Self-Determination in Arab Society

Since World War Two, much of the developing world has been in transition. One such idea
that saw a re-birth was that of self-determination-- be it on the national level or on the
personal level. Self-determination on a national level means the
independence of a country; on a personal level, it is the determination of one own fate. This
can be seen in various ways with our five women characters, Maha, Um Saad, Nadia, Yusra
and Suad.
In the forward of Daughters of Abraham, Karen Armstrong notes that Islam is "adamantly
opposed to the subjection of one human being by another," "insist that men and women were
created by God image" and "both sexes have equal rights and responsibilities before God."
Strong and resourceful women have played a key role in history and yet Islam has pushed
women into an inferior and marginal position, excluding them from full participation in the
social, cultural and religious life of the community. Even though figures such as the prophet
Muhammad had a positive view of women, relied on them, and treated them as valued
equals, some of the most respected sages and theologians have preached outright misogyny.
In Rethinking Women and Islam, Amira Sonbol remarks that while the "vision of equality has
been one of the mainsprings and central teachings of Islam," it is not extended to women.
Rather the numerous Quranic references to equality between man and woman are commonly
disregarded, "as the man is given superior moral and physical role as guardian over his wife."
It is this type of understanding that is rooted into Arab culture whether or not Arab women
have experienced great changes in modernization and industrialization. Therefore, it is
imperative that women stand up for themselves and have a sense of self-determination.
Self Determination
Women were among the first converts to Islam, and the Koran gave women rights of
inheritance and divorce that Western women did not receive until the nineteenth century. The
Koran does not describe the wearing of the veil of all women as well as seclusion. However,
Karen Armstrong notes that three of four generations after the prophet death, Muslims
imitated the customs of the Greeks and the Persians in their empire who had long treated
their women in this way. Moreover, in her view, Muslims also picked up some of the Christian
misogyny and pre-modern legal codes like the Shariah "reduced women to the rank of
second-class citizens even though the ideal of the equality of all believers was crucial to the
Quran message."
As seen in our stories, she also pointed out that "the improved status of women is one of the
most significant developments of the twentieth century. It has irrevocably changed the social,
domestic, intellectual, and economic life of society." However, it seems to me that people who

should be in the forefront of this process of liberation have often tried to put women back in
their old marginal place. In modern culture, the conservatives have responded by overstressing traditional restrictions. Moreover, when fundamentalists fear the destruction of faith
by the hands of seculars and liberals, the bodies of women become the focus.
For Arab women novelists such as Fadia Faqir and Leila Al-Atrash tackle the issue of selfdetermination with regard to women, which is reflected in Pillars of Salt and a Woman of Five
Seasons. In Pillars of Salt the audience is introduced to Maha and Um Saad who are both put
into the Fuhais Mental Institution in Jordan and share a room as well as their lives. Although
Maha is from a small village in the Jordan valley and Um Saad is from the city of Amman,
they share the same determination to survive a male-dominated society. In Maha case that
mainly stems from her brother: physical and emotional abuse, inheritance she is forced to give
up, an arranged second marriage as well as other issues.
There seems no doubt that in a limited way, self-determination for women stem from the fact
that there is a double standard in Arab society. Women are told to be submissive and virginal
while men are in the forefront and allowed to be promiscuous. How can a woman grow
intellectually if she is obliged to be in a state of submission Issues such as inheritance,
women education and polygamy are addressed in the Quran are sensitive to women needs
but interpretation throughout years have used these sources to subjugate women.
In this case, Maha? desire to have her share of land and power over her own life. Thus, an
example of this is her bother wanting to take the land and when he forces marriage upon her.
In Um Saad situation, it was a sexual control in which the husband insists on a second wife,
which flaunts his control through embarrassment and other means. In terms of Maha, she is
not independent before or after marriage. She is not allowed to go out and meet her future
husband, Harb alone at night. She will not only gain a bad reputation, but there is a possibility
of death. This can be seen when she questions about possible negative affects in meeting
him,"
Regarding Nadia, it was the desire to be respected as a person and break away from her
husband shadow.
An example of this is when she goes into real estate and opens up a business with another
woman.
In Yusra situation, she takes control of her life. While realizing the dangers involved, she
believed in the basic of self-determination, that being survival. However, her mom has a more
traditional view towards that. She believes that life is determined by fate and chance and she
talks about the need to go on living with her life. In the case of Suad, it is her desire to marry
freely and live her life according to her standards. For example, she moves from Jordan to
Beirut to be with her husband who fights for the Palestinian cause although her father does
not approve.

Maha feels compelled to take her mother advice against her own gut feelings and regrets it
when she commented that it was her mother? fault for her attitudes. This lack of selfdetermination or control of her own life did not go away once she was married. In essence,
she was not fully independent. This can be seen, for example, when her father makes it clear
to her that if her husband does not come back soon, she must move back home. When she
learns that her husband dies, she decides to leave her mother-in law house for her father.
Furthermore, during the early part of her marriage, Maha decides to visit her father but her
mother in law does not think it is a good idea for a young bride to do because people might
say that she cannot stay put in her husband? house. Therefore, she says, "If Harb was there
he would have let me go."
UM SAAD, on the other hand, is under the control of her father and then his control transfers
over to her husband. Um Saad is not allowed to make any choices for herself. The inequality
between men and women may have roots in the Koran. Because the first child of Adam and
Eve was a girl, she was buried alive and thus the blood feud between men and women had
begun. She is not allowed to do anything without the permission of her father and if she
disobeys, he beats her up. She wishes she could be invisible, slip into another identity, and
"depart this body" . Not only was she a woman, but she was an immigrant daughter and
people thought of her as an outcast with no past.
In the case of NADIA, we see her independence growing as the novel progresses. She
speaks her mind in the first chapter, "Im sorry, I just don't feel like going" when her husband
insists she look good for him at a social event. Although she has this growing sense of
independence, she is torn between being a traditional Muslim wife, who is only there to serve
and please her husband and a modern woman who fulfills her own needs. When her husband
fails to give Nadia both land and gold she gives him an ultimatum, "until you've done it for me,
we sleep in separate bedrooms." She puts forth her own conditions in a society where women
do not have a say her husband? world
Contrasting this is Yusra. When Yusra? husband dies, she becomes a strong-willed person
because she is carrying his unborn child who will carry on his legacy. She knows it will be
hard to "fight against the sadness weighing on [her] soul i'll try but it's not easy at all." At the
same time she is determined not to forget her husband and the happiness he had brought into
her life as well as the circumstances that lead to his tragic ending. Yusra proclaims twice,
"Don't talk to me about forgetting!" as a way to validate her own feelings.
She is a very outspoken woman who won? take no for an answer. For example, Yusra was
willing to stay out until five in the morning to fill the jerry cans because there was not a drop of
water at home. This shows her responsibility to her family as well as the determination to get
what she set out for in her lifetime.
Thus, we can see different approaches to the need for self-determination. As we can, it is not

that easy: there are many variables to consider, one of which is that of ?ultural factors".
Cultural Issues
As a general rule, a patriarchal society tends to influences such things as laws on succession
as well as indirectly on the role of women, specifically, their sexuality. Women? sexuality is
often seen as the property of men: initially by the father; then via her husband. In fact, her
"virginity became economically valuable property". In fact, Ahmed notes that this may have
led to the "rigid demarcation between ?espectable?women (wives) who sexuality and
reproductive capabilities belonged to one man, and women who were sexually available to
any man." Clearly, this also includes the male right to control women. "This allows for female
exclusion from social activities in which they might have contact with men that are not their
husbands, their physical seclusion and instilling the notion of the subordinate woman."
For Maha, the issue of virginity plays a big role in Muslim society. If she loses it before
marriage she is seen as a piece of meat whose been tainted. For example, Nasra is raped
and is not longer respected in the community. She is ostracized and no longer is marriage
material. There is also a double standard when it comes to the sexes. For instance Maha?
father puts the responsibility on Nasra, "you should not have tempted him ". Men and women
are not treated equal, case in point when Maha? mother comments, "What do you expect? He
is a boy. Allah placed him a step higher. We must accept Allah? verdict."
Fertility falls under the responsibility of a woman. It is a woman? problem if she is barren and
not the case of male being impotent. Maha? mother in law worries why she is not pregnant
after six months of marriage, as well as the rest of the community. Being unable to produce a
child reflects back on the woman. Even more so, the pressure to produce a son is even
higher. Maha notes that women are talking about her barrenness and worries what people are
thinking as well as any rumors that must have spread. Because Maha seems to be unable to
conceive she visits Hajjeh Hulala and places a hot sachet inside her. At a later time, Maha is
cauterized in which her stomach is burned and her insides are washed with hot water. Maha
sees the "painted women" as lowering themselves for the men when they wear make up and
tight clothes.
In terms of Um Saad, while education was prevalent in Jordan, it was not mandatory as we
witnessed when Um Saad is pulled out of school. This reinforces the notion that a woman?
place is in the home. Furthermore, it is when she learned to write her name that it becomes a
problem. Illiteracy kept women from expressing themselves and finding their own identity and
limited their knowledge. As the bible suggests, being a female brings trouble into this world.
She must be tamed and kept under strict control as her father and her husband clearly
demonstrates. Women are also personified as being a piece of meat and not a human being.
Marriage is not shared between two loving people as in this case since Um Saad has no idea
that she will be attending her own wedding. She is given to Abu Saad as though she is
chattel, without her own will.

Moreover, we learn that as a generalization, it seems that many believe that Arab women
have no rights even once they are married. For example, she must not leave the house
without permission at any time. Um Saad cannot stay in her house anymore and runs out to a
mosque in middle of the night where she finally has a peaceful nights sleep. She is put in a
straightjacket and sent to a mental institution for running away in which she is deemed mad?
Bringing another wife is permissible under the Koran, but it is not really respected especially
when the husband cannot treat his wives with equal share. In this case, he makes Um Saad
do the chores and pays little attention to her
This same concern of control and culture applies to Nadia. We see with her that women are
seen as a man? possession even though life seems to be more liberating in Barqais. For
instance, Ihsan uses his wife as a means to fame and fortune since he cannot get it on his
own, "Nadia, I want all the women in Barqais to be talking about you." This reiterates the
notion that a woman? place is still behind a man. Nadia was hurt by the fact that he could
never see her as anything but his woman. Ihsan is not so keen about women working in a
profession. For example, his wife decided to open up her own business. He believes that if a
woman runs her own place, it is bound for disaster because women don? know the first thing
about running a business. He may be afraid that if a woman gets too powerful then she
ultimately destroys everything around her. Therefore, a woman? place is behind a man, which
will keep her subordinate.
The King we find talks about the issue of women? rights in the parliament. They agree they
women want a materialistic lifestyle to keep them happy and secure. This reinforces the notion
of men? thinking in the country of Barqais. Women and education do not go hand in hand
because that would be selfish on her part. She has to provide first for her husband and his
wants and needs. Marriage is not between two people that are in love. Ihsan wanted Nadia
because his older brother had feelings for her. It was all a game to Ihsan and he wanted to be
the better brother in any way possible. According to Muslim tradition, the older brother is
supposed to make sacrifices for his younger siblings as well as being unselfish.
Yusra? life in Lebanon seems to be more liberated than some of the other Muslim countries.
Her girl friend is a volunteer nurse for instance. She lived opposite the Red Crescent clinic in
al-Zaatar. There also seems to be a more balanced marriage between the two of them. The
pronoun we?is prevalent on page 22 and 23 in which she mentions, "Wed planned to marry"
and "we drew up the marriage contract" which seem to be modern views. Also she admits that
being a new bride in her parent? home is "an embarrassing situation to say the least" which
implies the notion that she wanted her own place for the two of them.
Suad and her husband have a somewhat equal relationship when it comes to taking care of
the kids and interacting with one another. The underlying factor for this is the fact that they
were educated young adults. Her husband was a student at the Sorbonne and studied
Political Science. He also goes over some rules of French grammar with the children, which

illustrate the need to educate his children. In the final analysis, it seems that women who
become politically involved can choose whom they marry, a situation often seen in Beirut,
which had a history of more western liberalism.
Western Influence
Sherif Abdel Azim notes that Arab society can deviate if they are influenced by the Western
culture and way of life. A typical "modern" woman's top priority in life is to enhance her
physical beauty. Therefore, she is often obsessed with her body's shape, size, and weight.
She tends to care more about her body than her mind and intellect. Her ability to charm
people is more valued in the society than her educational achievements, and intellectual
pursuits. " One is not expected to find a copy of the Quran in her purse since it is full of
cosmetics that accompany her wherever she goes. Her spirituality has no room in a society
preoccupied with her attractiveness. Therefore, she would spend her life striving more to
realize her femininity than to fulfill her humanity."
Daffash looks at his own people as being ?ackwards? As a result, he tries anything he can to
identify himself as close with the English i.e. making friends with the British. In contrast, with
Um Saad, we are told that in the ?ity, women wear make up in order to make themselves
more attractive toward their husbands. They seem to want to emulate the British women by
"waxing our legs, cutting our hair, lines our eyes? For Nadia, the situation is a bit different.
She is sick of the materialistic lifestyle the western world brings with its lavish parties and
pricey vacations. However, under the influence of Jessica Raban, a French office manager,
she opened up a real estate business together. As a result, she has been greatly influenced
by western society? notion of women in the work force.
In the case of Yusra, her husband treats her with great respect and as an equal. He engages
her in intellectual conversations concerning the resistance movement and his schooling. She
wore a white dress on her wedding day, while for Suad, education is a major western
influence. For instance, Umar teaches his children French grammar and studied at the
Sorbonne. Suad is involved with the Women? Union and reads many books. Men and women
of the resistance movement interact with one another and gender does not become an issue.
The Red Cross is prevalent in Beirut and Yusra describes how her mother tried to take her
brother to get treatment after he was wounded but is not able to get help. There is mention of
the Red Crescent clinic, which had been turned into a hospital. Her husband who is part of
the Palestinian resistant movement has written a phrase in English from War and Peace by
Tolstoy in which he reads it to Yusra. It says, "the factor establishing an army? morale is hard
to quantify scientifically because it isn? related wither to the numbers of soldiers or to any
other obvious cause." Living in Beirut, which is highly liberated, she takes an interest in her
husband? quest for Palestinian independence. I do not think she is preoccupied with any
western influence, but just the struggle to survive.

The concept of self-determination, as we have seen, is varied, and cultural factors can
influence the outcome. Of course, the out-come will differ depending on the road a person
takes. For example, she can decide to improve her education, become a businessperson, or
raise a family!
Education
In terms of Maha, we see how Sheikh Nimer taught his daughter how to shoot with an English
rifle since they use to go hunting together. He remarked, "The daughter of the tiger of the
desert must be a tigress." Her mother taught her how to weave and she learned how to cure
the sick orange groves in her father? field by using a specialized serum.
But yet, with Um Saad, She went to religious school but her education was limited. She was
forced to stop going to school after a year because she was learning ?oo much?such as
writing her name in Arabic. Education is seen not only as a learning experience but an escape
from the sheltered home and the patriarchal world where women could become
knowledgeable and independent. In Um Saad? case, school was an escape from her
controlling father.
Contrasting that are Nadia and Yusra. In terms of the former, we see an intellectual and
cultured woman. She takes pleasure in reading and loves to learn. She had been given a
formal education, but never finished it because her husband insisted that she become
pregnant. Later on, she goes back to college in order to get a degree in business
administration. In terms of Yusra, it seems like Yusra has some sort of education because she
is married to a man who went to college for five years and has a degree in Radiology. He is
also a resistance fighter for the Palestinian cause so they may have had the same political
outlook. She had not found anything of interest in his diary except for an expression written in
English, which came from Tolstoy? War and Peace.
Then of course, there is Suad. She is an intellectual woman who takes part in the Palestinian
resistance movement in Jordan. She also reads books such as "the novel by Naguib Mahfouz
which [she] borrowed from the school library." She also studied with her friend Latifa which
implies the fact that she was educated.
Suad is her own woman because she takes part in the Resistance movement among other
women and men who also fight for the cause. Suad goes out of her way and involves herself
among people. She would constantly visit her friend, study together, and help with errands.
She is a woman of action. Her fianc? asked her to move to Beirut with him and she packed
her bags. She left with her mother? consent, but her father did not approve of her fianc?
because he was part of the resistance. She is also very opinionated on various subjects. Her
vast knowledge gives her the opportunity to speak her mind. For example, Umar and Suad
conversed about "the kinds of food eaten in our two countries, and then to the state of affairs
in his country."

Another option for self-determination is that of livelihood and the choice of having one? own
career.
Livelihood
For Maha, we see weaving as a manifestation of her desire for independence. Maha? refuses
to dye the wool even though her mother in law tells her to. This represents her refusal to give
in and be a follower. While Maha lives at home, she takes care of her father? farm by milking
the cows and taking care of the trees and plants. She continues to do the same work during
her marriage. Maha uproots the weeds from the small piece of land behind the house in order
to clear the land and plant some henna, radishes and orange trees. She would also carry the
water jar on her head and walk to the ?ong Well? When she returns to her father, she
continues to work the farm and revive the dying plants and trees that her brother Daffash has
neglected.
The situation is a bit different with Um Saad. On the first Monday of each month, she would
have to clean the house from top to bottom and cook because her mom had guests over.
Once she was married, she could care of her husband? need such as cooking and cleaning
him up after work. He was a butcher so she would do a lot of scrubbing and cleaning in order
to get rid of the smell. She hated this because it reminded her of death and sewage.
For Nadia, she opens up her own real estate business by putting her own house on the block.
She is also a savvy business because she saved 3 million pounds in shares of stock. This
shows the fact that she acted on her own initiative and not with the help of her husband.
Then of course, there is our Yusra, who fetches water in the refugee camp for the 11
members in her family. She also runs errands such as getting "a tin of milk for [her] baby
brother" in midst of the Lebanese Civil War. She would wait in 8-10 hour intervals and this is
only when they are not being shelled, at which time the water is cut off.
We see things a bit differently with Suad. She did voluntary work training people in first aid but
she needs to find a paying job that will support both of them because her husband? stipend is
only enough to pay for the rent. At the same time, she does the usual chores such as cleaning
and dusting but this is of less importance to the situation that is going around her. She also
helped her friend organize discussions or parties by the Women? Union. This demonstrates
not only her involvement in women? issues but women? solidarity in general.
Family Issues
Another area where self-determination comes into play is that of family issues and child
bearing.
Since becoming a woman, Maha? father did not want her to work the fields because he

thought it was exhausting, shameful and felt a woman? place was in a "well closed room."
However, he did not want her to stop working because she was the only one who took care of
the groves. Her father despises Daffash because he always wanted a good son that was
capable of "digging his hands into the soil and transforming that piece of land into a green
orchard and not a womanizer and a city-worshipper. Therefore, Maha? son Mubarek inherits
her father? farm. Daffash physically abuses Maha when he does not get his way. When his
sister does not bring him his sandals, he slaps her.
Maha goes after Daffash with a rifle and intends to kill him when she finds out her brother
rapes her friend, Nasra and the wife of Salih. He is a womanizer and has no shame. Daffash
is annoyed that Maha has returned home after the death of Harb. It is only after she gives
birth to her son that he proclaims, "you may stay in my house." After the death of her father,
Daffash wants to keep the farm for himself by forcing Maha to stamp a piece of paper giving
him the rights to own it. He also gave his word to Sheikh Talib that Maha would marry him.
For Um Saad, the issue of marriage causes many problems. Muhammad, who is Circassian,
is not allowed to marry Um Saad because her father does not permit it. Maybe a Circassian
was a lower class or not a Muslim. Her father beats her up after he finds out that she spent
time with Muhammad in his store because it is a crime of honor when two people are not
married. The family? name becomes tarnished and may lose respect. As her neighbors say,
"Girls are a worry until you are in the grave."
Um Saad and her husband never communicated with each other. They just ?oexisted? She
kept her mouth shut and she got use to the lack of conversation. Her husband considers her
to be inferior to him as he says, " What happened to your brain, woman?" His wife is not an
equal partner in this relationship. They each have their separate roles to play. He gave her
orders and she would listen. Um Saad feels cheated and neglected because her husband
takes a younger bride to be his second wife and lives in the same house. She is utterly
humiliated when he beats her because he has no respect for her old age.
Nadia does not like the fact that her husband keeps pushing her to go to socialite gatherings
because it is only about an image and not substance. She is a woman of many facets and
doesn? want to feel like she is put on display for other women to gawk at. He wants to show
her off in order to gain fame and status. All her husband sees is money and materialistic
things in life, but Nadia thinks there is more to that. Wealth does not bring person happiness
and she despises the fact that he buys her things in order to silence her.
Ihsan does not think education comes from books. Life is educating in itself and nothing can
replace it. He mocks Nadia because she reads a lot of intellectual books that have relevance
to the society of the times. Nadia found out that Ihsan had an affair while he was away on
business and this affair had been used as blackmail against her husband. She took the
initiative by paying that person for his silence and in turn saved her own dignity as well as the
respect for her children. She did NOT do this for the sake of Ihsan. She is her own person

who takes responsibility for herself. While he experienced his downfall, "the decision, he
knew, was hers alone now." Nadia takes control of the situation and keeps her family together
even in the time of crisis.
Jalal, Ihsan? brother always had a liking for Nadia and one night he tries to kiss her while he
is drunk. She slaps him and tells him to leave. Nadia? expectation of Jalal had been
shattered. She no longer thought of him as a man who respected her for being a person of
unique character and intellect. Rather, he saw her as a woman and a sexual creature whose
desire he had to arouse at any given point in time. This is also a turning point for Nadia as she
exclaims, "I haven? met Jalal since that day, since I took possession of myself."
Fascist insurgents shoot Yusra? brother in the head because he admitted that he was a
Palestinian. Neither she nor her family may stop and mourn him for they will be immediately
shot. Yusra is separated from her mother and siblings and finds her grandmother. There aren?
any noticeable problems in Yusra? marriage. At one point he tried to conceal the fact that
some of this months salary was missing. However, he felt compelled to tell her the truth in
which he paid the difference. This shows the trust he has for his wife and his best friend.
With Suad, we see a different concern. Suad finds a white hair on her baby? head. The white
on the baby signifies the fact that life goes by very quickly because of all the pain and
suffering that exists in Lebanon. Suad and her friend try desperately to search for her
husband after the Israeli air raids. Eventually, he is found dead. Violence and the loss of
family are important issues that are dealt with in the story.
Naturally, during the process of deciding what to accomplish, we must face the reality of inner
and societal conflicts e.g., being pulled emotionally from different directions. This is not an
easy situation for our characters.
Conflicts
Maha does not want to re-marry although her brother gives Sheikh Talib his blessings. Maha
flees with her baby to the mountains and hides for a few days in order to get away from the
situation. Daffash fight over the piece of land that his father had given to Maha. Maha
despises the fact that Daffash is friends with the British who in turn murdered her husband. At
Samir Pasha? house, she remarks, "you killed Harb" and storms off. This embarrasses
Daffash.
For Um Saad, the situation is a bit different. Um Saad does not want her husband sleeping, let
alone bringing in another woman as his wife. She is horrified when she sees for herself and
becomes an insomniac, as she must sleep next to her sons. She cannot seek help. The only
place she can identify with is her house, especially her bedroom and that is taken away from
her when he takes a second wife.

In terms of Nadia, not only does she disagree about many things with her husband, she has
mixed feelings within herself. She wants to express her feelings and thoughts to Ihsan
because there is no way he could understand her if she keeps her feelings inside. However,
she wants to be the loving wife who pleases her husband and obeys him. She wrestles with
herself, but she knows the truth. She knows who she is as a person but it takes the season of
spring for her inner self to burst out.
Now, things are a bit more complicated for Yusra, considering that she is living in middle of a
major Lebanese civil war between the Christian and Muslims. She also has to endure the
Israeli air raids that strike southern Lebanon. Her only obstacle is trying to survive death.
Death was common everywhere, even to those who would never deserve it. For example, a
sniper killed Yusra? girl friend, a volunteer nurse.
The situation for Suad is somewhat similar. Living in the midst of constant civil war in Lebanon
and Israeli invasion, Suad remembers Black September in Amman.
Conclusion
Regarding inheritance, the Quran states:
"From what is left by parents and those nearest related there is a share for men and a share
for women, whether the property be small or large --a determinate share" (Quran 4:7).
The division of inheritance is also detailed in Quran 4:11,12,176. The general rule is that the
female share is half the male's share.

With regard to polygamy:

"If you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with the orphans, marry women of your
choice, two or three or four; but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with them,
then only one" (Quran 4:3).
The Quran limits the maximum number of wives to four under the strict condition of treating
the wives equally and justly.
The Koran seems to tell women their role in society, their place at home, and their sexual
behavior. The questions arise: how does that conflict with self determination, control and
power? While the Koran is sensitive toward women? needs, interpretations throughout many
generations have used the text to marginalize women by preaching that women are secondclass with respect to man in the "natural order." However there are exceptions that show
flexibility in the case of Yusra and Suad. In those cases we find more support from their family
thereby making self-determination an easier process. Thus we can see there are no absolutes
for some, self determination seems to be easier while for others it has many obstacles. The
question we must answer in the future is what steps can be taken to ensure that the process

of self determination on a personal level will not be manipulated by those with a different
agenda.

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MLA Citation:
"Self-Determination in Arab Society." 123HelpMe.com. 20 Oct 2014
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