The Veil and the Male Elite by Fatima Mernissi, Book Review Example

The Islamic religion has often been coined to be one that is traditional and strict especially when it comes to distinguishing gender roles among its members. Considerably, this religion has been judged through time, especially basing on the most common practices [and even religious anomalies] that their members commit. Some might even think that the Islamic religion is most often than not an extremist belief that leads towards the condition of seeing matters within a specific context [that perhaps only its members would understand]. Considerably though, such judgments have put the members of the Islamic community into the limelight when it comes to examining issues that define religious extreme actions against the more vulnerable members of the population which includes the women. The written presentation of Mernissi in her book the Veil and the Male Elite tries to discuss the crucial points of understanding Islam and how it redefines the way that Moslem women are treated by their husbands at present.  Mernissi is known for her works campaigning against discrimination towards women. Her opinions and her studies often champion the manner by which women are supposed to be treated not based on the new idealisms on human rights and liberalization but on the traditional aspects of what real living ethics and morals are all about. Gaining her information from history, Mernissi tries to present her message to the public through using the appeal of history, an understanding that even in the past, females ought to be respected, given the voice and listened to for their opinions; a distinct representation on what their value really is to those whom they love and serve as part of their lives. Even though she is a Moslem, Mernissi condemns the idea of women being in full subjection to the desires of men. She points out in many of her works that the original blueprint of the Islamic religion does not support such idealism in how women are supposed to be treated. With the rising number of people [particularly Moslem women] being subjected to domestic violence, Mernissi feels even more compelled to share her studies and make the Moslem women realize of their rights and hopefully make the Moslem men understand the real meaning of true manhood. This has been a constant campaign by Mernissi, and as an author of several books on the same topic, her works have been recognized to have opened the minds of the society towards what Islamic religion is all about, specifically aiming to make sure that even the modern members of the said religion understand what they are going into, what they should know before they even engage in the constricts of how the values of Islamic belief should shape them.

In the book, she discusses about how highly Mohammed thought about his wives; how he hears their opinions and make sure that they are a part of the decisions made especially if such decisions involve family affairs and development. Women, as Mohammed treated them, were considered vital parts of the community. They were regarded highly, and are supposed to be regarded highly simply because of the characteristics and attitudinal upbringing they have that are relatively innate among women. To further strengthen her arguments about the matter, the author used both the Koran and the Hadith as reference to most of the written presentations. This made her writing more authoritative and strongly grounded on Islamic facts rather than on opinion.

Women, according to her research, have long been recognized as key players in the society in relation to the Moslem belief. They may not be represented by any particular deity but it could not be denied that through referenced findings, women were considered as the foundation of the Moslem society. Noted as the ones handling homecare responsibilities, the women serve a notable role in establishing the pillars of the society. First, Mernissi notes that they bear the children and from then on hold the responsibility of actually providing for the children’s overall structure of becoming a human. Traditional as it may seem, this particular recognition of womanhood is one of the aspects why Mohammed specifically noticed their existence especially in relation to how they contribute to the development of a strong and progressive community. Being a Monotheistic religion, the Moslems considers Allah as the supreme God, and from him comes the ultimate example of how to treat others; his commands, sent through prophets like Mohammed ought to be given careful attention to and thus should be obeyed accordingly. In Mernissi’s writing, she points out that several verses in Koran specifically indicate how Allah intends to view all beings in balance and impartiality. According to her, Mohammed showed the exact example that traditional and Modern Moslems should follow especially in connection to treating each other with high respect and recognition no matter what the gender of an individual is.

The writing approach that Mernissi used in her book was rather effective especially in reaching out to the Moslem community and that of the women residing within the said communities. She hopes to open up their eyes and let them see their real worth as women. The presentation of the data she used to back her standing on the matter are all effective especially in pointing out that what she is presenting has solid foundation that has been realized and accepted through the years within the constraints of the Islamic belief. Her presentations were direct and bold; being a feminist, it is simply expected that her deductions of the situation that Moslem women are currently in would be based on how she understands the real course of the origins of the Islamic religion and how it used to mandate such situations in the past [which should continually be recognized at present by modern Moslems]. The only downside of the reading is that the author intended to use deep words and terms that only a Moslem might be able to understand. Without fine background of the Moslem religion and the Arab culture, a reader might find himself lost in the jumble of words and phrases that he might not be familiar with. It would have been helpful that if Mernissi tried to give a brief background on each technical matter she has presented in the reading. Nevertheless, since she was merely targeting Moslem women as her primary readers; the group to whom she dedicates this reading, it is understandable why she picked such an approach, perhaps even to make them feel that they are the ones she wants to strengthen and motivate to stand for their right as women and as human beings.

Overall, the book could be noted as effective and authoritative in many terms. One is on the information it provides about the Moslem society. Being a misunderstood community, the Islamic society often becomes the focus of debate and accusations that might put their religious belief in jeopardy and their members subjected to specific stereotyping in the communities they live in. With this book focusing on the original foundation of the Moslem values, it was able to give light on how the Islamic religion should actually be practiced. Explaining the revolution behind the changes that were imposed through time on how the Moslem religion developed, Mernissi was able to bring about a good sense of understanding as to why the Moslem men are the way they are today and how they might need to recheck their values and their alignment to what true Islamic belief is all about.