Position of Muslim Women Within Society: Articles’ Summary and Analysis Essay

Today, the issue of Islam is widely discussed in the global community, and it had its rise after the dramatic events of 2001 in New York. Various opinions that had a direct influence on the lives of Muslim women were formed at that period. Besides, several questions about women’s position in the Middle East countries exist in the global community. The purpose of this paper is to summarize and analyze two articles within this field and investigate in which points they support or contradict each other.

The article How I Came to Love the Veil discusses the position of Muslim women within the global community and the attitudes towards their appearance. Unfortunately, the common perception of women wearing a headscarf is connected to something repressive and unequal by many representatives of Western society. The author of the article briefly describes the journey that she went through towards converting to Islam and her further experience of the community’s acceptance.

Yvonne Ridley was caught by the Taliban and was held captive for more than a week. The woman was released under the condition that she will study Islam and read the Koran. After being released, Yvonne kept her promise and was amazed by the knowledge that she got from the Holy book. A couple of years after the capture, the author became Muslim, which caused mixed feelings and reactions from the side of her friends and family (Ridley). It is interesting how the woman has changed her path after such a controversial event in her life.

In her piece of work, Ridley talks about British people’s reactions to a woman wearing a hijab or niqab. Following the dramatic events of 9/11, the Western community started to view Muslim women as unequal members, who are oppressed by their religion and who can bring harm to society.

The author of the article argues that cultural customs and issues have no connection to the writings in Koran. She suggests that through a careful understanding of the book, one can see that women in Islam are “considered equal to men in spirituality, education, and worth” (Ridley). However, Yvonne can see biased attitudes towards Muslim women, even from the representatives of Western governments. From the article, one can conclude that holding to your religious beliefs and making independent choices in terms of appearance can cause a controversial reaction from society.

It is interesting to mention that How I Came to Love the Veil also makes a point about the attitude of Muslim men towards their women. The author points out a common misperception that men can be abusive or dogmatic with their wives. On the contrary, Ridley talks that Islam promotes a woman’s value, as well as her equality and dignity. The author makes a strong point about piety importance rather than the representations of the opposite aspects, like age or sexuality (Ridley). Curiously, the perception of the women who are the adherents of Islam is very controversial. Within their religion, Muslim women are respected, valued, viewed as equal, educated, and confident, which emphasizes the differences between general opinions and reality.

The article “Woman to Woman” – the Significance of Religiosity for Young Women in Jordan analyzes the circumstances for being religious among Muslim and Christian women in that area. The author highlights such aspects as the reasons for holding religious beliefs and practicing religion and the importance of fasting and praying for women. Also, Julia Droeber discusses the perceptions of religion by individual women and what caused them to become adherents of Islam or Christianity or a nonbeliever. The author makes her arguments based on the observations conducted in Jordan and on individual conversations with many women, whom she met throughout her study (Droeber). Julia has developed close relationships with some young females, which gave an insight into analyzed issues and the research.

One of the conclusions that the author came up with was that Muslim and Christian women in Jordan do not hold significant differences in their values, in contrast with the prevailing opinions. Female adherents of both religions chose their path by themselves, and despite slight variations in the prayers’ frequency or fasting restrictions, they still had similar morals. Julia Droeber also talks about the importance of political, economic, and social circumstances that shape women’s religiosity.

The author states that family history, prevalent practices, or the absence of those, as well as personal views, influence the religious or non-religious beliefs of those women. For instance, the article mentions the story of Reem, a young woman who has decided to abandon any religious practices and wants to migrate to the US despite her parents’ admonitions (Droeber). Consequently, women are free to choose their way and act according to their individual beliefs and personal development.

Another interesting example in “Woman to Woman” – the Significance of Religiosity for Young Women in Jordan is the story of Hind, who started to practice Islam while growing up in a non-religious family. It is impressive how the girl made a mindful decision to wear hijab at a young age, and later went to study Islamic law. This example portrays the willpower, confidence, and commitment to the beliefs that a young woman was experiencing. Various troubles and obstacles, such as misunderstanding from her parents’ and their disapproval of her choice, stood in Hind’s way. However, she found her path and discovered her religiosity under different circumstances (Droeber). Therefore, the studies show the significance of the environment for women to shape their beliefs and that the outcomes are diverse and can be unpredictable.

The two articles raise the issue of Muslim women within the community, their ability to practice faith, the burdens they meet, and the importance of religion to them. Although Ridley and Droeber discuss different aspects of religion, both authors talk about the meaning of religiosity and personal choices for females. Besides, two ladies in two separate pieces of work touch upon the problem of stereotypes existing in the global community.

Ridley describes absurd notes from taxi drivers or people on the street towards a woman wearing a hijab. Droeber, in turn, notices a common perception that women are forced to practice religion. She mentions the feedback from the professors about his former student, a young woman, who converted to Islam and changed her life journey after that. One can notice that both of the articles represent the serious issue of Muslim women’s position, general judgments about them, and people’s views on their lifestyles. It is interesting how one single clothing attribute can change attitudes and develop preconceptions.

Curiously, many people in the world tend to think that females in Islam do not get equal rights with men. There is a common perception that females wearing a headscarf do that not due to personal values and beliefs, but due to the pressure from religion and men. As mentioned earlier, Ridley states that Muslim females got their equality more than 1000 years before women within the Western community. Droeber, on the contrary, notices other tendencies concerning this aspect. The author does not specify that women do not have equal rights. However, she mentions the situation in the mosque, where she has observed a few women, their behavior, and their efforts to speak as quietly as possible, not to cause any men’s discontent. This reference suggests that women do not possess equal rights in terms of practicing their beliefs and also represents the general opinion about men’s prevailing attachment to religion.

Another point worth mentioning is the freedom of choice, discussed in Droeber’s article, and implied in How I Came to Love the Veil. Yvonne Ridley made her choice to convert to Islam after studying Koran and understanding its canons and values. It shows that despite her prior principles, despite the family and community she grew up in, the woman discovered what is close to her soul and her consciousness.

Through different stories of women in Jordan who have diverse backgrounds, Julia Droeber demonstrates that each of them was free to make her own decision concerning religion. She mentions the importance of individual upbringing that shapes one’s personality, views, and beliefs. Whether an individual grows up in a highly religious environment, or under circumstances where no religious activities are practiced, they still have an opportunity to believe in what they feel they want to believe.

In conclusion, the two articles portray the significance of Muslim women’s acceptance within the global community and the issues that they can face throughout their religious journey. In the vision of equality, the two female authors hold slight differences, but they both stress the problem of the stereotypes and their influence on religious women’s lives. A careful study of the Koran and analysis of the circumstances and real-life situations within the Muslim community can bring more accurate insights on the issue of women in Islam and their position.

Works Cited

Droeber, Julia. “‘Woman to Woman’—the Significance of Religiosity for Young Women in Jordan.” Women’s Studies International Forum, vol. 26, no. 5, 2003, pp. 409–424. Web.

Ridley, Yvonne. “How I Came to Love the Veil.” The Washington Post. 2006. Web.