Equal Rights for Women in the Middle East
Introduction
This is a case study about Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Turkey called Women’s rights and representation in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Turkey: The patriarchal domination of religious interpretations by Tailassane, R. (2019). It goes into depth on how it is not the Islamic religion’s fault for the injustices to women rather, it is the skewing and misrepresentation done by the governments and rulers. This article researches the barriers to women’s economic and political participation and their limited rights in the family and societal structures. The paper questions whether the injustice is intrinsic to Islam or if it results from a patriarchal interpretation of Islam by the people in charge. This article researches the barriers to women’s economic and political participation and their limited rights in the family and societal structures.
Background
Gender Equality is not limited to these areas, all around the world women and other identities have discrepancies in their lives due to their gender. When woman have success in a society and have the economic empowerment and financial inclusion it has lead to economical growth in a region. Gender Equality can be seen as a leading world issue with attentiona allocated to it for instance when it was adopted to the SDG’s in 2015 as a top world priority.
Challenges
The paper questions whether the injustice is intrinsic to Islam or if it results from a patriarchal interpretation of Islam by the people in charge. The author examined the progression of women’s rights in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. The author studied the econmic, cultural, and political sectors of these three countries to provide a cause other than religion for gender equalities. As previously mentioned the worsening of women’s conditions from 2006-2018 is evidence that there is a government issue with women empowerment. Across a broad landscape, women are discriminated against fully because the religion of Islam has not changed since 2006 but cultural expectations and the environment have changed. Meaning that there is a physical factor in these countries as to why there is an issue.
Methodology
The methodology provided in this research were three case studies done on Saudia Arabia, Iran, and Turkey. The research done focused on the economic empowerment, political representation, education of woman and studying their mobility in a patriarchal society. The paper did a comprehensive evaluation of both governments and the Islamic relgious powers in these countries to try and find whether the Islamic religion is inherently misogynistic or misguided by patriarchal governing bodies.
Solutions
The solution provided by this research was to investigate more of the patriarchal government systems in these three countries. The government entities in these three countries use religious teachings to enable their misogynistic ways. Another similarity in these countries are the closeness of church and state which is another enabler of injustice. The first fix would be to devolve religious and political power to woman as a dual project and committment. Next the research believes that there will be more gender equality if Islamic traditions adpat into an egalitarian structure where religion can be understood and taught by both men and women.
Impact
When the rights of women increase it will provide a more just and equitable world for all. Not only will the quality of the daily lives of these women improve but, the islamic religion will be practiced fairly. Achieving societal success for women will further the development of their countries gaining econmic growth.
Lessons Learned
Overall, it is not necessarily a singular issue in these countries that results in the mistreatment of women. It is more the political structure. These governments have too much-unchecked power when both church and state are combined. The officials will hide behind the teachings of god when belittling women. Even though, throughout the teachings of Islam women and men are treated as equal. Most of the seven worthwhile development goals overlap with my topic but specifically, agency and empowerment and cultural freedom are the biggest factors.
Reference
Tailassane, R. (2019). Women’s rights and representation in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Turkey: The patriarchal domination of religious interpretations.