Thesis for Women in Islam Paper

Ashley Isbrandtsen

PHIL 2691

Due: 11/2/06

Research Paper Thesis

In my research paper, I will argue that the way that Muslim Extremists treat women is far different from the intentions of the religion of Islam. In many predominately Muslim countries on the news today, it is implied that the women are treated very poorly. Many Muslim Extremists articulate that this is directly the word of the God and I intend to prove that it is not. I believe that in Classical Islam, the women had a different role than they do now, and would like to try to trace the evolution from the teachings of the Qur'an to where Muslim women are today.

I will examine the teachings of Islam and the Qur'an to decide the role women are intended to play in the religion of Islam. I will find the Sura's in the Qur'an that speak about women and will examine the differences between the original teachings and how they are treated today. I hope to find that the teachings of Islam differ than the practices of Muslim Extremists today when it comes to a woman's role.

I also will study the roles of Muslim Feminists today and how they are working to change the view of women's roles within their religion. Across the world, many who do not understand Islam know it only as it is portrayed on the news. Many Islamic feminists are trying to change the views of Islam and how Muslim women are treated in countries unfamiliar with their ways. I will examine Ayatollah Khomeini's Islamic Revolution of 1979, and its effect on Muslim Women.

From the most topical view, I want to research how Islam is portrayed in the Western World by those who do not know its roots or values. In doing so, I will focus on Muslim women and how the way they are treated coincides with the way God intended for them to be treated.

Sources

Cooke, Miriam. "Women, Religion, and the Postcolonial Arab World." Cultural Critique 45 (2000): 150-184. JSTOR. 1 Nov. 2006.

Hatem, Mervat. "Gender and Islamism in the 1990s." Middle East