How are women treated in Islamic countries?
The treatment of women in Muslim countries varies considerably, from extreme seclusion in Taliban-influenced regions of Afghanistan to the emergence of female religious scholars in Syria. In some countries, abhorrent practices such as so-called “honor killings” of women who commit seemingly minor violations of social norms still take place, but many young American Muslim women adopt the veil, or hijab, as a statement of ethnic identity and pride.HistoryThere is little doubt that the establishment of Islam significantly enhanced the status of women in seventh-century Arabia, outlawing female infanticide and confirming several key civil rights of Muslim women. The sheer scope of the rapid expansion of Islam in the seventh and eighth centuries, however, meant that it covered a wide swath of regions, from the tip of north Africa to contemporary Pakistan, with hugely divergent social norms. Many of the indigenous customs, including female genital mutilation, persist in these regions.Educati
