Inequality Within Islam Constructed by Non-Participants

Unfortunately, the video of my second interview with Rasheeda was cut off and could not be repaired. However, during the first half Rasheeda makes a few interesting points about Marjane Satrapi’s relationship with the religion of Islam compared with her own. She demonstrates that she is an open-minded individual, because she does not believe that everyone must be Muslim to be “correct”. Instead, it appears that Rasheeda places a certain value upon fulfillment of personal morals and goals, equally or perhaps even more than fulfillment of societal expectations. She admires Satrapi’s strength of character to stand up for what she believed in, even if it meant contradicting Rasheeda’s own opinions. While this may seem treasonous to her religion, it actually shows an open-mindedness and mental liberation that might contradict many Westerners’ opinions of Muslims. Rasheeda and I discuss this opinion next: she tells me that although many people associate the inequality of the Middle East with Islam, she believes it is more of a cultural aspect of that area. Western scholars of the Qur’an have pointed out various features of that text that feminists might label masochistic. Indeed, many feminists point to the hijab as a symbol of the oppression of women, saying that the men of Islamic society have no right to dictate how these women dress themselves. Yet Rasheeda is an example of how she chooses to dress herself that way: it is a lifestyle that suits her personal moral compass. According to Rasheeda, a Muslim woman, there is indeed plenty of equality within her religion. I have learned from this interview that participant observation is key to understanding another culture. Before talking with Rasheeda, I, too, thought Islam was a male-dominated means of control over women. However, I have come to see that Rasheeda does indeed maintain control over her life and her decisions (while certainly influenced by the ideals of Islam) are her own.