Among the Muslim communities of the Middle East, women lived
entirely under the domination of men and were not allowed to take part in
public affairs. Girls grew up in the home of their parents, lived most of their
time indoors and had no contact with the public. When they were given in
marriage to their husbands (an event over which they had no control), they
moved into a different house and spent most of their time in complete seclusion
until they died. No man, except a very close relative, was ever allowed to see
the face of a woman. She had to wear a chadur [1] and veil her face. It was
considered a sin for a woman to show her face to any man. When a male guest
arrived at a home, all the women had to retire into the inner apartment, their
sanctuary where no strange man would ever be admitted.
Another restriction was that women, especially unmarried
girls, were not to talk to men. Neither would they be permitted to go out for
shopping or other services; these were the exclusive preserve of men. Such acts
would have necessitated women taking part in public affairs and coming into
contact with men. So strong was this restriction that if ever a woman was seen
talking to a strange man she would receive very severe punishment from her
parents or husband. The stigma attached to this behaviour was so repugnant that
sometimes the poor victim would commit suicide. Some Muslim clergy in Persia
are known to have inflicted torturous chastisements upon a man who was accused
of talking to a woman. Usually a much more severe punishment awaited a
non-Muslim man if he was found speaking to a Muslim woman.
