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Essay / Women's Rights in the Middle East - 645
Women's rights in Iran or the Middle East have always been a debatable issue. Although their rights have changed over the centuries, they have never really been compared to those of men and no one has really accepted them. Especially for Iranian women, they had almost no rights when it came to culture, marriage, or other aspects of their lives. In the following essay, you will learn about the daily lives of Middle Eastern women. During the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the political, social and economic structure of Iran was transformed. Secular laws were replaced by Islamic laws, creating an explosion. Women were often mistreated, raped, treated as slaves and accused of kidnapping. These tortures that most of the women had to face are contrary to the Islamic religion. For example, in the Quran it says: “God treats men and women as spiritual equals.” This means that even though men and women are not created the same with the same bodily functions, they still have equal rights. In society, women have always been seen as housewives who cook, clean and have children. They have no right to education, property or leadership of the family, even if their husband dies. Men were allowed to marry 4 times, while women could only marry once. Even custody of the children was in the hands of the father and if he died, the woman still could not have custody, it would go to the male relative on the father's side. Another thing that was required of women was their clothing. They were required to wear loose clothing or a cloak so that unmarried men could not see their body structure and a scarf that would completely cover their hair. No part of their hair was allowed to show and they had to be completely covered. Islam in general is ...... middle of paper ......d also. They could work outside their hometown and take on different types of jobs. They had more freedom than other women, but they were still expected to follow the same rules as other women in society. Even they had to cover themselves and wear a scarf. Works Cited1)Fathi, Ashgar. Women and the family in Iran. Netherlands: EJ Brill, 1985.2)Bodman, Herbert L and Tohidi Esfahlani Nayereh. Women in Muslim societies. United States: Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc, 1998.3)Becky Lois and Nashat Guity. Women in Iran from 1800 to the Islamic Republic. University of Illinois: Board of Trustees, 2004.4)Keddie, Nikkie R. Women in the Middle East: Past and Present. United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, 2007.5)Joseph, Saud. Gender and citizenship in the Middle East. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2000.