Women and Society: Islamophobia and Discrimination Toward Muslim Women

Women and Society
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Canada is one of the countries whereby Muslims are facing much discrimination from people of other cultures. Various scholars have come up with studies to reveal the double standards being set for Muslims in society. Therefore, this paper will focus on addressing two essays regarding Muslims double standards.
In her essay, Honor, and Identity: An Ethnographic Account of Muslim Girls in a Canadian Islamic School", Jasmine Zine presents the claim that Muslim girls use various ways to construct notions of religious identity and gender within the dominant patriarchal discourses being promoted in Islamic schools. She also attributes Islamophobia in Canada with the school base socialization that leaves the Muslim student doing certain actions in order to fit in the Muslim in the society. The author provides the claims by an anti-racist feminist. The arguments are made following the death of a 16year old Pakistan-Canadian teenager (Zine, 2008). Reports indicated that the teenager had disagreements with her parents regarding the wearing of the hijab. Her murder was thus considered to be an "honor killing." Therefore, this made the author of the article raise the question of the impacts that Islamophobia is causing in society. She criticizes her claims by arguing that regardless of the Islamic schools being a center for creating gender and identities, the students are also faced with the challenge resulting from the society's view about Islam. For instance, the Friday prayers are mandatory for the men and optional for women. As well, some students have been reported to change their attires once they reach the school environment in order to fit in that particular setting. Such behaviors are caused by the Islamophobia taking place in Canada whereby the society does not fully appreciate the Muslims and their beliefs. People fail to honor the beliefs of the Islamic community, and this has created discrimination which influences the behavior of the Islam students. The author also gives an example of how the school funding was being allocated to Catholic schools while excluding Islamic schools. This is a clear indication of the discrimination taking place in Canada regarding Muslim society. The policing of the young female Muslim's bodies is also a part of the claims being made by the author. This is evidenced by the author`s argument that the development of Islamic girls' schools is a way of protecting their values while teaching them to be responsible adults. The schools are also made to protect the girls` identities because they do not have to compete with other people's cultures in order to fit into society. Therefore, Islamic schools act as a great way of reducing Islamophobia in Canada. The author criticizes the claims by pointing out that it is difficult to construct the gender-based identities in the world of socialization. The Muslim women are brought up according to the teachings of secluding the women. As the author terms it, "performance of piety" whereby the young Muslim female's group up into individuals that are afraid of using makeup and are shy from interacting with men. Given the current world of cultural changes, such characteristics would play a substantial role in hindering how the Muslim girls interact with people from other cultures across the world. The seclusion can be compared to the impossible act of creating a small world for the Muslims. Regardless of the Islamophobia, Muslims should be accorded the chance to interact with people from other cultures. It is through such interactions that the society will learn how to respect one another's culture and in turn, put an end to the issue of Islamophobia.
Adviya khan's essay on Muslim women in hippo presents the claims that the involvement of the women in the world of hip-hop is considered to be a threat on the gender roles of the women Muslim according to their traditions. However, Muslim artists are largely challenging the fact that the female voice is supposed to be restricted in a private sphere where the rest of the world cannot easily access (Khan, 2011). The artists are using hip hop as a means of expressing their ideas as well as educating the audience. The author uses the example of the poetic pilgrimage to explore their lives and the challenges that they face. They use hip hop to articulate their various identities, and at the same time, they face a lot of confrontations on sexism and racism from both Muslims and non-Muslims. Besides, hip hop is a strong tool for social change among Muslims and have developed a strong relationship with Muslims and the whole Islamic religion.
Adviya criticizes her claims by arguing out that hip hop has been considered as a thing for men over many years ago. Therefore, this is the reason as to why women in the field of hip hop do not get much appreciation, especially in the Islamic community. The Muslim woman ought to follow their traditions and avoid involving themselves in activities that could result in criticism. Adviya gives an example of the struggles that the poetic pilgrimage goes through in an attempt to remain relevant in the world of hip hop which is considered to be a man's domain. The personal spiritual growth and a belief in the ability to make music have played a substantial role in helping the female Muslim artists emerge as winners. Given the fact that t...