An investigation and analysis of the role of women in contemporary Islam in the context of a multicultural society

When a person thinks of a Muslim woman immediately the image that forms in your mind is one of veils, tent like garb and the word ‘oppression' and ‘suppression' comes to mind. This image of being suppressed and oppressed, being without any rights or social standing is a Western stereotypical view of Muslim women. To understand and appreciate the true essence of Islam it is important to carefully investigate the roles of both Muslim women and men in Islam and the religious authority for these. It is most important to consider what a Muslim woman's rights and obligations are, and how they are lived out in daily life. Alongside this it is relevant to find out how a Muslim woman may be influenced by her family's culture and the traditions and cultures of other peoples in this society. In a multicultural society such as Britain there are many people of different religious backgrounds. Britain today can be seen as a multicultural society or even a secular society, which is not governed by religious laws and certainly not by Shari'ah. Muslims living in Britain today come into day-to-day contact with many ideas, beliefs and practices which are not part of Islam. Analysing how Muslim women can stay true to their Islamic faith in such a society is an integral part of this essay. In Islam family life from many famous scholars is referred to as being the ‘corner-stone of society' as it brings new generations into the world, therefore the parents have very important duties to play. They also have vital duties and obligations towards one-another. The duties of a husband and the wife towards each other are clearly stated in Islam (Qur'an 4:34). This makes the fulfillment of the purpose of marriage easy and removes confusion. The husband's duties include providing food; clothing; accommodation as well as general welfare needs for his wife; she does not have to provide any of these herself from her own property or her earnings, unless she wishes and is able to help her husband. The husband also provides household help for his wife, or helps her himself, as well as giving help to her in training the children. He also must try to satisfy the sexual needs of his wife and treats her with kindness and honour as Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said : â€Å"The best of you is the one who is best to his family, and I am best to my family† Hadith : Al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah) The wife, for her part is required to obey her husband as leader of the family so long as he does not try to make her disobey Allah. She must look after the home and children, bringing them up as good and righteous people – Allah will ask her about this duty (Hadith Al-Bukhari and Muslim). In her husband's absence she must ensure that no one not approved by her husband is allowed into the home, and also try to satisfy her husband's sexual needs. You can see that the duties of the husband are the rights of the wife, whilst the duties of the wife are the rights of the husband. Allah says: â€Å"†¦ the rights of the wives (with regards to their husbands) are equal to the rights of the husband with regard to them†. (Qur'an 2:228) The Qur'an states: â€Å"They (women) are your garments. And you (men) are their garments†. The words from the Holy Qur'an state precisely how men and women relate to one another – like a body and its garments. Without garments the body is meaningless and vice versa, this symbolizes the complimentary roles a husband and wife play and that they must got together, apart they would have little reason to exist. People in multi-cultural society may have noticed how a large number of Muslim women dress differently from one another, some from head to toe, others in more westernized but unrevealing clothing. This is mainly due to cultural impacts, for e. g. covering a woman's body does not necessarily require her to wear a ‘jilbab' (long dark coat-like dress), Islamically she is required to dress modestly in public. Places like Afghanistan's cultural impacts mean women are forced in the way they are dressed, as they have no choice. â€Å"Say to believing men†¦ nd believing women, that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty.. â€Å"(24:30-31) Living in a multicultural society poses many difficulties for Muslim parents or Muslim's in general. This is because within the sphere of their homes the environment is Islamic and very sheltered. However outside the home Muslim's come into contact with different ideas which can act as obstacles for them. This is because Britain allows what most Islamic societies would not allow for women for example involvement in pornography, modesty of dress, Muslim women do not walk around scantily dressed for example in a bikini. Abortion is not allowed except in exceptional circumstances in Islam whereas it is a common place in Britain. Also divorce is considered one of the worst acts in Islam but like abortion it is a commonplace as well as free mixing between the sexes. This shows that such things are taking place in Britain and that they oppose Islamic teachings. For a Muslim living in a multicultural society some of the issues that arise are usually the differences between secular law versus religious law (shari'ah). The fact that Muslim values are different to secular values and a Muslim lifestyle following such values makes more demands. These issues can cause problems for Muslims, especially the 2nd or third generation who seem to be becoming more and more secular. These youth can be seen to have adopted secular values in their pursuit of status, placing great value in cars, money and other material possessions more than religious values or practice. These remind parents of their native countries, so they arrange marriages for their children to people inn the native countries. What the parents don't realise is these ‘native countries' have become more secular too and that people there have become more westernized. The benefits for Muslims in a multicultural society like Britain is the access to education, there is a greater chance of Muslims obtaining education in this country compared to their ‘slim to none' chances back in their native countries. There is an opportunity to be involved in public life occupation wise. As the government in Britain is not ruled by a specific religion, people are allowed to practice their religion openly, whereas in Turkey a woman is not permitted to wear a headscarf to college, school, or university. Also in communist countries people did not have the right to proclaim what they believed in. Many Muslims in Great Britain are often asked whether they are British or Muslim first. There is a difference of opinion to this answer between the older and younger generations. The younger people tend to say they are British and Muslim whereas the older generation hesitate and reply they are Muslim first. What we should ask ourselves is how come it is only the Muslims this question is posed to? Why not the Christians or the Jews? These kinds of questions are asked for example during the Gulf War or since the incident on September 11th. The Muslims are expected to be on the defensive, as if there is going to be a conflict with being a Muslim and British at the same time. This is the way of thinking for the majority of Non-Muslim British people; it shows their lack of understanding of Islam and their deeply rooted misconceptions concerning the religion. This is also a result of lack of integration between people. The Muslim women that wear veils, head scarves and long flowing clothing are often seen as ‘oppressed' or ‘suppressed' by the majority of Non-Muslims in British society. They see these women as being ‘dominated' by men. In reality the majority of these women wearing veils or such articles of clothing do so voluntarily, the main aim is protection and not oppression. â€Å"Prophet, enjoin in your wives, your daughters and the wives of true believers to draw their veils close around them. That is more proper, so that they may be recognized (as virtuous women) and not molested. Allah is Forgiving and Merciful†. (33:59) It is mistaken to believe that Islam encourages the oppression of women. On the contrary, Islam elevates women in an all-round manner. Islam regards women and men as equals; they both have the same religious duties and get equal rewards. Allah says: â€Å"I will not allow the good deeds of any of you, male or female, to be lost. You (male and female) come from one-another†¦ † (Qur'an 3:195; 4:124) Islam stopped the female infanticide (81:8; 6:151) and promises the reward of paradise to parents who look after their daughters. Muslim women like men are encouraged to acquire education from the cradle to the grave. A Muslim woman retains her legal identity after marriage and can keep her family name. She may seek and obtain divorce if she needs it. She is free to move around in society (with her husbands consent), provided she is modestly dressed and straightforward to avoid molestation by evil men. (Qur'an 33:22-59) As a mother, the greatest respect is paid to her on account of her sacrifices on behalf of her children. (Qur'an 31:13; 46:15) â€Å"Paradise lies at the feet of the mothers†. In Great Britain Islam is a minority religion; it is not the way of life for the majority in this multicultural society. Britain is arguably not religious; therefore it can be seen as a secular society. Its laws do not reflect any particular religions beliefs, however in the past Christianity played a major role in the appointed laws. The society is still influenced by religious values, there are laws protecting what most religions consider sacred or valuable, an example of this is the value religions hold for life. There are laws introduced for the sole purpose of preventing death or injury like how a driver and passengers in a car must wear seat belts. The laws in Britain also evolve around individual religions, for example the law in Britain for people riding a motorcycle is that it is compulsory to wear a crash helmet. In the 1980's the Sikh community complained that it was impossible to do so if they were wearing turbans, the government then made a clause in the law for Sikhs who wore turbans, that when riding a motorbike it wasn't compulsory for them to wear a crash helmet. There are also many problems for Muslims who live in small individual communities that do not integrate with one another. This division often causes misunderstandings between them which results in conflict mostly between the youth of the communities. An incident of this occurred not very long ago in Oldham, between the Pakistani community and the white community. Oldham is one of the most segregated cities in Britain. The white and Pakistani communities have many riots, this is mainly due to lack of integration. To correct this situation faith leaders of the communities should hold regular meetings to discuss and promote interfaith relationships. This encourages less hostile attitudes between the people like in Leister. The majority of Asians came from Africa where they were used to British people, when they came to Britain they could relate to the people more easily than the Asians from Oldham. Another major barrier between people is language and dress. If people cannot communicate with one another it is impossible for interfaith relationships. It is also quite common for people from different racial backgrounds to stereotype Muslims by the way the women dress. As they find it foreign they cannot form a relationship with them, this results in people perceiving Muslims with hostility. In conclusion to this essay I believe there should be more interfaith relationships and language barriers should be broken down, this way people from different cultural and racial backgrounds can relate to one-another and not stereotype or generalize. There should be more integration especially in schools, also there shouldn't be segregated communities, people from different nationalities should live together. There already is an increase in women choosing there marriage partners, and women having children later on in life so they can actively partake in more career based roles. Due to the education in this country it is estimated that after a couple of generations language barriers would be broken down, that more Westernized dress would be adapted to in a way that seems Islamic and women would take up more prominent roles in the Islamic and in wider communities. This could be an advantage as well as a disadvantage, there could be spokeswomen who is highly educated in the fields of politics and other high profile careers, this way they could be interviewed by the media and as a result the general Non-Muslim public would be more aware of Islamic teachings and see it in a more acceptable and not so negative light. This is the possible future for Muslim women in this multicultural society. However, my personal opinion as a Muslim living in British society would be that it is important to remember that though these women may become more prominent in secular society as Islam's â€Å"leading women†, they would be placed under a negative light from fellow Muslims. These women in partaking such active roles would be leaving their idealistic obligatory role as according to Islam, also to get to this ‘possible future' would mean many rules would have to be broken, twisted or forgotten completely. According to Islam a woman's true worth would be greatly acknowledged if her duty at home first is complete.

Attila Jozsefs Oedipus Complex Revealed Through H Essays

Attila Jozsef's Oedipus Complex Revealed Through H Essays Attila Jozsef's Oedipus Complex Revealed Through His Escapes From Reality Attila Jozsef's Oedipus Complex Revealed Through His Escapes From Reality Escaping reality is needed to write freely and creatively. Jozsef constantly escapes reality and writes beautiful poems. In his escapes, he acts like a father figure. He writes about how he misses his mother's love and yearns for his mother sexually. He gets upset and even mad because she isn't there for him. From his escapes we can psychologically determine that Jozsef has an Oedipus complex. A factor of the Oedipus complex is for the boy to be to his mother as his father is. Jozsef reveals this in his poems by trying to be the man of the house. Bringing home food is an example of what the man of the house does. Bring you potatoes, chicken, and a sack of millet (Jozsef 33). This was one of the things Jozsef does to imitate his father. From the first lines in the poem called Eulogy, he shows his yearning for his mother's affection and presence. I burn with a fever of ninety-eight point six degrees and mother you wont even nurse me (33). Jozsef's mother desserts him so early that he never has a chance to out grow the childish need for a mother. He flashes back at the way she treated him. You warmed my soup, blew it, and stirred it. And said eat and grow tall, my love (33). Like a child he wishes for her to be there to comfort and make him feel safe. The main idea of the Oedipus complex is that the boy wants his mother in a sexual way. Jozsef daydreams of her like a boy with a crush. I try to piece you together, from autumn scenes and a lot of women (33) Jozsef pictures her as his fantasy woman. I wear a pressed suit in my heart when I speak to you (62). He imagines dressing up to impress her. I mustn't think of your before my work is done, your dancing.(62) He can't get his mind of her and visions her dancing. All of these are ways of showing how much you love and miss your new girlfriend, but not your mother. Jozsef writes, You took it form me, and gave yourself and your breasts to the worms I should have eaten you(33), He lusts for her sexually. He reveals the accepting of his mother's death, and not being able to fulfill his desires. Now you lips taste only the dampness(33) He wants her lips to taste his. It can't be, so like all jealous lovers he gets angry. His anger is because of her death. She broke his heart, never allowing his fantasies to be fulfilled. You used to comfort me and scold me, but I see know that your words were all lies Your lips taste only the dampness- you lied to me on purpose(33). He gets disillusional by thinking he can still call her back and she will hear him. It's been five weeks, I don't know where you are.(62) I fell like cursing you, mamma, I cant hear you, yell at me You're terrible! You strive not to be, you ruin everything you shadow.(34) His anger and Jealous rages are an insight to his love for her. In his escapes from reality Jozsef strives to take his fathers place. Revealing the intense feelings he has for his mother's love and his sexual desire for her. He goes through all the stages that a person goes through when something tragic happens: Denial, anger, and finally acceptance. Jozsef's poems are intense because he has so much feeling behind them. His poems to reveal the reality of his desires, which is why we can presume his complex. Bibliography About atilla jozsef's inner thoughts

Free Essays on American Flag

you are saying means? I know I do mean what I say, and I believe every word that comes out of my mouth, whether I wrote what I am saying or not, it has extreme meaning to me, as it should to every one of us. The history of the flag is an amazing one, and we learn about when we are in middle school, but I don’t think we remember how important it is throughout our high school years. The thirteen stripes symbolize the first thirteen colonies. These colonies are what made us what we are today, free individuals. Each star represents every one of the glorious states that make up our country. Each state is treated equally, just as every star is made with the same amount of points, and the same measurements. The history is important to know, but it is even more important to respect the flag, and to have a reason to even look at it. If your not remembering someone who is fighting for the country, or how we are lucky to be free like we are, then why would you even bother looking at it, and saying the Pledge of Allegiance? Memorial Day has just passed, and everyone was waving an American Flag, yet, it seems that this is one of the only days that people actually remember anyone or anything that has happened in the country. It is the only day that you will see a flag on every person’s house, and it is the only day that you will see children being taught why we are all home together on Memorial Day. It is the only day that they will learn of the people who fough... Free Essays on American Flag Free Essays on American Flag Freedom. History. Pride. Everyone has a different meaning for the flag, and each one of us has a different feeling when we look up at it. Whether it is standing up every day in school to recite the Pledge of Allegiance because you have to, or whether it is actually having respect for our countries flag, a meaning is there. Think about it, when you say the Pledge of Allegiance, do you really mean every word you say? Do you even know what you are truly saying? Do you know what the words you are saying means? I know I do mean what I say, and I believe every word that comes out of my mouth, whether I wrote what I am saying or not, it has extreme meaning to me, as it should to every one of us. The history of the flag is an amazing one, and we learn about when we are in middle school, but I don’t think we remember how important it is throughout our high school years. The thirteen stripes symbolize the first thirteen colonies. These colonies are what made us what we are today, free individuals. Each star represents every one of the glorious states that make up our country. Each state is treated equally, just as every star is made with the same amount of points, and the same measurements. The history is important to know, but it is even more important to respect the flag, and to have a reason to even look at it. If your not remembering someone who is fighting for the country, or how we are lucky to be free like we are, then why would you even bother looking at it, and saying the Pledge of Allegiance? Memorial Day has just passed, and everyone was waving an American Flag, yet, it seems that this is one of the only days that people actually remember anyone or anything that has happened in the country. It is the only day that you will see a flag on every person’s house, and it is the only day that you will see children being taught why we are all home together on Memorial Day. It is the only day that they will learn of the people who fough...

The Origin of the Name Nunavut

The Origin of the Name Nunavut The meaning of Nunavut is the Inuktitut word for our land.  Nunavut is one of the three territories and 10 provinces that make up Canada. Nunavut became a territory of Canada in 1999, formed from the eastern region of the mainland Northwest Territories and most of the Arctic Archipelago.  The vast territory is helmed by its capital,  Iqaluit, located at the head of  Frobisher Bay  on southern  Baffin Island. In 1975, an accord, the  James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, was agreed upon  between the Canadian federal government, the Province of Quebec and Inuit representatives. This accord resulted in the establishment of the  Kativik Regional Government  in the Nunavik territory, and the residents of all 14 Nunavik settlements now elect their own representatives in regional elections. The Inuktitut Language Inuktitut, or Eastern Canadian  Inuktitut, is one of the principal  Inuit languages  of  Canada. It is also an aboriginal language that is  written  using the Canadian Aboriginal syllabics. Syllabics is a family of  consonant-based alphabets called abugidas. It is used by several Aboriginal  Canadian  language families including Algonquian,  Inuit, and Athabaskan.   Vastly different from the  Latin script used by more widespread  languages, the use of  syllabics greatly increases the likelihood of literacy among readers, due to its ease of use.   The Inuktitut language is spoken throughout Arctic Canada, including all areas north of the  tree line. The northern regions in the provinces of Quebec, Newfoundland Labrador,  Manitoba,  and  Nunavut use the language, as well as the Northwest Territories.  Inuktitut not only refers to the language but the entire culture of the Eastern Canadian Inuit.   Inuit Culture and Language The Inuit mannerisms, social behaviors, and values make up Inuktitut, in addition to the written and spoken word. An Inuktitut education takes place outside of traditional schools in the home,  and also on the land, sea, and ice. Young tribe members observe their parents and elders  and practice their new language and life skills in order to perfect them. The word  Inuit means the people, and it is an autonym. The singular form is  Inuk. Lifestyle Based Around Extreme Weather Conditions The Inuit lifestyle is completely based around the  extreme weather conditions they must endure. Basic survival skills along with fishing, hunting and  trapping are essential for daily life. Agriculture has always been an impossibility, so instead, the  Inuit diet is unlike any typical eating plan found elsewhere in the world. Beluga whale, seal, arctic char, crab, walrus, caribou, duck, moose, caribou, quail and geese make up almost the entirety of their diet, except in the warmer months when field roots and  berries, such as cloudberries are picked and served, when in season. This meat and fat-heavy diet has proven to be a health issue for the Inuits. Many suffer from  a  low  calcium and vitamin D intake, but surprisingly, a vitamin C definitely has not been an issue for most.

Global Usage of a Language Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

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I'll cook for you Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

I'll cook for you - Essay Example You will also need time and money to look for the best advertising agency to suit your business needs (Grow and Altstiel, 2006). Since you have a career in nutrition and perhaps you do not have sufficient knowledge about advertising or marketing, then you need to hire an advertising agent. The second thing that you need in your business is to grow it. It is just a start-up, so you need to devote all resources to make it grow. At this initial stages there could be some constraints of money; hiring an advertising agent will drain your money instead of using them to grow your business since it is just a start-up. However, it may also be necessary to hire an advertising agency once the business grows because you will need to establish the business first before you can get enough money to hire skilled in-house advertising or marketing team. On the other hand, in-house advertising agency requires online advertising and marketing resources because it is the best way to communicate with potential customers at the start-up stage in which you will be busy handling your food service operations. Furthermore, if you are familiar with the advertising and marketing, then you may handle the advertising work in-house but you will need to sacrifice some time out of your food service operations and deal with advertising services. As small as the business is currently, you will need to devote a lot of time to your business in order to make it grow. There are also various advantages and disadvantages of in-house advertising and hiring an advertising agency. One of the advantages of an advertising agency is that it brings advertising and marketing expertise and specialized knowledge into the business. Agencies have resources to provide advertising knowhow that your small business does not have. Another advantage of an advertising agency is that it saves time for the business. While you

Project Management for Body Shop Products through Online Channels Research Paper

Project Management for Body Shop Products through Online Channels - Research Paper Example As to retail their strategies they believe in their stores instead of franchise marketing, however, however, an expansion of online shopping strategy may be a requirement for Body Shop as most of the international market is now shrinking into online shopping which is becoming a preference for most customers. Also, there are many websites selling similar products online. Websites do drag a number of customers because of their online marketing. For expanding their brand image and selling possibilities, Body Shop may opt for involving online, print and media marketing strategies which are supposed to provide uplift in the popularity and information of Body Shop and its products. They must also be keen to provide proper investments to online marketing strategies. Key Strategies for Market Expansion Over the last years most of the sale had been targeted to local natives buying from stores. Now, as the online sales have come under main suppositions, Body Shop has to focus on advertising th ough various print and media options enhancing the traffic on their websites. They have to understand that it is surprisingly rare for people to say that IT technology causes project failure or major difficulties, but it is usually project management - or a lack of it - that causes the grief (Roberts). Thus, a proper marketing strategy applied for marketing online, may require a project that bring a new brand image alive. There are a number of key points to be included in project: Body Shop has to look for establishing various hoardings and banners to drag the attentions of passersby and residents maintaining their range and facility to provide their products in the shortest period of time and within an economical range. For enhancing the range through online retailing, Body Shop has to generate their marketing websites including very minute detailing of their products attached with various online visual advertisements focusing the quality, key factors of their products and ease of their services. They also have to rebuild their content stressing their past records and their new strategies. Content is very important because it is chief factor to drag customers attention while online marketing has become a significant part of the marketing mix in many organizations (An introduction to Internet Marketing). To expose their products to new buyers, they have to including numerous options of news papers and magazines that will make their new strategies to expand through print advertisements. For expanding their range of delivery Body Shop have to include more representatives particularly for their online management. Over the recent analysis, Body Shop has to realize that scenario of market has drastically changed after 2005. Previously, most of the customers using Body Shop products were regular customers depending chiefly on their reliable shops and retail store. However, experimental nature is now quite common among the customers. Also there are many random custom ers who believe in ‘giving a try’ to numerous products. Therefore, Body Shop has to design its further planning and managements according to new definitions clientele and market scenarios. Key Plans for Managing the Reformation There are a number of steps to be taken in order to accomplish the renovation of overall market strategies of Body Shop. Even if they have to pay attention to common