Paste your essay in here…How the Treatment of Islamic Women Compare With Women Around the Ancient World
Haley Smith
World History-125-03
November 15th, 2018
In the ancient world women were not considered equals to their male partners. In most empires women were not only considered ignorant but a piece of property. This paper examines several empires focusing on the role women played in society and how they were perceived. Islam, being the most predominant religion in the Middle East, was quite prolific in the oppression of women and their mistreatment. Other regions discussed demonstrated some levels of moderate treatment and behavior towards women during the ancient periods.
Islam is a monotheistic religion; meaning the worship of only one god. Islam was founded in Mecca, Arabia also known as the area of Saudi Arabia. Followers of the religion are called Muslims and they refer to their God using the Arabic word Allah.. Islam is very similar to Christianity with the worship of one God but instead of Jesus as the Prophet, Muslims believe Muhammad was the final Prophet. According to the Qur’an Allah had sent Muhammad to teach the people the correct way to live according to his rules. Islam consist of five pillars each Muslim must follow in order to reach the Holy Land. The five pillars are Shahadah, which is to proclaim the Muslim faith, Salat, is to pray five times a day every day facing Mecca, Zakat, is philanthropy and paying alms, Swam, is fasting which is to abstain from food and drink during the religious month of Ramadan, lastly, is Hajj, a Muslim must take a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their life. Islam is mostly practiced in the Middle East and in Northern Africa in areas like Iran, Iraq, Morocco, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Due to the Qur’an many of its holy text depict the ethics and morals of the Muslim faith including the treatment of women.
The oppression of Islamic women is a common belief. Many from the West view the Islamic state to be mistreating women to the laws of the holy book but in fact that is not the case. Most Islamic states use religion to enforce rules and structure. The Qur’an supports the fair treatment of women. Although the Qur’an supports polygamy it makes a point to be fair to the wives by saying “marry another woman of your choice or two or three or four . If you cannot maintain equality with more than one wife, marry only one” (Quran 4.3). The Qur’an also believes in justice for women. The only country that is against the fair treatment of women is Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is the only present day country that enforces laws that discriminate women by having laws that make it illegal for them to drive. Current day Islam is very different than early Islam.
In early Islam, women were treated to a more private life. They were regarded as wonderful mothers and wives but lack almost no rights. Women were considered property of the men. Most marriages were arranged without the women ever meeting her husband until the day of her marriage. Men could practice polygamy as long as they treated each wife fairly as the Quran states. Eventually Islamic law allowed women to choose their husband and set limits on polygamy.
Muslim women were also victims to a double standard. For example, women are required to follow all five pillars of Islam but a women during menstruation could not pray or touch the Quran. They also must pray in a separate room in the temple and at home. Before Islam took effect in the Middle East there were civilizations that practiced similar treatment of women.
Mesopotamia was the world’s first civilization located in present day Middle East. It was a patriarchal society where men ruled and women lacked rights. The rise of the Babylonian Empire in 1792 B.C. gave way to new rules and laws that impacted women living throughout the empire. The Empire was ruled by a man named Hammurabi. Hammurabi created a list of laws called “The Code of Hammurabi.” Women were treated as being inferior according to the law. For example, code 209 and 210 says if a free man’s daughter is struck, which results in a miscarriage or death, the man’s daughter will be executed. Modern day Islam takes place where Mesopotamia originated meaning they share the same geography and history.
Egypt is located in northern Africa which is considered part of the middle east. On the contrary, women were treated extremely well in other regions of the Middle East. Unlike other empires women in Egypt could adopt children. Women could also manage, own, or sell property on their own. If the women was not pleased with her husband she could divorce him. They had legal rights. In regards to employment, they were allowed to participate in the workforce. These jobs outside of the home included scribes, priestess, dancers and more. The biggest difference between Egyptian women and other women in the region is that they could govern. Some of the best known female pharaohs were Hatshepsut, Cleopatra, Nefertiti, Nefertiti and Cleopatra. An important similarity between Egyptian women and Islamic women is that they typically marry at a young age. For example, it is not unheard of to see women married off at the age of twelve to a man twice her age.
Indus valley, which includes present day India, is another region found in the Middle East. Unlike Egyptian women Indians were not treated very well. One of the main religions in the Indus valley is Hinduism which is a polytheistic religion. Women in this region were treated as minors. They were prevented from leaving their residence without a chaperone. The chaperone was either their husband or father. Polygamy was common in most relationships. A common practice in the ancient Indus valley is called Sati. Sati is a tradition where the widow throws herself onto a burning corpse. In the eyes of society she had no reason to live without her husband. If the widow did not throw herself onto the burning pry she would be a disgrace within the community.
In China, women were viewed as property and a guest in the house until they are married. The marriages are arranged and established before infancy. The father was in charge of his daughter until she is married. Most Chinese will me their husbands for the first time on their wedding day. The woman would marry in her teens while the husband would be older. They were not allowed to divorce unless the husband wanted too and had a valid reason. Some reasons included infidelity, the wife being infertile, and she talks to much. Men could also have affairs with other women. Wealthy women were required to manage household chores and educate their children while poor women worked the fields alongside their husband and children. A comparison of the treatment of women in both Islam and China is the prearranged marriage.
In European countries women were also treated as less to their male counterpart. In Greece the treatment of women varied from city state to city state. For instance, in Athens the center of Greek life. The perfect wife was the wife who stayed at home at all time. She was only expected to leave her home twice in her life, the first time was to be married and move to the husband’s house, and the second time was her body leaving to be buried. Men viewed women as weak and in need of constant protection. They also believed that women were ignorant and unable to educated. Some women in Athens were hetaerae also known as prostitutes and they were more educated than some of the men. They were skilled in language, philosophy, seduction, and could recite Homer. Many men believed that it was their natural born right to have a wife and a mistress.
On the contrary Sparta, another Greek city state located at the bottom of Greece treated women completely different. Women and men in Sparta were almost equal with rights. Men were still the head of society but women were treated very well. Spartan women received education along with physical training equal to the men. Women could own slaves and manage property. They were expected to uphold spartan value. Unlike most cultures and empires spartan women were not allowed to marry until they were thirty and could not like openly meet with their husband. Also, they did not hold weddings to consummate the marriage. In contrast to Islam were women did not have the right to an education and manage properties. Women of islam could not own slaves ethier.
Also in Europe in the Roman empire women lived under conservative rule like most women they were viewed as a burden. Roman women often wore thick white makeup to show that they stayed inside and they were not exposed to sunlight. Women in the Roman Empire did not receive names, The “name” the had was related to their clan name for example Julius Caesar's sisters were named Julia due to them being part of the Julius clan. Unlike Greece women were at the side of their husband during outings and parties. Even though men could be adulters but if a women in Rome is found to be guilty of infidelity she would be charged as a criminal.
From all the Empires the common theme is in ancient times women live in a patriarchal society. Islamic women can compare on issues including allowed affairs, young marriages, viewed as property, and the concept of the perfect wife with their counterparts in the other empires. A common comparison between the empires excluding Egypt and Sparta is the wife living her whole life indoors while men met with mistresses. In contrast Egyptian and Spartan women could run and manage the house, they also could receive education and take over affairs. Women in this society were respected unlike Islam and the rest of the ancient world.
Bibliography
Cartwright, Mark. "Women in Ancient China." Ancient History Encyclopedia. November 13, 2018. https://www.ancient.eu/article/1136/women-in-ancient-china/.
Pollard, Elizabeth,Rosenberg, Clifford,Tignor, Robert L. Worlds Together, Worlds Apart. W.W. Norton & Company, 2015.
The Quranic Arabic Corpus – Translation.
http://corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=4&verse=3.
Women in World History: PRIMARY SOURCES. http://chnm.gmu.edu/wwh/modules/lesson3/lesson3.php?s=0.