Debunking Stereotypes: An Exploration of Islam in the Middle East

Instructions: In your group, explore both a common stereotype and frequently-asked

question regarding Islamic culture in the Middle East. You may use the following websites to
support your research:
Islamic Networks Group: Education for Cultural Literacy
Southern Poverty Law Center: Teaching Tolerance
Quran Speaks

Stereotype

Women are inferior

Explanation

Many people get the idea of women from Middle East are
inferior from international media. As such passive,

Where did this stereotype

begin, and why do people
believe it to be true?

weak and always veil. A lot of media shown how

women been publicly executed, women cooked at
home and do housework.. People got the wrong idea of
the image they were shown. Which lead them to this
women are inferior.

What is the truth regarding

this stereotype, according to
your research?

After some research, some people pointed out the

reason why people might think women in middle east
are inferior, one main reason is because of their
religion, women are not allowed to go outside, they are
not able to connect with people from the outside
world, then how is it possible to let people truly
understand them? The other reason is about the girl
schools were burnt, so female lose the opportunity to
learn.
Many women in middle east protested about their own
rights. In Egypt and Tunisia, women carried banners
and placards, requesting an end to dictatorships.
Women wants better life. Such as an event called
Women in Arab Spring which is series of
demonstration, protest, war against their rights.

Research citation

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alayna-ahmad/aremuslim-women-really-s_b_2288337.html
http://fpif.org/women_in_the_middle_east/
https://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/women-and-arabspring

Question

How serious is religion for Muslim?

Answer

Very serious, but consequences are not supposed to

exist if muslim wants to leave Islam. For some reason,
some cultures do give consequences because of the
people and the citizen who are strict and do in the name
of Islam. Some muslims will justify their actions by using
Islam as the source of their reasoning.
The Quran, like a bible, states that There should be no
compulsion in religion and also religion is suppose to be
having peace but people use it in the wrong way, they
trust the religion to much, in which it cause problem
toward people. These verses prove that man is free to
choose the religion that makes him happy, and rejecting
Islam is not a crime.

Research citation

https://www.quora.com/Are-there-any-consequences-forleaving-Islam
http://www.religionfacts.com/islam