Reply to LDC

Submitted by Chris G. (United States), Jul 23, 2007 at 16:12

I mostly agree with you. However I must state that the perception of Islam treating women as 2nd class citizens is somewhat misleading. I personally do not agree with much of Shariat law concerning women. However I also must note that only in Wahhabi influenced Muslim countries are women forced to cover themselves completely and dress only in massive black gowns and veils in public. The majority of Muslim countries only call for women to wear the hijab (a simple hair cover) and to dress modestly.

It is interesting to note that many Muslim women I've talked to actually view Western culture as degrading and oppressive to women in that women feel compelled to dress sexy and wear tight revealing clothes in order to pleasure men and act promiscious. They find that repulsive and oppressive and prefer a culture where they are not forced to degrade themselves in that manner and where men are more likely to pay attention to their personalities, capabilities, and intelligence. Personally I think both sides have certain legitimate points regarding womens rights and that a lot of good dialog can happen to improve women's rights in both Western and Islamic cultures.

As for what you said about the media, I completely agree with you and that is part of what my area of research is concerned about.

Chris G.

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