Berkley Center

It was not the first time in my life I heard the sentence, "I don't believe in women's rights." But for the first time in my life, it was not a joke. Last week our Arabic professor informed us that we would be having a dialogue in class on women's rights and the position of women in Jordanian society. In order to prepare for this dialogue, we were to discuss this issue with our Jordanian friends and host families and then present our findings to the class.

One of the first people I asked about this issue was my Jordanian peer tutor, Safaa, a Muslim, female university student who wears hijab, indicative of her religiosity. Safaa proceeded to tell me about how the position of women has greatly advanced in Jordanian society in recent years. She said that this progress can be attributed to the generally equal educational opportunities for women in Jordan. Currently the University of Jordan is over 50 percent female, and women can be found in all fields of study: medicine, engineering, law, etc. Safaa is planning on moving to Austria next year to complete her master's degree in Communications thanks to a scholarship she received from the Jordanian government. Even though her family is hesitant to allow her to leave the country on her own, they understand that this is a tremendous opportunity that should not be missed. Her situation demonstrates clearly the advancing position of women in Jordanian society.

After meeting with Safaa I returned home and presented the same question to my Catholic host family: what do you think of women's rights and the position of women in Jordanian society? My host dad, Waleed, responded immediately saying, "I don't believe in women's rights."  This was definitely a statement I had never heard spoken without a facetious tone. It never even occurred to me that women's rights are something optional. Waleed proceeded to explain his stance on the position of women. He believes that women in Arab society should be confined to the home, and their sole purpose in life should be to serve their husbands and their children. They should not be allowed to work because once women are allowed freedoms similar to men they become too strong and that strength would no doubt negatively affect Arab society. His beliefs are definitely carried out in our home. My host mom, Mariana, is not allowed to work and does not leave the house without the permission of my host dad. She is expected to do pretty much everything for him; from getting him a glass of water if he is thirsty to laying out his clothes every morning for him, she must see to it that his every wish is her command. I asked him what he thought about me, as a woman who clearly wants to receive a good education and work in the future. His response: "You are from America, things are different there. But Arab women are different, it is necessary for them to remain in the home."

The contrast between these two discussions demonstrates the diversity of thought throughout Jordan, and throughout the Arab world on the issue of women's rights. Regardless of some people’s negative views on women's rights, the position of women in Jordan is progressing. Women have careers in almost all professional fields in Jordan, and there is even a professional female soccer league. Yet, the freedoms of women vary greatly from family to family. This leads to the question, what are the reasons behind people's distinct views on women's rights?

A constant topic of discussion in my classes is the debate between which perspectives are a result of the Arab culture and which are a result of the Islamic religion. These two elements are so intrinsically linked, yet there are many important distinctions and differences. It is difficult to discern what these differences are because there are infinite different interpretations of the Islamic religion. Yet, one things that I found interesting through my discussions is that my Catholic host dad does not believe in women's rights in Arabic society, while many of my Muslim friends, men and women, fully believe that all people, regardless of gender, should be granted equal opportunities and rights. There is often a negative view of the Islamic religion when it comes to the issue of women's rights, especially in the West. I think it is important for us to closely examine where this gender inequality comes from. My Muslim professors are very interested in helping us understand the Islamic religion in order to dispel any negative ideas and misconceptions we might have about Islam. Oppressive stances on women's rights do not stem from Qur'anic Islam; rather they originate in the traditions, culture, and historical legacy of Arabic society.

There is still a long way to go with regards to women's rights in Jordan, but progress is being made. Jordanian women on a large scale are being granted more freedoms, but the challenge is to change the minds of individuals who believe that women should not be allowed equal rights as men. One of the most important things I have learned is that this challenge comes from hundreds of years of gender inequality being ingrained in the Arab culture, not necessarily the Islamic religion.