World Cultures
... In respect to my dress in public I must always cover my face, except in the eyes of relatives. I wear a nikab, a veil that covers my face and leaves my eyes open, whenever I venture out into the public. This is a very long and baggy piece of clothing. It covers my legs and upper body entirely. My eyes are open for people to look at, but that is all. The back, sides, and top of my head are all covered. Sometimes I do get a little uncomfortable in the heat of the summer, but I have learned to cope with this in order to maintain my family honor. I at first felt oppressed having to be isolated from the public. Gradually I adjusted to the change and have finally realized that it is the western woman that is oppressed. I will talk about issues concerning that topic later in the article. The traditional role of women in our society and within family life is very different from the role of women in the western world. As a Muslim woman I am supposed to be quiet and respectful to all men. It is my duty to raise all of our children. I also have the responsibilities of preparing meals, similar to the western women. The Koran describes specifically what is expected of women. In the words of the Koran, "O children of Adam, we have provided you with garments to cover your bodies, as well as for luxury. But the best garment is the garment of righteousness. These are some of God’s signs, that they may take heed." God intended for women to dress modestly and not show their beauty to anyone except their relatives. God’s reasoning is that we need not impress god with our clothes, but rather with the goodness of our hearts. We have no need to impress our males with our looks, but rather they fall in love with our personality and our true selves, rather that a false image on the outside. The mother of the family is very respected among Muslim communities in Morocco. It is said that paradise lies at the feet of the mother, and this is very true. If you have a good mother, it is likely that you will have an enjoyable childhood. On the other side if your mother is not very good you life will not be very enjoyable. The mother of a family also creates paradise because she is the giver of life. The mothers of families receive great respect because without them none of the children would be in existence. Looking at the bigger picture the whole race would not be able to survive without Muslim women having children, and in turn being the givers of life. I stated briefly that I believe that western women are far more oppressed than us Muslim women. At first glance it may appear that Muslim women are more oppressed than western women, but if fact it is the other way around. If you take a deeper look into their culture, and look at it from our perspective we are much more liberated than western women. Islam is the most progressive of all religions in reference to the rights of women. It was the first religion to allow women to own their own businesses, choose marriage partners, and divorce. Before Islam women were bought and sold as slaves for men to do with them as they pleased. I want to wear my nikab when I am out in public. The other men do not deserve to lay their eyes upon me. I proudly show that I am a Muslim woman and that I practice my religion faithfully. Western woman are greatly oppressed in the western world, especially in the Unites States of America. The women are seen just as objects by men that want them just for pleasure. They are rudely spoken to when approached by men. They are forced to wear small clothing so that men can look at them. All men can see their beauty instead of the one true man that deserves it. Many people will like them only for their looks rather than their personality and what is inside. Many never truly get to know each other. I see the tank top as you would see our nikabs. They are not forced to wear these articles of clothing, but they do. In morocco if I wanted I could break away from my father and old traditions, but I choose to wear my nikab and follow the Koran. Many people in my culture have a very strong hatred for America. Some people hate the American people, while others hate your policies. There are many Muslims that hate both the people and the policies. The hatred that comes from the American people is because of all the stereotypes they have about the Middle East. They believe that Muslims and Arabs mean the same thing, but Muslim refers to people who follow Islam, and Arabs are people that live in the Middle East. They think that Islam has vast differences from Christianity, but in reality it is one of the closes relatives of Christianity. They believe that Muslims are fanatics that do not worship one God, but many different Gods. They also believe that we do not tolerate Christians. Muslims actually do show respect for Christians since they also believe in one God. We believe that you ...