Speaker: Arab women liberated
Natasha Shepard
OwpOf! Q&fy
Many of thi> regulations that
art' seen as oppressive for
women in the Middle East are
the polit ies of individual coun
tries and not the religious beliefs
of Islam, said an A merit an Mus
lim woman who addressed Uni
versify students as part of a
Muslim Student Asset nation
and Women’s Center presenta
tion on the value of women in
Islam
/-amah Al-(»ndaihi. from Port
land, presented her experiences
along w ith Mur.hgan Af/ul. also
from Portland, as part of the
Muslim religion and i ulture in a
society they said was often pr«|
utliced against Arabs
Ret ent panic about the Okla
homa City bombing has shown
anti-Arab prejudices both on the
street and in the media, Al
Godnihi said
One well-known radio show
host, in the days that followed
the tHimhing. even went so far as
to recommend that B-2 bombers
fie sent to bomb Iraq in retalia
tion for the Oklahoma incident,
she said.
many movies have you toon
whore the* Arabs are terrorists'
They want headlines This
sort of negative stereotyping
comes every time you see some
thing about Muslims in the
movies or in the news "
Bet .tusc she wears the tradi
tional covering of Muslim
women, showing only her face
and hands, AMTodaihi was her
self a victim of violent e during
the (in 1 f War
Her tires were slashed three
times, and sht* was once chased
into the building where she
worked by a man si reaming and
wearing camouflage
Af/al.' w ho h is a degree u:
political science from the Uni
versity of Portland and is also a
Muslim, explained why Muslim
v» omen cover themselves by
wearing clothing that only
exposes their fat es and hands
At cording to the Koran,
women should wear clothing
that covers all but their fates
and their hands from the wrists,
she said
'to
ftariiig the i. n <■>
ing peeve nb
bring judged by physi
ud appearance Women
luive to hr jutlged b\
their voice, opinion,
idca.t anti knowledge
- MUZHGAN AJFZAL
MusJsm woman
//
Muslim law actually states that
men ami women are equal.
There are many Islamic laws
that are very appealing to
women," she said
Both men and women are
encouraged to I** educated, and
women may make legal cun
trat ts without the consent of
anybody and have equal rights
in marriage and divon e. she
said
Islamic women are allowed to
v ote and hold poiitii al offic >• In
Iraq, there are actually more
women holding offite in the
parliament than then1 are in the
U S, Congress, she said
Although women tnav work
outside the home, housework is
valued highly and a woman may
actually charge her husband for
domestic: i bores
rhe kiw to understandingthe
value of women in Islam is
knowing the differences
between the policies of coun
tries and the religion, Al-Godut
hi said For example, the Saudi
Arabian polii v that women < an t
drive is not an Islamic, rule, but
a government statute.
The best way to know the dif
ference between governments'
polo ies and Islamic religious
ideology is to educate yourself
and learn about Islam, she said.
Historically, the reasons
women dressed tins wav were
often oppressive, she said,
including theories that pre
lslnmic cultures were Irving to
protect their property hy cover
ing the women.
Today, however, the reasons
Muslim women cover them
selves are more liberating then
oppressive. Afzal said.
"Wearing the covering pre
vents being judged by physical
appearance," she said "Women
have to Ire judged by their voice,
opinion, ideas and knowledge."
Prejudice based on physical
appearance is very real, she said,
and can prevent some women
from being hired for jobs the\
are qualified for.
Contrary to some stereotypes.
Ignorance and misunderstand
ing are often at the root of the
blatant prejudice and racism.
Al-Godaihi said.
"People who are writing and
reporting the news don’t under
stand that Muslim fundamental
ism is not something to fear.”
she said.
Although at first she didn't
think, that the injustice to Aral)
and Islnmii peoples was inten
tional, she said she is beginning
to see the reason the media is so
blatantly biased.
"They need a bad guy," Al
Godaihi said, citing the down
fall of Communism and dissolu
tion of the Soviet Union. "How
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