Major: Biology
Minor: Arabic Studies
Research Advisor: Dr. Lora Lunt
Presidential Scholar Advisor: Dr. Deborah Conrad
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Title: Muslim Women and Scholarship
Human beings share a fundamental need to understand their surroundings; Muslims, men and women alike, are no exception, as Islam counsels us to seek truth and knowledge about our world. Muslim women throughout history and still today continue to excel in pursuing knowledge, yet seldom do western media depict them with the respect that they deserve. As a Muslim, I hope to deconstruct Western stereotypes of oppressed women in Islam by highlighting some of the most influential Muslim women of history, women who show that the Islamic message, which stresses gender equity and rights for women, does not restrain them, but in fact inspires their pursuit of knowledge. In doing this project, I will study the Arabic language, the universal Islamic language, at SUNY Potsdam and at Jordan through a study abroad program; I will study historical and contemporary women in Islam from primary sources, including the Quran and hadiths, journal articles, the Encyclopedia of Islam, biographies, lists of scholarly awards, and at globally recognized Muslim conventions. Lastly, I will summarize the history of Muslim women, highlighting their ability to make a significant contribution to knowledge and to society. From the beginning of Islamic history, Muslim women have become leaders in a variety of fields, and I believe that it is time that Western cameras learn to accept the that fact women can choose to worship God and still have a fully functioning brain.