Current Events: In the Name of Religion
Summary and Presentation
Honor Code Level 3
Your task: Now that you have examined some concepts in the Religion Unit, you have a chance to select a related topic that is interesting to you and share it with some classmates. Your task includes finding and reading an article about your interest, completing this sheet, and presenting your topic and article to a small group of your peers, using this sheet as a guide.
Citation:
Cite your source in MLA Format (Please see pgs. 131 in your Student Handbook for examples.)
“Sudan ‘trousers case’ woman freed.” Aljazeera. Aljazeera.net, 8 September 2009. Web. 23 September 2010.
Summary of Article:
Please write one complete paragraph to summarize your article.
This article is about a Sudanese woman who was imprisoned for wearing pants. She was accused of ignoring Sudan’s laws with regard to public decency. In northern Sudan, where she lives, sharia is the code of law, and was implemented there at the height of the country’s 22-year-long civil war. The woman, who is a popular journalist, was trying to use her arrest as a platform to speak out against sharia and what she believes is a harsh Islamic government. At first, she faced a penalty of 40 lashes, but then the judge overseeing the case reduced the punishment to a monetary fine, equivalent to $200 (US). Since she is a journalist, a professional journalists’ union stepped in and paid the fine for her; this, however, made her upset because she truly wanted to use the possibility of a harsher punishment as a way to draw attention to what she believes are the too harsh rules of sharia.
Personal Response: Why did you choose this article?
Please respond in two or three sentences.
The ideas in this story intrigued me. As an American, there is so much perceived indecency with regard to what people wear (or don’t wear) in our society. Then, as a teacher, in some cases, I am put into a position where I am expected to be the “decency police” for clothing. In our society, in many cases, clothing is deemed improper if there is too much skin showing but this fascinated me because here, the opposite is the case: the woman is being penalized for dressing like a man. It’s not like the men in the community want her to wear less, but they are penalizing her for not sticking to the rules.
Connection to Class: How does this article relate to an issue/topic/subject/discussion/etc. from the Religion Unit? If it does not related directly, explain why you feel that it is somehow connected, even indirectly.
Please respond in two or three sentences.
This connects to our recent class discussions about sharia in Islam and justice in society, on a larger level. There are so many other issues that could be examined within sharia (honor killings, divorce, adultery, family roles, stoning) yet this one centers around a premise everyone can relate to: clothing as a part of culture. Clothing is also connected to ideas of what humans perceive to be “civilized.” Interestingly though, it seems, to me, rather uncivilized that the woman in this story was subject to 40 lashes! To me, that seems like an extreme punishment for breaking the rule.
What questions do you want your small group to discuss?
Please create at least three Level 2 and/or Level 3 questions that will lead to meaningful discussion and thoughtful analysis. Remember you need to lead a discussion of your article.
Level 2- Why are there so many different interpretations of the Koran? How does the interpretation in this case impact people? What could be done differently?
Level 3- In this day and age, why is clothing still an indicator of civility? What other things, in your opinion, would be better indicators of civility?
Level 3- Why are women still oppressed in so many places around the globe? What would it take, globally, to truly improve the situations of women everywhere?
Personal Opinion: What is your response to one of the questions you created above?
Please write one complete paragraph that explains your opinion on one of the questions you created above. Please use evidence from the article to support your position.
Level 3- Why are women still oppressed in so many places around the globe? What would it take, globally, to truly improve the situations of women everywhere?
To me, it seems that women are still oppressed in so many places around the globe because of a lack of educational opportunities. Regardless of what religions are involved, women are denied access to equal education in various places. For example, in Kenya, women do not receive the same amount of schooling as men. In India, women often get married while they are still girls, forgoing any future education and instead, having many children. An extreme example is Afghanistan: where the Taliban has control, women are completely denied an education. But, I think that in most cases, the men doing the oppressing of women are also uneducated. If men were better educated, they would have the knowledge that it is beneficial to communities and economies to empower women to learn and get jobs. They would know that when women can contribute to society in meaningful ways that the standards of living of everyone in that society can improve. They would understand that women can balance motherhood and a job. They would learn that there are modern healthy methods of birth control and ways to prevent sexually transmitted diseases. In short, it is not enough to educate oppressed women: the men who are instituting the oppression need to be educated even more.