Religion in the Middle East and its intersect with women's treatment

The Middle East is a predominantly Islamic area. Prior to the popularisation of Islam, pagan beliefs permeated every sphereofsociety.ThemaintenantsofIslamaresubmissionto the will of God hence the name ‘Islam’ meaning submission. The belief system can be condensed into this as ‘there is no god but God and Muhammad is his messenger.’ The Quran is believed to be the direct words of Allah (God) that were revealed to Prophet Muhammad on the ‘Night of Power’ in CE 610.Muhammadissaidtobethelastprophetthatwasmeant to bring people back to Allah. There are arguably two strong underlyingmessagesthatIslamstandsupon:themonotheistic natureoftheIslamicGod,aswellastakingcareofthoseless fortunate than oneself. This quote from the Quran perfectly summarises the latter idea, ‘the good person spends his substance - however much he himself may cherish it - upon his near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer, and the beggars, and for the freeing of human beings from bondage.’ The impact Islam has had on the Middle East is unquantifiable. It has impacted every area of societyfrompoliticstodietarychoices.

After the ‘Night of Power’ in CE 610, Muhammad began to share the message he received around Mecca. Muhammad’s following grew in Mecca. Muhammad was a part of the Quraish tribe. One of the most prestigious tribes in the area. They were involved in the pilgrim trade in Mecca and the belief in their polytheistic gods was central to their trade. The Quraish tribe believed their gods gave them such success in theirtrade.ThusMuhammad’smessagewasnotreceivedwell as he asserted the doctrine of monotheism, one God. As a result, Muhammad and his followers were exiled in 622 CE to Medina. This is became known as the hijra meaning ‘the flight.’ The hijra was a significant moment on the timeline of Islam and is celebrated annually. Dr Ibrahim B. Syed says: ‘throughout the history of Islam, the migration was a transitionallinebetweenthetwomajorerasregardingtothe message of Islam: the era of Mecca and the era of Medina. In its essence, this signified a transition from one phase to another.' Despite Muhammad and his followers fleeing persecution, in Mecca there was still violent dissensions several years after. However, Mecca eventually surrendered to Muhammad. They surrendered due to a conquest led by Muhammed with 10,000 men in December 629 - January 630. Muhammad overthrew Kaaba which was a pagan symbol, and he is said to have reclaimed it for Allah. The Kaaba is now said to be the ‘dwelling place’ of Allah. Nowadays, over 2millionMuslimsvisitthisshrineannuallyasapartofHajj.

There are 5 main tenants for Muslims, specifically Shia (branch of Islam): the declaration of faith, to testify that there is no true deity except God, and that Muhammad is His Messenger (Shahadah), to pray five times a day (Salah), to pay the yearly alms (Zaleah), to fast during the month of Ramadan (Sawm), and to make the pilgrimage to Makkah that Muslims are to visit once in their life (Hajj).

The Middle East is an area that is dominated by a patriarchal society. However, that is a generalisation of the Middle East. The treatment of women differs from country to country in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia can be seen as the epitome of the patriarchy in the Middle East and the impact this has on women is devastating. Women are viewed as the property of their fathers or husbands, for example women cannot apply for a passport, or travel outside the country without their male guardian’s approval. This law was only changed in 2019. In June 2018, women were finally allowed to drive and were given a license after a 30-year prohibition period.

The guardianship system is Saudi Arabia in the cause for unequal rights in Saudi Arabia. Each woman is assigned a male as her guardian and she is to submit to him, and he has authority over her life. When she is born, her guardian is her father and this is transferred onto the husband when she is married. Women are viewed as objects and property until the day they die. Saudi rulers attempt to justify their misogynistic, oppressive actions by misconstruing the Quran to fit into their sexist ideologies. Verses in the Quran such as 'o, you who have believed, it is not lawful for you to inherit women by compulsion. And do not make difficulties for them in order to take back part of what you gave them unless they commit a clear immorality. And live with them in kindness. For if you dislike them - perhaps you dislike a thing and Allah makes therein much good.' from Quran 4:19 unequivocally prohibit sexist treatment of women.

Despite verses like the one above, there are some verses that spark contention in the Islamic community and external to it too. The main verse that appears to encourage the subordinance of women and excuse domestic violence is verse 4:34: 'men are the caretakers of women, as men have been provisioned by Allah over women and tasked with supporting them financially. And righteous women are devoutly obedient and, when alone, protective of what Allah has entrusted them with. And if you sense ill-conduct from your women, advise them first, if they persist, do not share their beds, but if they still persist, then discipline them. But if they change their ways, do not be unjust to them.' How would a Muslim reconcile these two verses, as they seem paradoxical? The Quran was originally written in Arabic, thus the translations into English may not always fully encapsulate the original meaning and intention of the writer. When we look at the Arabic version the meaning is slightly different and is reconcilable with the verse above.

The prevailing sexist attitudes towards women in the Middle East are not solely based upon Islam but rather years of a patriarchal, misogynistic culture and society. The West typically has a pejorative view on the treatment of women in the Middle East and whilst it is not completely unfounded, it normally stems from Islamophobic stereotypes. Unfortunately, Islam has become synonymous with the oppression of woman in the West. This is mostly due to conventions around the hijab.

Bvunzawabaya

The history of the hijab has caused lots of controversy. In Iran in the 1920s, the number of people wearing a hijab began to decline, but with the rule of Reza Shah, the choice of not wearing a hijab was discouraged. Eventually, in 1936, it was made compulsory to wear a hijab for the next five years. When his successor came, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the number of people wearing the hijab began to decrease again, as it was perceived to be archaic and wasn’t worn by people of a ‘higher’ social class. After the Islamic Revolution, from 1978 to 1979, the wearing a hijab became a legal requirement. In the spring of 1979, Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini, leader of the revolution, announced that women had to observe Islamic dress code, which included the hijab. Propaganda was used to force women into wearing the hijab. Slogans such as: 'wear a veil, or we will punch your head'and'deathtotheunveiled,'wereplasteredaroundIran. Moreover, Khomeini said that non-hijab wearing women were part of the revolution, 'the women who contributed to the revolution were and are women who wear modest clothes... these coquettish women, who wear makeup and put their necks, hair and bodies on display in the streets, did not fight the Shah. They have done nothing righteous. They do not know how to be useful, neither to society, nor politically or vocationally. And the reason is because they distract and anger people by exposing themselves.’ In July of 1981, a law of compulsory veiling in public was made, with women and girls over 9 being forced into covering their hair, and hiding the shape of their bodies under long, loose robes. In 1982, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said that the policy (of unveiling - not making the hijab compulsory) was intended to 'eradicate the tremendous power of faith' in Muslim societies thatwasenabledbywhathetermedthe'decencyofwomen', for in his opinion, the hijab protected Muslim women from the 'malicious abuse' suffered by women in the Western societies, and to free the people from fixation with sexual desire. In 1983, a new policy was enforced by an Islamic Punishment Law, which was a punishment of 74 lashes on women who failed to cover their hair in public. How strictly the laws are enforced are partially dependent on the ruling power of the time.

In May 2017, a movement called the White Wednesday movement was created in an attempt to advocate for women's liberty pertaining to the hijab. The campaign encouraged men and women to wear white scarves, bracelets or veils to show their opposition to the mandatory forced veiling code. This movement spread all over social media. Masih Alinejad, the person who started the protest in 2017, described the campaign as 'addressed to women who willinglyweartheveil,butwhoremainopposedtotheideaof imposing it on others. Many veiled women in Iran also find the compulsory imposition of the veil to be an insult. By taking videos of themselves wearing white, these women can also showtheirdisagreementwithcompulsion.'

Whilst some Muslim women may be forced into wearing the hijab, this is not the entire story for many Muslim women around the world. Nazma Khan, the founder of World Hijab Day (on the 1st of February every year), interviewed Muslim women and asked them why they personally choose to wear a hijab. Asha Hussein, one of the women interviewed, explained how the hijab makes her feel less objectified. She explains that 'the first thing I noticed was that people listened more to what I was saying. I was coming to people as a blank canvas and that, as a woman, is both empowering and liberating. It's addictive. I am not my hair, I am not my beauty, I am not my body. I am me.’

The discourse around whether the hijab is oppressive came to light again after the proposed law in France in March 2021 to ban head scarves for under eighteen year-olds. On social media, the hashtag #HandsOffMyHijab began to circulate, which led to discourse about whether the hijab was oppressive or not. Historically, the hijab may have been used as a tool of oppression but nowadays many women choose to wear it out of obedience to their God, Allah and out of modesty. Moreover, many hijabis feel protected when wearing it. Whilst the West may perceive the choice to wear a hijab as a symbol of oppression and misogyny this is not the truth for many, who believe it to be empowering.

BY tasha Bvunzawabaya

City Of Petra

Petra, a beautiful city about 240 kilometres south of Amman, Jordan's capital, is important to archaeologists due to its rocklike structures. It is a World Wonder that dates back to the fourth century BC. One begins at Wadi Musa, the park's entrance, and visitors can follow a trail into the Siq, a gorge created when two mountain tectonic plates separated. The rest of the 'Red Rose City,' so named for the pink-hued stone it is carved from, can easily be explored in a single day once you pass through the passageways. The tombs and houses on the Street of Facades, as well as hiking unmarked roads for spectacular views, are additional highlights of Petra.