Discrimination against Women in the Middle East
Nneka Maceo
Mrs. Petrie
GSW1120
April 10, 2012 Discrimination against women in the Middle East Discrimination against women, should it be acceptable in today’s world? Discrimination has been going on for centuries especially in foreign countries. In Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, there are plenty forms of discriminations whether it is occupational, gender, racial etc. After September 11th though, discrimination against the Middle East has greatly increased especially in women. In foreign countries men are known to rule which causes neither independence nor freedom for women and they are discriminated through religion, sex, arranged or force marriages and even race. This essay will hopefully persuade others around the world to know that women should not be treated as “second class” citizens and instead be treated equally just like the rest. The word hijab comes from the Arabic word ‘hajaba’, which means to hide or screen from view or to cover. But it is mostly referred to as a woman’s headscarf and sometimes it is used more generally to refer to the practice of wearing modest clothing in relation to religious beliefs. There has been a lot of discrimination on the views of the hijab also known as a head covering. Muslim women have been prohibited from wearing head coverings in a number of ways; they have been harassed, fired from jobs and denied access to public places. Civil rights complaints filed with one Muslim advocacy group rose from 366 in 2000 to 2,467 in 2006, an increase of 674 %. The same group reported that in 2006 there were a 154 cases of discrimination or harassment in which a Muslim woman’s head covering was the main factor that triggered the incident. Studies show that 69% of women who wore the hijab reported to at least one incident of discrimination compared to 29% of women who did not wear the hijab (American Civil Liberties Union 1). There has also been conspiracy in France based on the debate
Mrs. Petrie
GSW1120
April 10, 2012 Discrimination against women in the Middle East Discrimination against women, should it be acceptable in today’s world? Discrimination has been going on for centuries especially in foreign countries. In Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, there are plenty forms of discriminations whether it is occupational, gender, racial etc. After September 11th though, discrimination against the Middle East has greatly increased especially in women. In foreign countries men are known to rule which causes neither independence nor freedom for women and they are discriminated through religion, sex, arranged or force marriages and even race. This essay will hopefully persuade others around the world to know that women should not be treated as “second class” citizens and instead be treated equally just like the rest. The word hijab comes from the Arabic word ‘hajaba’, which means to hide or screen from view or to cover. But it is mostly referred to as a woman’s headscarf and sometimes it is used more generally to refer to the practice of wearing modest clothing in relation to religious beliefs. There has been a lot of discrimination on the views of the hijab also known as a head covering. Muslim women have been prohibited from wearing head coverings in a number of ways; they have been harassed, fired from jobs and denied access to public places. Civil rights complaints filed with one Muslim advocacy group rose from 366 in 2000 to 2,467 in 2006, an increase of 674 %. The same group reported that in 2006 there were a 154 cases of discrimination or harassment in which a Muslim woman’s head covering was the main factor that triggered the incident. Studies show that 69% of women who wore the hijab reported to at least one incident of discrimination compared to 29% of women who did not wear the hijab (American Civil Liberties Union 1). There has also been conspiracy in France based on the debate
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