Double Standards for the Muslim Women in Canada

Women and Community
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Women and Community
Women all over the world are subjected to a different set of rules compared to their male counterparts. In the workplaces, women are paid less than men for the same position. In the political world, women find it difficult to get votes even from their fellow women. Everywhere women look to advance themselves they find obstacles which often prove tough to overcome. Compared to men, women are judged harshly for the same activities and this often means that women have to live in a bubble and the rules are set by the men. For black Muslim women, the problems are more distinct because one not only faces racism but is also forced to grapple with the stereotypical Islam. For these women, nothing can be done without the religion’s approval and this means one cannot even choose a career path that is deemed unworthy of the religion. In the articles at hand, the authors do present ideas on the double standards that come about as a result of the Islamic religion, and I find myself in agreement with all that is being said.
Honor and Identity
Zine (2008) maintains that conservative and patriarchal views of Muslim women’s identities are responsible for discriminating against girls. For instance, conservative cultural norms regulate the dress code of women. The actions, behaviors and dress code of young Muslim girls are controlled by Islamic norms and religious requirements (Zine, 2008). As a result, young Muslim girls have no choice but to maintain a particular dress code like the hijab and jilbab once they reach puberty. The girls are also expected to avoid wearing make-up or polishing their nails. They are also supposed to avoid unnecessary contact with boys. All these actions are meant to ensure that the girls honor their families. Women are seen as the public face of the community hence they are tasked with the responsibility of guarding the honor of their families through their mode of dressing and behavior (the notion of fitnah). The disciplining of the female body serves to restrain female sexuality. Hence, this justifies the demarcation of gendered spaces even in institutions like schools to ensure that men do not have unnecessary contact with women. Such a notion places women at a distrusted role and associates them with the construct of a menace that should be restrained at all times. Hence, women must be exiled from public non-domestic places since their presence may cause the disorder.
Girls experience segregation in schools during congregational prayers. Here, the males occupy the front positions while the females are positioned in the back in the gender-segregated rows. When the girls question why they cannot get a chance in the front row, they are told that the separation during prayer is meant to maintain a focus and concentration in the spiritual aspect of prayer while avoiding worldly distractions. While gender-segregated spaces should not necessarily be hierarchized, a majority of the schools place women’s prayer areas outside of the male-dominated prayer hall (Zine, 2008). Girls do not get a chance to be the imam or the leader of the prayer. When the girls complain that they never get a chance to be the imam during the salah time, they are informed that the role is traditionally reserved for the males.
One of the concerns for the double standards on young Muslim women especially in school is its adverse effects on the performance of the girls. The segregation in all aspects including prayer could easily translate to poor academic performance among the girls. The modesty that Islam inaccurate between boys and girls tends to translate into reticence when it comes to academic pursuit, especially with the girls. This means that it is up to the teachers to promote gender equity in the classroom. Otherwise, boys will continue dominating in the classroom and inhibit the progress of the girls (Zine, 2008). Since the girls are self-conscious at this age, they became careful with every move they make. This includes avoiding raising their hands to avoid being laughed at. Without a commitment from the teachers to ensure equal opportunities for participation, girls remain disadvantaged in the classroom.
Additionally, the double standards could have negative implications when girls are expected to interact with boys, especially in the workplace. Due to the single-sex school environment, the girls have limited contact with boys. The move makes the girls uncomfortable when they need to interact with the boys. The distance created at an early stage in life can lead to a lack of confidence and reticence, especially among the girls. The standards imposed on the young Muslim girls often conflict with the social realities that need gendered iteration as part of day-to-day life. Some parents react to this by further creating barriers which further isolate the girls from the rest of the society. For instance, Ada, now 17, faces challenges when interacting with her male counterparts in school. Her conservative parents have instilled in her the need to be a good Muslim hence reprimand her when she interacts with boys (Tang, 2015). Ada finds it challenging to follow her parents’ strict interpretation of Islam. She cannot strike a balance between the strict rules on gender relations while at the same time fulfilling the necessity imposed by her co-education setting where she must interact with boys. While Ada was revealing this information, she went ahead to request that her full name should not be disclosed for the fear that her parents could reprimand her for expressing a rebellious viewpoint.
Hotep and Hip-Hop
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