Women in the Middle East

What differences do you notice between these two pictures?

Picture APicture B

What differences do you notice about these two

pictures?

Picture APicture B

Israeli Women vs. Saudi Women

Shahar Peer, 20 year-old tennis star from Israel; a private in the Israeli army; ranked 18 in the world on the pro tennis tour

Muslim women in traditional dress are always covered from head to toe with a gown while in public.  This traditional Muslim woman's gown is called the "burka", or "burqua".  There are actually at least two main types of burquas.  The "full burka" (or "chador") is a garment covering the whole body, with a heavy veil

covering the eyes as well.  The other burka is a kind of veil to cover the head having a slit on the front for the eyes. Another name of the traditional dress in some countries is abuya.

Sharia – Islamic Law

Public reprimand - flogging

Saudi Arabia's religious police plan to behead a woman accused of being a

witch

Other forms of punishments

(hangings, buried alive)

A horrific eventSaudi Arabia is one of the most barbaric and

cruel countries on earth. A few years ago a girls school went on fire and the "religious

police" would not let the girls escape because they didn't have time to cover themselves in their black apparel they are required to wear. Dozens of girls died in the fire, and those that did were beaten black and blue by the "moral

police" for not wearing the black garb.

This women was beaten and publicly reprimanded because

she became angry with her husband.

More pictures of women and The Sharia

Women can also be stoned for things

such as:• Making husbands

angry• Being seen with boys

in public• Being “westernized”

Sharia Police

Sharia police are the authorities that people report information to. These are also the men who implement

the punishments such as floggings and stoning of women. Many times women are even arrested for doing

things like making their husbands angry. This is not true in all Middle Eastern countries.

Can you tell me which country this would not happen in?

Who are the women that have risen above the men in The

Middle East?

Golda Meir (Israel) Benazir Bhutto (Pakistan)

Golda Meir• Born Golda Mabowitz in

Russia (1898) and family came to U.S. in 1906.

• Very strong willed—ran away from home, eventually marries Morris Myerson and they move to Palestine in 1921.

• They live in a kibbutz (a small community that shares everything they earn or own) and felt like they were part of of a close knit family.

Golda’s Government• Meir was Jewish• Very passionate about Jews

having a homeland.• 1934-appointed to committee

of the General Federation of Jewish Labor in Palestine

• 1947-signs Israel’s Declaration of Independence

• 1949-Minister of Labor and development

• 1957-Foreign Minister• 1969-Becomes Prime Minister

of Israel• 1974-Retires• 1978-Golda Dies

Benazir Bhutto• Part of a prominent political,

Muslim family in Pakistan• Studied in western schools

(Radcliffe and Oxford)• Father is elected as Prime

Minister of Pakistan in 1977 when she returns to Pakistan.

• Military seizes power and her father is imprisoned and hanged in 1979. (Coup)

• Benazir is arrested many times and is finally allowed to leave Pakistan and she goes to London.

• She and brothers co-found organization to fight against military dictatorship.

Bhutto’s Rise to Power• Returns to Pakistan in 1986 and called

for the resignation of dictator whose government had killed her father.

• Elected co-chairwoman of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) with her mother in 1988 and became prime minister that year when free elections were held.

• First woman to serve as prime minister in an Islamic country.

• Supporters of the last dictator were against her and wanted her out of office. She lost her position 1996 due to mismanagement of government. (Husband’s fault)

• She leaves for London again.• 2007-She returns to Pakistan to

threats of radical Muslims who don’t believe she should be back in the country.

• Wants to run for Prime Minister again, but is assassinated at a political rally in December of 2007.

Some Questions to Think About:

• What do you think was the most important thing each of these women did?

• Do you think the Middle East would be different if they had not been rulers? Why?

• Which woman had life in politics easier than the other? How?

• How are women in the Middle East treated?