Women in Islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Women in Islam - Essay Example According to Islam, in the eyes of Allah both men and women are equal. Before we can even begin to argue whether men and women are equal or not, we must define what we mean by equality. For depending on how one looks at it, one can easily argue that equality between men and women does not exist, or vice versa that it does. For instance from a physical and psychological point of view we can claim that the two are not equal. Due to their physical make up, women tend to experience more pain, especially during their menstrual cycles; a kind of pain that a man can never experience. Then generally men tend to be physically stronger then women, and as they grow old are faced with the prospect of balding, something that women rarely have to worry about. Thus if we were to look from this perspective we can claim that men and women cannot considered to be equal. That, "from the Islamic point of view, the question of the equality of men and women is meaningless. It is like discussing the equality of a rose and a jasmine. Each has its own perfume, color, shape and beauty. Men and women are not the same" (Jameelah, 5). However, such a view is ambiguous and misleading, and can be easily taken out of context to make the claim that men are superior to women. In general when we talk about equality, we refer to the rights of the individual, and in that sense Islam does states that both men and women are equal. To elaborate a bit further, "Islam adopts the perspective of gender equality, but it does not endorse the idea of gender equivalency. Islam affirms the difference between the natural dispositions and constitutions of men and women. Women have the ability to bear and nurse children, whereas men do not, so there is a lack of equivalency in regards to the physical and psychological make-up of men and women, but both enjoy rights and bear responsibilities, in which respect they are equal" (Gomaa, 1). The claim that Islam teaches all to treat women with respect and dignity and not to discriminate on the basis of gender, is made by both Gomaa and Jameelah in their articles. However, this point is more clear and more easily understood in 'Gender Equality in Islam', by Gomaa, when compared to 'The Feminist Movement and the Muslim Woman', by Jameelah. The reason for this is not because the topic of Gomaa's piece is about gender equality in Islam, it is because it is more focused, well thought out, when compared to Jamleeah's work. Furthermore, Gomaa provides more credibility to his article by using the Quran as his sole reference. It is common knowledge that the Quran is the most revered book in Islam, since that contains all the teachings of Islam in it. Furthermore, since Muslims also believe that the Quran was written by God himself, and hence a true devout Muslim cannot go against its teaching. If they do then they are not practicing Islam as it was meant to be. It is simply due to this fact that Gomaa has been able to add credibility to his article by using the Quran as his reference. Jameelah on the other hand, does not cite any references at all when she talks about women in Islam. She simply states either Islam says this, or that according to

Roper v. Simmons Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Roper v. Simmons - Essay Example Virginia, 536 U.S. 302 (2002)). When Simmons became aware of this ruling, he submitted a petition for a writ of habeas corpus and requested post-conviction relief based on the assertion that the reasoning of Atkins established a Constitutional protection against the death penalty for a convicted individual who was a minor when the crime was committed. The Supreme Court of Missouri agreed with Simmons’ and Roper (on behalf of the State of Missouri) appealed to the United States Supreme Court. At 17 years of age, Christopher Simmons discussed the ideal of murdering someone as a â€Å"prank† with some friends. His reasoning was that they would not get caught and if they were, they were juveniles and there would be little consequence. At 2:00AM on the morning of the murder, he and his accomplice broke into the house of Shirley Crook. They used duct tape to cover her eyes, mouth, and hands and put her in her own minivan. They then drove to a state park, covered her head with a towel, and walked her to a railroad trestle spanning the Meramec River. At that point they, they tied her hands and feet with electrical wire, covered her entire face in duct tape, and threw her into the water. Approximately nine months later, at the age of 18, Simmons was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. His case was taken by the Supreme Court on the question of the constitutionality of applying the death penalty to criminals who were juveniles when their crime was committed. Yes. Executing convicted felons whose crimes were committed prior to their turning 18 years old is a violation of the cruel and unusual punishment clause of the Eighth Amendment as well as the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court recognizes the Eighth Amendment’s preclusion of cruel and unusual punishment, and has established the propriety of