Reading the question itself makes people mad because women lost their own right as an individual. As Islam grew as a religion so did its practice on how women should be treated in public and at home. Let’s start where the Quran states “Men have authority over women because Allah has made the one superior to the other, and because they spend their wealth to maintain them.” Pretty much says hey since I have the money and if you’re a women I will posses you and I’ll be the authority. It slowly gets worse by how women started to lose their value. The Quran continues with adding on more restricitions on how women were not able to have more than one husband, must pray behind their husbands at mosques then moved to praying at home only, women of the upper class had to use another method to get around as a sign of separation between man and women, women started veiling themselves at home and in public, and it started to become extremely hard for the lower class women who didn’t have the luxury to have a servant to do the chores. These women in particular had to be shameful and leave the house for work or going shopping. It has gotten extreme on how it started at the religion, but it became a way of life for the Middle East to treat women as if they have no rights or soul. Marriage was seen as a contract between man and women, where men had the total upper hand in everything. Men were seen as the authority, divorce is done through men, have a four wife limit, and the Quran seem to put them on an upper pedestal. The one subject that seems to irk people is the “honor killing” where male relatives are given the right to kill women in their family or have a female circumcision done if the women violated a sexual taboo, but its okay for men to have four wives. I get that in the Islam religion that women are seen in a different life more of a sacred one where women should be covered up and seen not as a sexual object. However eliminating rights and making women seem like their seductress is not fair as well. It’s outrageous to me that women in this society are okay with living like this and how their everyday life depends on the authority of a man. It pains me to know that even still today honor killings are happening in the Middle East and there is no protection for women. Perhaps for those who come from wealthy families, but the women who are less fortunate would have to live a life of pain and suffering. In my opinion, the rise of Islam was a huge negative impact to women.
2. How did the Mongol rule China? In what ways were the Mongols changed by China? Chapter 12
Mongols
in the south part of China wanted to be “less violent and more accommodating to
the local population." The Mongols secure the landowners with their estate in order to receive their support or to be neutral during the takeover. The idea of accommodating and unifying China, gave the Mongols the
right to the Mandate of Heaven even if they were foreign rulers. The Mongols
were very accommodating especially where they took in the practice of the “Chinese
administrative practices, the taxation techniques, the postal system, and the
Mongols gave themselves a Chinese dynasty name, the Yuan, which means great
beginnings.” Although they were
accommodating, the Mongols were still hash and treated the Chinese like slaves.
In China, Mongols had their own set of rules where there was no intermarriage,
Chinese scholars were not allowed to learn the Mongol scripts, they disregarded
the Chinese examination practice, used foreigners to serve as official, and the
Mongol had laws that just discriminate against the Chinese. Women during the
Yuan dynasty also stop the practice of the feet binding and acted more freely
with men at official meetings. Women did
not have the standard where they should be reserve and act like a delicate
flower in the Confucius practice. As time continued, the Mongols were very respectful to merchants who
did majority of the trades. Reading about how Mongols had an upper hand a
certain point makes me happy a bit because they were always seen as a barbaric clan,
but the Mongols are interesting on how they did everything in reverse to the
Chinese. When the Mongols rule in China it was different because they heavily rely
on foreigners to act on as the law officers and seen them in a greater light. Merchants had a better title and not seen as
people at the bottom of the hierarchy list. In reverse, I do believe China did
change the Mongols into more educated people in the concept of being a better
ruler and creating a dynasty that had meaning of change.
2. How did the Mongol rule China? In what ways were the Mongols changed by China? Chapter 12
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