Muslim Women in Politics
In this paper I will explore the participation of women in the political process in Middle Eastern countries. Through research I expect to report that women are present and active in current day politics within these countries and that there is a history of women holding positions of leadership in the government.
Quotes from Qur’an regarding women…………….. Some extremists interpret religious writing as basis to restrict the roles of women to caring for their families and staying out of public debates, thereby forbidding their involvement in politics as being against the principles of Islam. Others are of the opinion that the
Qur’an clearly supports the involvement of women in decision making and requires equal treatment of male and female. The qualifications of women needs to meet the standards of other leaders. Education then became the cause for preventing women to seek positions of authority because for a period of time females were not given the same opportunities as those of males when it came to access to higher learning.
A brief look at Islamic history will reveal the presence of women in the political sphere during the time of the Prophet and serving consistently for centuries. EXAMPLE???? In the modern era we can point to several women who were elected to serve in the highest political offices. In 1988 Benazir Bhutto was the first female elected as Prime Minister of
Pakistan. She was the first woman elected as leader of a Muslim country. She was accused of misconduct and removed from office. She was elected to a second term and served from
1993-1996. I remember watching in horror the news report of her assassination by Islamic fundamentalist in 2007. Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri was elected in 2001.
Other countries that should be mentioned are; Kyrgystan where a female was elected president in
2010 and Kosovo where a woman was elected as president in 2011. A report on the recent
Afghanistan elections in the
Quotes from Qur’an regarding women…………….. Some extremists interpret religious writing as basis to restrict the roles of women to caring for their families and staying out of public debates, thereby forbidding their involvement in politics as being against the principles of Islam. Others are of the opinion that the
Qur’an clearly supports the involvement of women in decision making and requires equal treatment of male and female. The qualifications of women needs to meet the standards of other leaders. Education then became the cause for preventing women to seek positions of authority because for a period of time females were not given the same opportunities as those of males when it came to access to higher learning.
A brief look at Islamic history will reveal the presence of women in the political sphere during the time of the Prophet and serving consistently for centuries. EXAMPLE???? In the modern era we can point to several women who were elected to serve in the highest political offices. In 1988 Benazir Bhutto was the first female elected as Prime Minister of
Pakistan. She was the first woman elected as leader of a Muslim country. She was accused of misconduct and removed from office. She was elected to a second term and served from
1993-1996. I remember watching in horror the news report of her assassination by Islamic fundamentalist in 2007. Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri was elected in 2001.
Other countries that should be mentioned are; Kyrgystan where a female was elected president in
2010 and Kosovo where a woman was elected as president in 2011. A report on the recent
Afghanistan elections in the