Muslim Women

A. Background Much of the debate about women’s status in Islamic countries today centers on _______________ of the _______________. Today, many are questioning interpretations of the Quran. There are _____ different ways of thinking about Islamic law. – _______________ (Includes “Fundamentalists”) – _______________

B. Traditionalists These groups teach aspects of the Quran that are _______________ of women’s rights. They believe that women are _______________ to men both intellectually and physically. They believe that society is happier and stronger when women obey men’s decisions in _____ aspects of life.

B. Traditionalists (continued) Clothing Requirements: – __________: headscarf – __________: covers the entire body (often including the eyes, there may be mesh slit in this case). Traditionalists believe that women are protected by wearing these because they stop the __________ of men. Traditionalists also believe that only men have the right to __________.

C. Progressives Believe that traditionalist views lead to __________ of women Believe that it is not right that women cannot choose who to __________, how many __________ they will have, or get a __________ They argue that the clothing they are forced to wear is ________________ because it does not allow for individuality. Feel that women should be able to decide whether they want to work, wear hijabs, and burkas, and have children

C. Progressives Continued They believe that women should decide whether or not to wear the traditional clothing items because requiring them _______________is just as repressive as requiring them to wear it. Progressives believe that women do not know what rights they have because they have never been ___________ these rights.

D. Advances made by Islamic Women Views of how to treat women are widely varied in Islam It actually depends largely on exactly where you live A good example is the way __________ rights vary from country to country

D. Advances made by Islamic Women (continued) Some positive steps have been made – There is continued debate between many Islamic people about the perception of treatment of Muslim women. Some feel that traditionalists misuse the Quran to justify their beliefs.