One must consider all the various elements that compromise the picture of Islamic womanhood. Many of these elements are directly related to the religion of Islam itself, such as past and present legal realities, roles permitted and enforced as a result of Muslim images of women, and the variety of Islamic and hetero-Islamic rites and practices in which Islamic women have traditionally participated. The Holy Quran (sometimes transliterated as "Koran") still forms the basis of prevailin

g family law in most areas of the Muslim world. It has always been and still is considered to be the last in a series of divine revelations from God given in the seventh century C.E. to humanity through the vehicle of his prophet Muhammad. The Quran is therefore a literal and unmitigated word of God, collected and ordered by the young Muslim community but untainted with the thoughts and interpretations of anybody, including Muhammed himself. It is obvious, then, why the regulations formulated by the Quran in regard to women have been adhered to with strictness and respect. On the other hand, whatever the earlier realities for women in terms of marriage divorce, and inheritance of property, it is clear that the Quran did introduce very significant changes that were advantageous for women. "Contemporary Muslims are fond of pointing out, quite correctly, that Islam brought legal advantages for women quite unknown in corresponding areas of the Western Christian World."

I had the opportunity to discuss the Taliban and its implications on Islam with a friend of mine who is a practicing Muslim. Although he wishes to remain anonymous, I can tell you that he was indeed born in the United States, has no sisters, and is still strongly devoted to practicing his religion. He said that his family is definitely run in the majority by his father, and that his mother usually fulfills all of his requests. He feels that the media has greatly exploited the events that have occurred since the takeover by the Taliban. He feels that some of the inhibitions on women are taken too far, and that there is no real basis for not considering females equal to males. He is unsure of the future of women in Afghanistan, but hopes that the current plight ends soon. It would be interesting to see how a female Muslim's perspective on the Taliban situation differs from this male point of view, but I was unable to contact a decent source.

It is considered one of the great innovations of the Quran over earlier practices that women are permitted to inherit and own property. Non-Muslims have generally found great difficulty with the Quranic stipulation that a woman is allowed to inherit property but that the inheritance should be only half that of a male. "According to the Islamic understanding, however, the rationale is precisely that which applies to the verse saying that men are in charge of women." Because women are permitted to keep and maintain their own property without responsibility for taking care of their families financially, it is only reasonable that the male must spend his own earning and inheritance for the maintenance of women, should receive twice as much.

The Afghan conflict shows that international organizations and national governments must work together persistently to prevent crises. Like the threads that together create the mesh cloth of the burqa, the world must also come together

Such a view has no basis in the Quran, yet it has been promoted by the Taliban as "Islamic." This situation is very distressing considering that women were given rights in the Quran to contribute to the economy by owning and selling property 1400 years ago:

Some members of the Taliban have been quoted as saying that these actions are temporary and that women's rights will be restored once the government is more stable. +One must bear in mind that, as history has amply demonstrated, other Muslim countries have committed the same atrocities and the result is that women is that women within their boundaries continue to be oppressed, politically and otherwise. "To maintain control over the people, the Taliban divert attention away from political and economic crises by oppressing half of the population."

This verse emphasizes the equality of men and women in the economic growth of a society, an ideal that is

Some common words found in the essay are:
According Islamic, World Quran, Taliban Islamic, According Quran, Female Religion, Soon Taliban, Middle Eastern, Muhammad Quran, Islamabad Pakistani, Majority Foundation, international organizations, male relative, women permitted, proved unsuccessful 1996, responsibility taking care, preventive measures, national governments, organizations national, brewed international, head toe, women girls, brewed international organizations, conflict brewed international, organizations national governments, benefit earn,
Approximate Word count = 2581
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)