The oppression and seclusion of Muslim women

For many years, people have reckoned Islam. This is mainly because of its strict and inflexible laws. Islam, which relies on Sharia laws, revolves around relationships. Sharia laws define relationships between God and man, and between human beings. Islamic laws, which have been in existence for the last 14,000 years, define the expected behavior of Muslims, the relationships between them and other human beings, and their duties to God.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The oppression and seclusion of Muslim women specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, these laws tend to favor men as compared to women. This has led to the oppression and seclusion of women (Abou El Fadl 2001).1 However, advancement in technology and globalization among other factors are essential to Muslim women. These channels give the Muslim women a platform to voice their opinions. With time, these women are gaining more opportunities to air th eir opinions. Today, Muslim women in the Arab world and in Western countries can comfortably raise issues on matters concerning them. Marriage has been among the key issues affecting Muslim women. These women have been participating in debates in order to voice their opinions on issues of marriage arrangements, procedures, expectations, rights, and roles among other issues. This paper analyzes the issue of marriage and its importance to Islamic women. It considers the views of several authors of Islamic texts on this issue. Just like in other religions, marriage is very important in Islam. Islam dictates that marriage should only happen between two Muslims, who are of opposite sexes. The man pays for the bride’s dowry and then the marriage rituals take place. After marriage, they both take their roles while conforming to the Sharia law. The man bears full authority over his wife and has a duty of providing to the wife, whose duty is to serve the husband. Islam allows men to m arry more than one wife. However, it restricts a woman to only one husband. Marriage is important to Muslim women as it affects them. After all, they have to get married at one point of their lives. Marriage is important to Islamic women as the Islamic laws recommend it. Issues concerning marriage include the expected roles of women, divorce, and duties of husbands among other issues. Women need to understand issues of marriage to know how to go about their marriage issues. They have to know how to be good wives, mothers, and daughter-in-laws. Further, they have to know how to manage their homes effectively. Therefore, women have to understand all issues surrounding marriage in Islam in order to enjoy prosperous marriages. Kecia Ali, an author of Islamic texts, focuses on the laws that govern marriage institutions in Islam. She addresses the issues of dowry payments, marriage, slavery, and the role of women in marriage. According to her, women have rights to express their views on m arriage. She acknowledges the fact that Muslim women have sexual needs and desires, which are not considered. Further, she addresses the issue of oppression of women in Islam (Ali 2010). 2Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In her work, Kecia portrays the Islamic man as being superior to the Islamic women. She brings out the issues of sex and ethics expected in Islamic marriage institutions. She shows how these issues favor men over women. Kecia considers the man as the ultimate source of authority in a marriage. She shows this by writing that men act as the segmenting factors in marriages. According to her, the man has a responsibility of fending for his family, protecting his family, and guarding the virtue of his wife/wives (Ali 2006).3 Islam, gender, and social change, a book by Yvonne Haddad and John Esposito addresses the issues of modernity that have an impact on Islamic laws of marriage. They show how the world views Islamic women and proceed to give their concept of women in Islam. They document that religious scriptures guide the roles of Islamic women. According to them, the Quran and Sharia laws provide parameters on the behavior of the men and women in marriage institutions. They acknowledge the fact that Islam is a male dominated religion and culture. They attribute this to the fact that features of women are indecent. Based on this, Muslim women should not expose their bodies or even their voices (Haddad and John 1997).4 These writers portray God as the source of authority in Islam. According to them, Muslim men only follow Gods law, which gives them dominance over women. They clarify that the Holy Quran is specific on the rights of women. Abdul-Aziz in her article, â€Å"crisis of male epistemology in Islamic jurisprudence†, explains the issues facing Islamic women. She uses the Islamic jury system to explain her position on this iss ue. She documents that in Islam women face segregation and seclusion. She writes that men manipulate the laws to work in their favor. In her article, she attributes the source of power in Islam to God. She uses the example of Prophet Muhammad’s family to explain this. She writes that during the prophet’s time men and women had full access to the laws. The mantle of handling women related issues rested on women. For instance, Aisha, the prophet’s wife was responsible for handling issues related to women (Sachedina n.d). 5 Abdul-Aziz is of the opinion that Muslim women have equal rights to men. For example, as parents, sister, brothers, and as relatives the two genders are equal. Therefore, God is the ultimate source of power.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The oppression and seclusion of Muslim women specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More All the articles portray several similarities and differenc es in terms of the way the articles relate to the Islamic teachings. All the three writers acknowledge the authority of God in Islam. Islamic religious doctrines and laws clearly state that God is the overall authority in the world. The writers acknowledge God’s power by writing that humankind follows the rules that God put in place. However, the ideas of these authors vary. Each author has a different approach regarding hierarchy of authority in Islam. Some of the authors argue that men are second to God while others are of the opinion that the position of the two is level. For instance, Kecia is of the opinion that men are superior to women. Abdul-Aziz and Yvonne attribute all power to God. These authors agree that men and women have equal rights. According to Islamic doctrines, man and woman are equal to God. Since men are unfamiliar with issues affecting women, they should allow women to handle issues affecting them. This will ensure more content and happy women. Referenc e List Ali, Kecia. Marriage and Slavery in Early Islam. Harvard: Harvard University Press, 2010. —. Sexual Ethics and Islam: Feminist Reflections on Qur’an, Hadith and Jurisprudence. London: Oneworld, 2006. Abou El Fadl, Khaled. Speaking in God’s Name: Islamic Law, Authority and Women. London: Oneworld, 2001. Haddad, Yvonne and John Esposito (Ed). Islam, Gender, and Social Change. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Sachedina, Abdulaziz. Crisis of Male Epistemology in Islamic Jurisprudence. n.d. https://www.virginia.edu/. Footnotes 1 Khaled Abou El Fadl,Speaking in God’s Name: Islamic Law, Authority and Women. (London: Oneworld, 2001) 384. 2 Kecia Ali, Marriage and Slavery in Early Islam (Harvard: Harvard University Press, 2010), 272. 3 Kecia Ali, Sexual Ethics and Islam: Feminist Reflections on Qur’an, Hadith and Jurisprudence (London: Oneworld, 2006), 142. 4 Yvonne Haddad and John Esposito (Ed), Islam, Gender, and Social Change. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997), 288. 5 Abdulaziz Sachedina, Crisis of Male Epistemology in Islamic Jurisprudence. This essay on The oppression and seclusion of Muslim women was written and submitted by user Moira MacTaggert to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Ethics Challenged During A Disaster

Ethics Challenged During A Disaster 4Ethics Challenged during disasterEthics Challenged during disaster1The New York Times Magazine article, "The Deadly Choices at Memorial" by Sheri Fink depict the aspects of a doctor's duty in disaster care were held to lower standards, thereby allowing murder to take place during the aftermaths of Hurricane Katrina. Sheri Fink, author, M.D; and PhD reported that Dr. Anna Pou, a surgeon who stayed to treat patients during the hurricane did not evacuate a selective group of patients she deemed too sick or too large to move thereby injected many of them with lethal combinations of Morphine, Versed, and/or Lorazepam. These lethal doses of sedatives and painkillers were found in several bodies following the request of Louisiana Attorney General's Office, Orleans Parish Coroner Frank Minyard investigate the cause of the deaths at Memorial Hospital (Fink, 2009, 24-27). Furthermore, many of the cases presented by the experts deemed the levels of medication given indicated homicide.Edward Ev erett HaleThough only four counts of second-degree murder charges were brought against Dr. Anna Pou, the grand jury never indicted her, thus multiple wrongful death civil suits have been brought against Dr. Pou for her actions in the events that took place after Hurricane Katrina. In essence, "First Do No Harm" is a moralistic oath doctors' take that should not be compromised despite circumstances that encompass a disaster. During disaster care, a doctor's moral obligation should not be held to a lower standard because of the presentations of the situation at hand; moreover, it should be raised to higher levels to allow countless lives to be saved, public reassurance and legislative laws put into place to protect patients during disasters from being euthanized.Doctors' are trusted to "Do No Harm" and uphold great considerations to patients during tranquil environments. However, the same considerations...

Definition of a Timber Rotation Period

Definition of a Timber Rotation Period A timber rotation period is simply the time between the establishment of a stand of trees and when that same stand is ready for a final cut. This period of years, often called the optimum rotation period, is especially important when foresters try to determine the most advantageous harvest condition in an even-aged stand of trees. When a stand is either economically mature or reaching beyond natural maturity, the rotation period has been reached and a final harvest can be planned. In any given condition, there is a best size and age to which timber should be allowed to grow. These sizes and ages can be very different depending on the desired harvest scheme used and the final timber product to be produced. What is important to know is that a premature cutting ​should  be avoided before trees reach their optimum value or, on the other hand, that trees in a stand do not grow beyond their optimum size and continued vigor. Over mature stands can result in defective tree deterioration, timber handling, and milling problems. There is also a time in maturing stands when a decreasing growth rate (of return) hurts the owners investment return. An optimum timber rotation is often based on and determined by precisely calculated criteria using the latest developments in forest statistics and the proper equipment. These criteria include measuring a stands mean diameter and height (stand size), determining the stand age in years, coring and measuring tree rings to determine the climax of mean annual increment and monitoring all these data for the onset of negative physical deterioration or when growth rates drop.

To what extend can it be said that the 'West' won the Cold War Essay - 1

To what extend can it be said that the 'West' won the Cold War - Essay Example Did the West Really Win the Cold War? It has to be explained first what was involved in the end of the Cold War, by determining the major components in the strategy of Gorbachev after 1985 and the unforeseen results of the course of internal and external reform. The policy reforms of Gorbachev occurred in four major domains; in each instance the policy acquired impetus and became more revolutionary commencing around 1987 (Geoffrey 2008). Primarily, the Soviet administration commenced after 1985 to reform features of its military strategy viewed as particularly hostile by the West, and at the same time to alter its method of arms control (Suri 2002). Gorbachev embarked on reassessing military principle, pioneering the notion of ‘reasonable sufficiency at the nuclear level’ (Juviler & Kimura 2009, 139) which indicates that ‘lower nuclear weapons levels would be required’ (ibid, 139) and advancing toward ‘defensive defence at the conventional levelâ€℠¢ (Juviler & Kimura 2009, 140), in an effort to suppress the apprehensions of the West about surprise assault. Subsequently, Gorbachev indicated a reform in the ideological scope and proclaimed objectives of Soviet foreign policy, distancing from an idea of global class conflict toward a more broad-minded idea of peace and alliance. Propaganda about peace had contributed in Soviet policy beforehand, but Gorbachev placed a new emphasis on the essence of the United Nations and on ‘human values’ (Keohane, Nye, & Hoffman 1997). The Soviet Union escorted a new ideological approach with actual hints of a real policy reform, for instance, fulfilling its financial obligations to UN peacekeeping activities and collaborating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (Keohane et al. 1997). The last and most remarkable decision by Gorbachev was to modify Soviet policy toward the nations of East Europe (Phillips 2001). In his address in the UN in 1988 he declared that the Brezhnev Doctrine, stating the privilege of the Soviet Union to occupy Eastern Europe within the flag of socialist internationalism, had been discarded (Suri 2002). At some point in 1989 Solidarity made a compromise with the Polish United Workers’ party and adhered to the regime in August; a new multiparty elections and constitution in Hungary were declared in September (Suri 2002). In these two instances the deviation from the rule of the Communist Party was the outcome of an extended course of internal tension and the rise of strong party leaders, but reform was apparently permitted by the Soviet Union (Leffler & Westad 2010). Gorbachev tried to affect the more unruly administration of the German Democratic Republic (Geoffrey 2008). The Brezhnev Doctrine was officially abandoned by the Warsaw Pact when in the 1989 convention foreign ministers highlighted the right of each nation to be independent (Juviler & Kimura 2009). In spite of the recommendation of Gorbachev of large-scale re form in Eastern Europe, it is questionable if he expected, or aimed for, the disintegration of the coalition which took place after the revolutions in 1989 (Juviler & Kimura 2009). The concluding phase in the ending of the Cold War, the steady collapse of the USSR itself and the abandonment of the rule

Labor and Birth Case Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Labor and Birth Case Review - Essay Example The process included conducting a pelvic exam in order to determine how the patient was progressing (Stevens, 2004). Notably, the active stage was faster than the latent phase with the patient experiencing contractions in every two minutes. However, the contractions were more painful. The transition to second stage began when the cervix dilated to about 8 – 9 cm. Second stage By the time the second stage started, the baby’s head had appeared at the top of the cervix. It is worth noting that the mother was advised on when to push. Notably, uterine contractions were also getting stronger (Tharp, 2000). With assistance from abdominal muscles contraction together with mother’s pushing, the baby passed through the birth canal. It was noted that active pushing played a significant role during the stage. More importantly, an epidural anesthetic was administered in order to make the mother to manage the abdominal muscles better. Consequently, crowning occurred as the inf ant filled the lower vagina. After the head was out, then the shoulders followed, and the baby’s mouth and nose was suctioned in order to ease the baby’s first breath. Third stage During the final stage of labor, the continuing uterine contractions push the placenta out of vagina. ... This called for use of a stethoscope known as fetoscope. Consequently, after child birth, the patient was given some pain relief. This involved an epidural being placed in the patient while she lay on her side. Then her back was scrubbed with antiseptic, while the local anesthetic was injected in the skin. The anesthesia provided complete pain relief. Natural birth preparation The patient together with the family selected Lemaze method for preparing for childbirth. The method entails practice of breathing exercises together with concentration at a focal point (Tharp, 2000). This was done to assist the patient to control her pain while at the same time being conscious. In addition, the method made the flow of oxygen possible in the baby as well as to the muscles. I coached the mother during the birthing process. Conclusion The birth process was successful as expected. The mother did not experience any complications although the baby was noted to have heart murmurs. All in all, all the procedure that are involved in the birth process were a success. References Korte, D. (1992).  A good birth, a safe birth. Harvard: Harvard Common Press.   Stevens, L. R. (2004). "Gimme a C: Is Choosing a Cesarean Section for a Nonmedical Reason Wise?"  Fit Pregnancy  April-May: 40-42. Tharp, A. J. (2000).  This giving birth: pregnancy and childbirth in American women's writing. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press.   Evidence based care Evidence based care refers to an evidence based solution that addresses a clinical dilemma and calls for defining the problem, in addition to conducting an efficient search in order to obtain the best evidence (Walsh, 2007). This is then followed by appraisal of the evidence, which is then

The Book Of Judges :: essays research papers

The book of Judges is the sequel to Joshua. It is the seventh book of the Old Testament. It recounts stories and events from the death of the hebrew leader and prophet Joshua to the birth of the hebrew Samuel. That is roughly, from the end of the Israelite conquest of Canan in the 13th Century B.C to the begining of the monarchy in the 11 th century B.C. It tells about the hebrews from Joshua’s Death to the time of Samuel. It was written in about 550 BC, on tablets named the Ras Shamra tablets. The Ras Shamra tablets where later discovered in the early 20th Century, even though the stories and acountings of the judges where already known and written. The book of Judges belongs to a specific historical tradition which is called the Deuteronomic history. The author of the book of Judges, was in exile in Babylonia. While in exile he was deeply concerned with foreign domination. So he wrote many of his stories on the migration of the tribe of Dan to the North and the sins of the B enjamites. The author emphasized that Israel was being influenced by foreign powers and the loss of freedom and prosperity. Recurring throughout the book is the stereotyped formula: "The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the lord." Then after each period or subjection the author introduces another formula: " But when the people of Israel cried the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people. Through-out the book, the book of judges tells about prophets, rulers and influencial people such as: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, Tilian and Samson. There are also many more minor people. The name of the book is very deceptive, because there weren’t any judges at all, nor any judges notified of this book been written. The word Judges was actually a translation for the hebrew word "Shofet" which signifies a ruler or a great military ruler, which through out the book, influencial people such as Samson and or even Joshua are described as the Judges. The book of judges is supprisingly part of the book of prophets, because many prophets are mentioned and reported apon.

Internal Migration in India and Citizenship implications

An essay on eye-scanning, Indian's floating population and inclusive governance. â€Å"That will give me an identity,† he said, gesturing at the computer station where he had Just completed his enrolment. â€Å"It will show that I am a human being, that I am alive, that I live on this planet. It will prove I am an Indian. † – Mohammed Jail, (New York Times 2011 Introduction The 2011 report of the MIAMI on internal migration and human development in India estimated the number of internal migrants to be around 400 million people, at that time roughly a third of the total population.The MIMI was launched by EUNICE and UNESCO to respond to the many problems existing around this population, also referred to as the ‘floating population'. These migrants, often never really settled, face great difficulties in accessing social security as this is often linked to residence. This is but one of the many ways in which these people are treated as ‘second-class citi zens', discrimination, a lack of political representation and low wage work being other examples. The aim of the MIMI to ensure: â€Å"†¦ Hat processes of urban development are socially equitable† 2 crystallized In the launching of an â€Å"informal outwork of 200 researchers, NAGS, policy makers. I-JNI agencies and key partners† focused on raising attention given to internal migrants in policy and practices (UNESCO, 2011). The Indian government project called ‘Dharma' might be an interesting development to these problems. It is a hugely scoped project aimed at providing all Indian residents with an identity by scanning their eyes and entrusting them with a number, enabling them to claim for example social benefits and a bank account .In this paper I seek to answer the question whether this project might actually benefit this floating population, and how this can be embedded In a broader discussion on citizenship and legibility. Indian's floating population' As the MIMI report stressed to be the basis for its creation, the internal migrant population of India has up till now received very little attention from either research or polices, partly because of the difficulties In gathering data. Most attention got diverted to international migrants, as their positive potential to contribute to development was well researched and backed by political and economic interest.First of all, speaking of the floating population does ignore the diverse backgrounds, practices and reasons to migrate of the people concerned. Goodling and West (2002) stress in their paper on the floating population in China that there is no set definition for this concept. It Is mostly used to denote the part of a population someplace else than where they are registered (Ibid. , 2002). Definitions and ambiguities put aside, this category does provide us with new and potentially better tailored ways of looking at urban development issues.A quick glance at Indian swapper a rticles concerning internal migrants helps gain some insight in the myriad of problems surrounding this issue. A 2012 article in the Times of India reports how the floating population (in Locknut, India), mostly not accounted for in enumerations, appear to be the cause of major water shortages, as the water supply is based on the number of permanently settled. Other articles report discrimination migrants face. An article from 2008 (CNN- BIN)4 for instance shows how migrants become the subject of political discrimination and commotion in Iambi.Political leaders articulate and incite an anger against the migrants, aerating an ‘other' which is blamed to be an economic burden, obstructing the freedom of ‘normal' citizens and â€Å"milking Mamba's resources† (Ibid. 2008). Whereas some government policies seek to tackle the problems surrounding this population through settlement relocation and infrastructural improvements (Times of India 2013)5, initiatives such as the aforementioned MIMI pursue making them visible and included in society.As was shortly noted in the introduction, the MIMI recognizes a trend of expanded use of rights based approaches in Indian law and policy. This generally means a ore equal citizenship and ways of governing, as government institutions are built more around the focus of ensuring and fulfilling human rights of all. The Indian Supreme Court has been a fundamental actor in demanding this change in government approach, and has for instance ordered the government in 2001 to provide a daily warm meal to every Indian schoolchild as part of the right to food.But how to ensure and fulfill the rights of those who can't be seen? In the particular case of the MIMI it means: â€Å"focus development of policy frameworks and practical strategies awards ensuring that all migrants have access to services and entitlements as enshrined in policies and law; and that urban settlements become inclusive spaces as they expand in size an d diversity'. In practice it means slow and arduous changes and redefinitions of social and economic rights.As the migrants are politically underrepresented, lobbying on their behalf is done largely by bodies such as the IM†. One particular government project might provide the nation's poor, as well as the floating ones, a shortcut to claiming some of the rights hitherto denied to them. Scanning eyes and citizenship As of 2009 the Indian government has initiated a project aimed at identifying and registering all 1. 2 billion Indian residents and giving them an identification number: Dharma. It is done combined with a retina-scan to ensure the uniqueness of the identity.As Sabine Demented, working for one of the companies hired to carry out the identification, puts it: â€Å"It will enable people to open checking accounts, apply for loans, insurance, pensions, property deeds, etc. What's more, the government wants to make sure that welfare benefits go directly to the right per son† (Saffron Magazine, 010). The only demands made of people in order to register are a retina-scan and fingerprint, name, gender (even transgender is possible), address and date of birth. Million people as of March 20146.For one, it circumvents the widely used village- based identity system, making it hard or impossible for migrants to claim rights in a place where they are not registered. Some of the other assumed potentials, as framed in an article by the New York Times (2011)7, are ways in which citizenship will be less mediated through caste- , religious- or kin groups, but rather through an individual national identity. For the floating population, who often experience discrimination based on their respective group-identity, or exclusion because a lack thereof, this might prove to be a real structural change to their good.It is also argued that this form of e-governance bypasses corruption, which is often linked to the inability of the poor to assert their rights throug h official bodies. Interaction with the state is hence deadline from local gatekeepers, which is important as, according to the Dharma director Ram Seven Sahara: â€Å"One cannot improve human beings†¦ But nee can certainly improve systems†. This, of course, is questionable in its own right.Reanimating (2012) sees this kind of service-consumer relationship, as is excreted through such systems, as a hindrance to political citizenship and a representative democracy (p. 129). Accessibility might be improved, but the means to criticize remain weak. As the project is still being implemented it is not easy nor feasible to entirely predict its potentials or flaws. In theory, though, one could wonder to what extension this project really brings about a first-class citizenship for all. The simplicity of the Dharma identification number gives it great inclusive strength.Whereas before traditional group- or village based identification made it hard for internal migrants to claim ce rtain rights, as the negotiation is often done through the same channels, a more direct way of interacting with government services has been made possible. The simplicity also lays bare the eventual narrow implications to the poor. As Harvey stresses in ‘The Right to the City (2003): â€Å"The freedom to make and remake ourselves and our cities is, I want to argue, one of the most precious yet most neglected of our human rights† (p. 2).If citizenship means recognition by state and law and henceforth attaining the human rights bestowed upon citizens in a democracy, Dharma falls short in scope. It does not enable people to vote, nor does it empower them in gaining settlement rights. Furthermore, although it is not something to blame the project itself for, other structural as well as social and economic constraints keeping the floating population away from full citizenship still remain firmly rooted. Still too little attention is directed towards tackling real societal pr oblems, such as discriminatory practices and uncontrolled arbitration.To conclude, I do believe the first steps toward including this huge neglected part of the Indian population are being taken, and that in itself can be seen as a very good development indeed. Improving legibility, which this project in essence is to the government ( and which James Scott might condemn in other conditions), can in such abominable conditions of inequality truly contribute to strengthening the position of the weakest, albeit in really small steps.