Women in Islam

Women in Islam Islamic religion began in Arabia as a revelation to humanity by the Prophet Muhammad. This was in stages over a period of twenty three years. Believers of Islam are known as Muslims. Muslims believe that there is only one God. The Arabic word for God is Allah. In Islam the Holy book Known as the Quran serves as a guide to the Islam beliefs, morals and behaviors. In Islam, there are several behaviors that are expected of the women. Women are expected to be modest and respectful. More so, Islam has always appreciated the femininity of the woman and regarded her as playing a role integral to that of the man, and similarly regarded the man as playing a role integral to that of the woman. Neither of them is an adversary or a competitor to the other. Rather, each is a help to the other in attaining the relative perfection of his or her person. The most significant character in women is their dressing. Islam women are required to follow the Hijab. According to Roald (p.14), the Hijab is the principle of modesty and includes behavior as well as dress for both males and females. The most visible form of Hijab is the head covering that many Muslim women wear. Hijab however goes beyond the head scarf. In one popular school of Islamic thought, Hijab refers to the complete covering of everything except the hands, face and feet in long, loose and non see-through garments. A woman who wears Hijab is called Muhaajaba. Muslim women are required to observe the Hijab in front of any man they could theoretically marry. In the earlier times, the status of women in Islam has always been a contentious one with women being considered as being lesser beings than their male counterparts. Indeed, this draws back to the early times when women were only represented by their husbands in public places. Moreover, Islam does not allow women to mix freely with men. A country that still practices this form of gender segregation is Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, women sit separately from men even in meetings and other social events. They learn in different learning and educational institutions. They also have their own recreational facilities such as the swimming pools among others. In fact, Nieuwkerk (p.32) reveals that the earlier Islamic teachings encouraged the oppression of women in the Islamic context. This has however changed with the western civilization as the Islamic women are given voice and their opinions respected even in public forums. The critics of women rights in the Islam context use the Quran as their point of argument that women should be oppressed though there is no such direct statement made in the Quran. There are certain aspects that were traditional poised towards a certain direction but have however changed due to the incorporation of the western civilization. For instance, women in Islam were supposed to be extremely submissive to their husbands while at the same time ensuring that they have no voice in matter of marriage. They were traditionally married off to their suitors. This has changed in the modern world with the women being allowed to negotiate their way out. In fact, women in the modern world in the Islam context fall in love with the man of their choice before they are proposed to, making the entire process a real process. Furthermore, the womens dress code famously known as the Hijab has been a major bone of contention among modern Muslims. Traditionally, Muslim women were never allowed to walk out in public without the full attire comprising of the Hijab. This seems to be less strict with most Hijabs taking a new avenue of fashion where they are not just black veils, big and bulky on the women. Todays Hijabs are designed to accentuate the womans figure and therefore celebrate women as an imperative being. In addition, traditionally, women especially girls were given less priority when it came to education than their male counterparts in Islam. This was because, nobody really believed in educating girls since they would eventually be married off to capable and able men. However, in the modern times, this has changed drastically with many women opting to pursue career challenges and eventually becoming career women just like the rest of them. Critics have viewed this as a U-turn to the traditional perception. There continues to be growing misunderstanding in the way women should be treated in the modern context. Just recently, France was in the spotlight with its president refusing girls to wear headgears while attending class. This threatened to get out of hand until the law was relaxed. Islam on the other hand, is to blame for it has viewed women as incapable persons. In the employment circles, women were preferred for jobs that were not so demanding as such. This has prompted several protests until employers had to discard some of the Islam teachings that prohibited the employment of Islamic women. For instance, the famous international Muslim TV station, Al-Jazeera has employed a sizeable number of female presenters. Consequently, women were never allowed in Islam to take a political lead in the society. More often than not, the women were merely left to be house wives with very little to call their own in terms of authority and possessions. The introduction of the western civilization has rescued women from the fathomless non political participation as more and more women take up political responsibility, perhaps devoid of what used to be of them before then. Finally, women in Islam were traditionally not allowed to own or possess material assets such as land and the like. This therefore hampered the way in which the women could grow financially. Similarly, inheritance was strictly a preserve of the male dependants (Asgharali, p.17). This meant that women were never allowed to inherit a thing from their deceased relatives or parents. However, things have changed with the advent of the western civilization as more and more women have become heirs in very clearly acknowledged circumstances. Works Cited Asgharali, Engineer. The rights of women in Islam. Edinburgh: C. Hurst Co. Publishers, 1992. Nieuwkerk, Karin van. Women embracing Islam: gender and conversion in the West. Berlin: University of Texas Press, 2006. Roald, Anne Sofie. Women in Islam: the Western experience. New York: Routledge, 2001. â€Å"Women in Islam.† Retrieved July 29, 2009 from http://www.islamfortoday.com/women.htm

Fifth Business – Reaction to Adversities

Adversity is the most important factor in shaping character and/or identity. Assess the validity of this statement with reference to Fifth Business. Identity is individual characteristics by which a person is known or recognized. In Fifth Business, a character’s reaction to adversity is the foundation to shaping identity. Others may not know what the adversity is but they observe the way a person is acting. The composure held in rough situations allows people to formulate opinions based on these reactions. This is shown through the challenges of dealing with guilt, trying to achieve being better than others and trying to escape their past identities. A main adversity faced in Fifth Business is guilt. The guilt that the characters Dunstan and Boy feel mainly revolve around the snowball incident with Mrs. Mary Dempster. Everybody had heard about the snowball incident however only Dunstan and Boy knew the truth about who threw the snowball. Although Dunstan was truly not at fault he felt responsible because the snowball was meant for him. His mother then began making him invest time into caring for the Dempster’s and he did it without protest because he felt he need to make the situation right. â€Å"We knew your Ma must have sent you. She couldn’t do anything publicly, of course, but she sent you to look after them. Everybody knew an’ honoured her for it. † (p99) The people saw that his mother and his actions were honourable. As Dunstan ages, people’s perception of his dealings with Mary Dempster changes and his link to her makes him seem queer. Eventually even his mother was upset with Dunstan’s obsession with Mrs. Dempster. She was very upset that Dunstan would bring this woman into their home. â€Å"What under Heaven had possessed [Dunstan] to turn to that woman, not only to their home but to the very beside of a boy who was dangerously ill? † (p55) Then, Dunstan had â€Å"insisted that Willie had indeed died. No pulse; no breathing. † (p. 55) He had expressed how he felt about Willie’s â€Å"death† and was disregarded by people telling him to let it go. Dr.  McClausland says to Dunstan â€Å"I think you may safely leave it to me to say when peopled are dead, Dunny. † (p55) Milo Papple even says â€Å"Do you remember when you said that Mrs. Dempster raised Willie from the dead? God, you used to be a crazy kid†¦ â€Å" (p99) He continued on to find 2 more miracles by Mary Dempster. This revelation guided him to begin studying saints and in turn his reputation was jeopardized. â€Å"It’s this saint business of yours. Of course your books are splendid. But if you were a father would you want to send your son a school headed by an authority on saints? (p187) That is what Boy had said to Dunstan regarding why he was being let go from being Headmaster. Alternatively, Boy’s key role in making Mrs. Dempster simple forced a different reaction from him. Boy as a kid chose to ignore the fact that it was his fault. Dunstan views him as a coward and ruthless. â€Å"I knew that he was afraid, and I knew also that he would fight, lie, do anything rather than admit what I knew. † (p17) He spends so much energy on pushing the situation out of his mind that by the time he is older, he has no recollection of her all together. [Dunstan] could hardly believe he spoke the truth, but as we talked on I had to accept it as a fact that he had so far edited his memory of his early days that the incident of the snowball had quite vanished from his mind. † (p251) Boy’s indifference to the situation benefited him in a sense that because he knew that if he acted like he had no connection with Mrs. Dempster that his identity would not be compromised. The reactions from Dunstan and Boy are almost completely opposite and so people viewed them differently. Paul Dempster also treated his guilt differently than the other two. As Paul Dempster he ran away from home and people saw this as something that was prone to happen because his mother was simple. Although they did not recognize that it was because â€Å"[his] father thought it was his duty to tell [Paul], so [he] could do whatever possible to make it up to her. † (p251) As he created a new persona for himself he also found a new way to cope with his guilt by sending her money and Dunstan â€Å"was able to transfer Mrs. Dempster from the public wards of that hateful city asylum to a much better hospital near a small town. (p220) This shows that he is a good person and with success he still holds composure. Another challenge in the novel involved trying to be better than others. Boy Staunton was the golden boy from Deptford. He was always very successful and recognized. During the first war he became an officer and â€Å"was wearing a few medals, the admirable D. S. O. but otherwise minor things. † (p93) Boy went on to pursue a very successful career in the sugar business. As well, he struggled to pursue a career in politics although unsuccessful he did later become Lieutenant Governor. Old Doc Staunton’s annoyance at being outsmarted by his son had given way to his cupidity.. † (p142) All his successes sprung out of wanting to be better than his peers and his father and he succeeded. Another part of his image involves Leola being as educated and cultured as she possibly can. â€Å"She had learned to curtsy very prettily†¦ and do other courtier things required by Boy. † (p119) Yet still he still faced the challenge of her not being able to keep up. â€Å"She was trying hard but she could not keep with Boy’s social advancement. (p143) People see Boy as the golden Boy and Magnus Eisengrim even says â€Å"I remember you very well. I always thought of you as the Rich Young Ruler. † (p249) In the end, he took the challenge of being more successful and dominated it and in the end he was known and respected. â€Å"[Denyse] did achieve a very fine turnout of important people, and others who were important because they represented somebody important. † (p243) This refers to Boy’s funeral and this shows how he had finished his life as a successful man. Paul was constantly teased by kids because they would say things like â€Å"’Hey Paul, does your Ma wear pants? and stuff like that. † (p99) Milo Papple tells Dunstan that Paul ran away with the circus and â€Å"it made him kind of a hero after he’d gone. † (p99) He became a very successful magician and people thought he was magnificent. They never knew that his success came from him trying to erase the image of him being simple Mary Dempster’s son because â€Å"[he] could call up in an instant what it felt like to be the child of a woman everybody jeered at and thought a dirty joke† (p 251) Paul had to get away to ensure that he made a better name for himself. Their success is attributed to their obstacle to be better than others. Lastly, the challenge of separating their past identities also shapes their current identities. The three central characters use a name change to represent their new identities. They try to change the person they are and in turn people do view that as different people. Dunstan was originally named Dunstable Ramsay but after the war he met a Diana, a nurse whom he had his first real relationship with, who decided to change his name. Diana said â€Å"it’s hard to say for one thing and it sounds like a cart running over cobblestones for another. You’ll never get anywhere in the world named Dumbledum Ramsay. † (p85) She felt that his name didn’t represent the successful person that he could be with a better name. Diana said that he represented the Saint Dunstan in many ways because â€Å"St. Dunstan was a marvellous person and very much like [Dunstan] – mad about learning, terribly stiff and stern and scowly, and an absolute wizard at withstanding temptation. † (p85) He likes this persona of himself and â€Å"the idea of a new name; it suggested new freedom and personality. (p86) Boy Staunton, formerly known as Percy Boyd Staunton also changed his name. Somewhere along his army career decided that Boy Staunton was a name more fit for him. The name Boy represents the stellar and young gentlemen that he is. â€Å"He was boy Staunton because he summed up in himself so much of the glory of youth in the postwar period. † (p102) His name shows his success in his glorified youth. â€Å"He seemed to have made himself out of nothing, and he was a marvel. † (p103) Another name change that denotes an air of eloquence is Paul Dempster’s name change to Magnus Eisengrim. As Paul Dempster he had many misfortunes and zero success. As Magnus Eisengrim he has a wonderful show that awes the public. He says â€Å"My name is Magnus Eisengrim that is who I am and that is how the world knows me. † (p249) His reaction to escaping his past identity when he changed his name â€Å"he did not present himself as a funny-man but as one who offered an entertainment of mystery and beauty, with perhaps a hint of terror as well. † (p192) Dunstan had it right when he said â€Å"[they] had all rejected [their] beginnings and became something that their parents could not have forseen. (p252) The characters past identities did not satisfy how they viewed themselves and their challenge to erase who they were allowed them to create a new name that characterized a new identity. The characters in Fifth Business shape identities when they react to adversities. The way they are recognized is due to the actions they take to face these challenges. The most prominent challenges in Roberson Davis’ novel are the challenge of a guilty conscience, being better than others and escaping past identities. People react to one adversity differently and a good or bad identity depends on their reactions.

Education System India Essay

Education is a co-current state level subjects and under the Indian Constitution education is made a Fundamental Right and Directive Principles of State Policy further needed free education and other facilities to children. There is no discrimination among the people on the basis of religion, caste or creed/faith etc. However, the minorities are given right to run their own educational institutions with financial aid from Government and they are free to introduce their religion, language in their institution. Education is compulsory and free upto primary standard. Indian education system has a wide structure and the educational institutions can introduce the education or learning pattern as below VA years in pre-nursery schools, in the primary schools upto V class or so. Education is further upgraded upto 10+2 system where the examinations are conducted by the Board at 10 and 12. Thereafter, students are free to choose the courses of their own at any stage, i.e. primary, secondary, s enior secondary level. Schools are of different levels. Local Boards run the schools upto Primary, V standard, both in mother tongue and English medium. Thereafter the schools may upgrade themselves upto X known as Secondary schools. They can also be upgraded upto 12, called Senior Secondary schools. The education is a co-current (state level) subject and the Central Government cannot interfere in their functioning. As such schools are pre- primary, pre-nursery, then primary, secondary and senior secondary run both by the private bodies as well as by Government. Indian schools are not as well organised as they are expected. Private/Public school charge high fee and have control on their institution. They only need the registration by the Centre/State Government or their Bodies and Management. While the Education Department has a loose control over these Private/ Public Schools government has its own schools where the normal fee is charged and the students belong with poor section of society. Overall the condition of government schools is pathetic. At state level School Education has its own organisational set up. Under this democratic set up Education Deptt is supported by the Minister of Education who has a Secretary of Education to supervise the Department with the help of Director Education who belongs to I.A.S. cadre of service. The Department is further divided into districts Deputy, Joint Directors to look after the working of schools. Under the educational system Central Board Secondary Education (C.B.S.E) is set up to maintain, the quality in Education and provide minimum qualification of the teaching staff and other necessary requirement for the school and conduct the Exams 10 and 12 standard. It has a control over both Public Private and Government Schools. After the exam; issues certificates of 10th and 12th class/standard this student who passed the Examination. C B.S.E. has its office in New Delhi. Under the Education system to keep the hi standard of Education and to maintain to quality Education an independent body is set up known N.C.E.R.T. that is National Council of Educatio n Research and Training with its Headquarters at N Delhi. This institution published textbooks for t school on all subjects and has a panel of specialists its list. The books are to be taught at schools in t country. It also conducts the competitive examination at all India level for the talent search from primary lei upto graduation and provides stipend or sponsors to that highly talented students. Teachers are the backbone of the educational system in India. Government has set up a permanent body for the selection of the teachers known as N.C.T. i.e. National Council of Teachers Education. It conducts the training and selection of the teachers and provides certificate/degree for the teachers which are an essential qualification for the teachers who seek the employment in teaching schools known as B.Ed, or Shastri education. MIEPA in set up by the Government to look after the administration and planning of education in the country the body is known as National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration. It looks ail the work of the educational /teaching/administration under the ministry of HRD an autonomous body. Kendriya Vidyalay Organisation (KVO) was set up under the Education Ministry, Government of India, New Delhi. It established 10+2 system in schools all over the country for the Government employees who use to effect posted or transferred in the country. It is good for the Central Government employees and schools are run on the medium of English from primary to twelfth standard. State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) are set up in all the states to look after the training and research work on the lines of NCERT which is at all India level. Its refresher courses, even modifies the curriculum of the schools and textbooks arc written for the secondary level standard in the state. It also arranges seminars, discusses and refresher courses for the teaching staff. There are a number of educational institutions at the District level. A Distt. Officer/ Inspector of schools looks after the educational institutions in his/her district. He/She also coordinates the different activities upto the Commissioner, State level in each district. Under this scheme, a college (Inter) 10+2 on the Government expenses is to be spent in each District and other schools are under his observation. Besides, a training centre for Primary teachers, or other refresher courses also opened in the district. The recruitment institute for the teachers, examination centers and the Boards offices are also on the line, such as Minorities schools. Local educational institutions play an important role in the area of education. As our country is poor and cannot afford the heavy expenses of Educational institutions, local education body’s arc allowed opening their schools and Government recognizes these institutions at par with the Government institutions. Minority institutions have their own schools with their own expenses or Government grants in-aid. But they fill the gap and help the Government to reduce its burden.

An Medieval Poet - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 478 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/08/12 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Canterbury Tales Essay Did you like this example? Geoffrey Chaucer was an medieval poet who wrote The Canterbury Tales. A piece of medieval literature that consisted of pilgrims telling two tales on the way to Canterbury and two more on the way back. Whoever the Host decides that has told the most meaningful and entertaining story would receive a free meal upon their return. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "An Medieval Poet" essay for you Create order This literature was considered a masterpiece that provided the best modern image of the fourteenth century of England. The Canterbury Tales is made up of 120 tales but only 24 of those tales were completed. During his time, Geoffrey Chaucer was considered the greatest English poet. Each masterwork revealed an deeper meaning within. Reading The Canterbury Tales, you will see how Chaucer used allegories that exhibited the power of greed and selfsame sovereignty throughout this piece of literature. An allegory is an symbolic fictional narrative that conveys a meaning not specifically set forth in a narrative. Allegories may have meanings on two or more levels that the reader can understand only through an interpretive process. Literacy allegories typically describe situations and events or express abstract ideas in terms of material, objects, people, and actions. Writers may use an allegory to add different aspects of meanings to their work. It makes their stories and characters complex, so that they stand for something larger in meaning than what they literally stand for. An allegorical piece of writing can give an insight into its writers mind on how they view the world, and how they wish the world to be. The Canterbury Tales is an perfect example of an allegory. The Pardoners Tales illustrated the power of greed, and The Wife of Bath revealed selfsame sovereignty. The Pardoner from Chaucers Canterbury Tales, tells a story in the form of a sermon, an exemplum, to be exact. He intends to teach the congregation that money is the root of all evil. The Pardoners Tales, is about three rioters who go on a mission to seek death and kill him. Instead of finding death, an old man guided them to a tree which had gold beneath it. The gold symbolizes death because it led the rioters to sin and they became very greedy. They fought for the gold and tried to figure out plans on how to get the gold to themselves. In the text, one of the rioters says, If one could get the gold away, back to my house or else yours, perhaps so how you know, the gold is ours chaps, wed all be at the top of the fortune (L 23-24). The rioters wanted to steal the gold without having any concern about who it belonged to or how it got there. In the end, no one got what they wanted. The lesson learned behind the allegory, money is the root of all evil, is having self indulgence is not the way to live life.