Free How Religion Control's Majority Of Arab World Research Paper Example

Introduction

The religion Islam is the biggest and dominant religion in the Middle-East. The Arab countries operate under the influence of the religion only. Every aspect, whether social, governmental or financial, of these countries is encouraged by the guidelines that are prominent by the religion itself. The kingdoms forms and regulates the basis of cultural, political and economic concerns of the respected countries. It is also quite observable that at most of the times, the dictators exaggerate their interventions by exploiting certain allegations of their religion – Islam. Moreover, Kings and dictators act as supreme legacy, which threatens and subjugates their people by offending them within ugly autocratic realms. The whole drama created a negative view towards the essence of humanity, especially women. Women are kept devoid of their basic rights in the Arabian countries. Also, the political system of these countries fluctuates in its honest operation that marked an autocratic ambience within these countries.

Thesis statement

The religion control's the Arab world and how it is hard for them to progress as a country because of it.

Discussion

The religious dominance in the Arab countries has narrowed down a democratic space that affects all the important realms, cultural, political and economic, of the Arab countries. Such instability has constructed a gap among the citizens to form and participate in decision makings. This has resulted in unfair dispersal of economic authority and democratic participation (Kersten Knipp). However, there are other political and economic aspects that govern the emergence of patriarchy, conflicts, and social and political instabilities. Georges Corm, a Lebanese Historian and Author, criticizes the western thought of representing and dealing with the conflicts of the Arab world in the context of religion (Corm). Moreover, the autocracy exercised by the Arab kingdoms along with its male population is unacceptable.
According to Chandra Mohanty (1988), the conception of “Third World woman” has been fabricated by exaggerating the concept through Third World’s differences to gender relation and religion. Such arguments have illustrated the western women as secular and independent with all their religious freedom as compared to the Third World women who live with apt limitations within religious constraints.
Various feminist scholars have earlier criticized Islam by presenting its approach to deal with the rights of ‘Muslim Women’ (scholars (e.g., Fatima Merniss, Aziza Al-Hibri). Such scholars have changed their ideologies towards Islam by analysing the impact of the religion ofn the lives of the ‘Muslim women’ that have landed them in a sustainable place (Mernessi, 1996; Afshari, 1994). There is the concept of Islamic feminism that a Swedish scholar, Hijarpe (1995), separates it from Muslim feminism. He categorized the conceptions into: Atheist feminism, Secular feminism, Muslim feminism, Islamic feminism. However, there are many brutalities done by the Muslim men against women but, they have their own personal perspectives but not only the religious context.

Conclusion

Religion is predominant in Arab world countries; Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Morocco, and Egypt etc. which controls every aspect of society. The cultural legacy that Arab world inherit is just religion orientated which defines the norms for way of life. This prevalence of religion in politics corrupts the very nature of a state. Secularism and modernisation are unknown to the Religion driven Arab world. The common people of Arab are just puppets under religious regime. Religious bigotry has given risen to inequality and patriarchal mind-set which has permeated the skin of whole Arab world. Under the garb of religion, aborigines of Arab world sabotage the freedom of women by putting arbitrary restrictions. Women are the marginalised section of society. They are not free to decide their fate and this all happens under the name of a particular religion. In contrary the religion teaches that women are bestowed with rightful duties to seek out for knowledge and regardless whether they are married or single. Nowhere, in the religious scriptures are mentioned that women should be enslaved by men, which is witnessed in Arab world mostly. Under the influence of Patriarch, men of Arab world try to justify their misdoings by mere random religious versus which are usually out of context.
Economically, the Arab world countries have progressed due the oil reserves but socially they have long way to get developed and civilised. Religion plays a deterrent in Socio politico conditions of Arab world. The high headed of male society deprives the Arab world of true development.

References

Al-Hibri, Azizab. 1981. Capitalism is an Advanced Stage of Patriarchy. In Lydia Sargent (ed). Women and Revolution: A Discussion of the Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism. Boston: South End Press.
Härpe, Jan. 1995. “Islamisk feminism”, Kvinnor och fundamentalism, nr 10, 1995.
Mohanty, Chandra. 1988. “Under Western Eyes”. Feminist Review 30