Arranged marriages Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8000 words

Arranged marriages - Essay Example (p.1176) In the world after 9/11, wearing a hijab can also be seen as a political sign. (Afshar, Aitken & Franks, 2005) Klausen (2005) has mentioned a case of Baroness Uddin, a member of the House of Lords, who admits wearing hijab for political reasons. (Klausen, 2005, p.185) Unfortunately, it has become a target of non-Muslims’ atrocities around the world, especially after the 9/11 attacks. Discrimination against hijab was also prevalent in the UK prior to 9/11, although it might not be to a great extent at that time. Geldart (1999) mentioned that in 1993, a head teacher in West Sussex pressurized a girl to remove her hijab. (Geldart, 1999) Currently, a debate is also going on in European countries about banning hijab to some extent. Fekete (2004) points out that European Nations â€Å"should not use state power to force on any individual a dress code, whether culturally or religiously determined†. (p.26) Beckman (2007) points out that if a hijab-wearing woman is asked to rem ove her hijab, it would bring her enormous embarrassment and a feeling of disrespect. (Beckman, 2007) As it will be seen in this research, hijab-wearing women are not willing to give away their right at any cost, and a ban can be harmful for the nations themselves. UK is a home to a majority of Muslims but it is a land where Muslim women face many tribulations and hurdles from other non-Muslim groups just because they cover their face. These atrocities vary in intensity and nature. While many people abuse verbally and psychologically, some may even go to the extent of physical torture. In one incident, comedian Shazia Mirza was â€Å"physically attacked by young men in a British Muslim audience in London’s Brick Lane.† (Tarlo, 2007, p.146) The recent attack on the veiling of Muslim women was made by ex-Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in the year 2006 when he criticised women who wear veils.

Economic and Social Inequality in the United States Essay - 1

Economic and Social Inequality in the United States - Essay Example America, while promoting liberty and freedom of speech, has been seen as a place where people are afraid of speaking their minds. This can be attributed to the cultural socio-economic history of the nations, with regard to trying to protecting the many ethnic groups which have lewd to a situation where people have to be careful what they say, rest they be in a situation where they are accused of hate speech. The most significant difference between American and European culture is the American consumerism. In the past five decades, American consumerism has been said to increase and it has also been attributed in part to the recent economic crisis. Europeans are seen as shyer with regard to spending and have been seen as more conservative. In line with this consumerism, American has also been seen as too concerned with money as opposed to trying to live more well-rounded lives. In this regard, quality if life matters less as long as one has a fat bank account in America. Americans are not all bad though. In fact, it is considered that Americans are some of the most inspiring people in the world, always seeing their problems as opportunities to do greater things (Katzenstein, 78). This is unlike people from most European countries such as Germany where people live more closeted lives and adventure is not considered as a good way to spend a life. These cultural differences have significant implications, both positive and negative, with regard to the economics of nations and are necessary to study and understand. In order to be able to successfully achieve these objectives, I will need to take Sociology 130AC: Social Inequalities: American Cultures- the course will help me gain a deeper perspective into the historical causes as well as consequences of inequality in the United States.