia Arabia is not oppressive, but ridiculous… because its so rich and D&G under their chadors. Afghanistan oppresses their women the most…