In the West, Islam has come to epitomize the worse kind of oppression of women. This is usually symbolized by the veil, polygamy, and even by stoning. Muslim women are assumed to passively accept their bleak lives, either because they know of no alternative or because they have no means to fight this faith prescribed by Allah and administered by their male masters (Caner, p. 41). Images which characterize Muslim women as oppressed victims with no rights are resolute; even the reality that women have been elected as leaders of the most populous Muslim states, Turkey, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, has not shaken this universal assumption of oppression (Caner, p.53). Yet, many Muslim women consider their veils liberating because the shrouds release them from male scrutiny and the standards of attractiveness. They feel by wearing these scarves, also know as "hijab," a woman's inner character, and not her outward appearance is more valued (Tabari & Yeganeh, P. 107). With that quote, the debate is established; are the women of Islam truly oppressed, or is their oppression a figment of the Western World's imagination? To make an educated conclusion on this topic one must examine and understand what rights women of Islam are entitled to, how these women feel about their position in society and what they are able to do in order to better themselves, if anything at all.
             In the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Asia, family law and penal code is strongly affected by Islam. Despite the changes that emerged by modernization reforms, family law and penal code remained untouched (Afkhani, P. 69). Polygamy, men's unconditional right to divorce their wives, the laws regarding adultery, men deciding over their wives' employment, traveling, and women's lack of right to custody their children are amongst them (Afkhani, P. 70). But what rights are women of Islam entitled to? According to Islamic Law, women have the...