Ayzannah Hart

English 102
CGCC
10 April 2015
Female Feud
The fight for womens rights in the United States has been an ongoing battle of grief, struggle,
and victory. For 239 years, the women of this country have fought for equality and still continue to do
so today. For women in the Middle East, their battle is similar, but it is much quieter. The vast
populations of Middle Eastern females are shrouded by sexist, hypocritical, male dictated societies in
which they are seen but not heard. The way that they are treated is considered normal and standard in
their environment, but compared to the freedoms American women enjoy; it is nothing short of abuse.
Women in the Middle East are abused by sexist laws conceived by improper translations of the Islamic
Holy Quran with the denial of formal education for young girls, lack of political representation of
women, and religious restriction of female expression of opinion.
The young ladies of the Middle East are bright, intelligent, and promising individuals. The only
thing keeping them from expanding on their natural intellect is the chauvinistic notion that education is
power, and women are not equipped to handle authority over themselves or others. A Taliban gunman
shot Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani teen and womens rights activist, in October of 2012 leaving the
right side of her face paralyzed. Her only crime was secretly attending school with 9 other young girls.
After intensive care in England, a Nobel Peace Prize, a college degree and an autobiography, she
continues to fight. A famous quote by her is, I speak not for myself but for those without a voice
those who have fought for their rightstheir right to live in peace, their right to be treated with dignity,

their right to equality of opportunity, their right to be educated. (Yousafzai). She is an inspiration to
Middle Eastern women who still struggle to find a voice.
There is a deeply rooted philosophy within the highly religious societies of the Middle East that
denies women of standard rights. Women are inferior to the male species; therefore, they must be
censored, suppressed, and stifled. Due to this, there is a lack of representation in their government
forcing them to have lower paying jobs at horrifying places like sweat shops and brothels. Most girls
are sold into sex trafficking and slavery, never to see their families or friends. Due to the political sexist
views of the government, most of these issues are swept under a rug and ignored. Simple-minded
theories like these are what keeps societies like this from excelling and the Middle East has a whole
government system based on them.
Similar to the philosophies of the government, the same intolerant views are widely expressed in
the home lives of many Middle Eastern individuals, especially women. In the Muslim faith, it is
believed that a womans only duty is to cook, clean, and care for the young. If they dont fulfill those
obligations or if they try to go above the tasks given to them, then it is considered blasphemy and they
are severely punished by their husbands. Also, they are not allowed to speak out against their
mistreatment by their husbands or government based on their religion.
There are tortured, distressed and pained women in the Middle East. The only way to help them
is to rip the foundation from the core of where the evil originates: the Muslim faith. If we were to teach
the Middle Eastern people that religion doesnt have to be suppression of human life, the men, women,
and children would live better lives. If they were to understand that education is for everyone,
governments dont have to be corrupt, and women are made to be equal to men, we would start to see
positive changes in that region of the world.

Works Cited
1. "Malala Yousafzai Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2015.