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1-Page Summary of Excellent Daughters

Overview

Many people associate flying with freedom. However, for Arab women who become flight attendants, that connection is very concrete. When their planes take off, they are literally escaping from the control of their families and becoming free individuals.

There are many questions surrounding the future of Arab women. For example, where will they be in twenty years? What will their lives look like then? Will they have more freedom and rights than today? This article addresses these issues by looking at the current state of affairs for Arab women and how things might change in the future.

In this passage, you will learn about Saudi Arabia and how it’s making progress in the areas of women’s rights. You’ll also read about a law that absolves people from murder charges if they kill someone else for a good reason. Lastly, you’ll find out about Qur’an schools and how they can help girls achieve their potentials.

Big Idea #1: In Arab countries, it’s a woman’s moral duty to hide herself from the male gaze.

Imagine you meet a beautiful man or woman and feel immediately attracted to him/her. Who’s responsible? You might think it’s both of them, or that it’s just magic. However, in Arab countries, only the woman is responsible for the encounter because she must wear makeup and put on her best outfit before going out.

Women in Arab countries are taught from a young age that it’s their responsibility to prevent men from committing crimes. They’re told that if they expose too much of their bodies, or even just parts of them, then men will be unable to control themselves and will commit crimes.

The hijab is a veil that covers women’s hair. It has been the subject of much debate in Western countries, but it’s accepted as normal in Arab countries. In those countries, girls are expected to cover themselves once they reach puberty and become sexually desirable.

Arab women are expected to hide themselves from men’s gazes. Women in the West can party, have male friends and attend college or university after showing signs of puberty. However, it is different in Arab countries where they are not allowed to interact with males outside their family even though they may be older than 18 years old. Generally speaking, women are supposed to be shy and should hide away from society until marriage.

Many women who are sheltered and don’t have a lot of freedom in their lives see marriage as the only way to gain some degree of independence. However, this doesn’t always work out for them the way they hope it will.

Big Idea #2: Marriage is a central concern for young Arab women.

Many young people today don’t get married. They either have multiple partners or remain single, but for Muslims, marriage is the beginning of a new life. Many Arab women wait eagerly for their fathers to bring home suitable husbands and anticipate their wedding day as one of the most important days in their lives.

Once married, a newlywed couple will move into a new house and take up new roles in society. As for the woman, she is finally entitled to become close to a man she isn’t related to.

However, the problem is that many women are unable to find suitable husbands. In fact, this is one of the main concerns for many young Arab women today.

Many Arab men refuse to marry women who are not virgins, or women with a reputation for being promiscuous. Even the tiniest of incidents can become blemishes on an Arab woman’s reputation. Because of this, young women will do anything to protect their chaste image and are constantly worried that shameful events will leave them unmarriageable – even if it’s something as harmless as a man accidentally seeing her hair. Naturally, acting flirtatious is entirely out of the question.