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A woman's place is determined by these fixed criteria and the dom-
inant creeds. In some societies, women are thought to have a weaker
soul than men, just because they are physically weaker. Surprisingly,

many people actually believe this lie due to the mistaken and clearly il-
logical idea that a woman's personality, morality, and ability are limited
in direct proportion to her slighter body. For instance, various activities
are classified as a man's job or a woman's job. Obviously, their different
physical strength and build have some impact upon what tasks they per-
form. But in unbelieving societies, this distinction is based on a certain
bigotry that ascribes to them a weakness in both intellect and talent.
Modern women, through their abilities and achievements, have
disproved such biased assertions in many. Nevertheless, some parts of
society still consider women to be incompetent in some respects or be-
lieve that men, simply because they are men, can do a better
job.
Many people also mistakenly believe that women have
a weaker character than men. In unbelieving societies, it is

taken for granted that women panic and lose control,
whereas men remain cool and calm. Or, in a situation of
adversity, men are said to display great strength of char-
acter, whereas women respond meekly. Girls are condi-
tioned to conform to this prejudice from early child-
hood. Families, which take great care to give their boys
strength of character, condition their girls with oppos-
ing character traits. In the face of trouble, boys are told
that boys don't cry, behave like a man, be brave, don't be
scared like a little girl, you are crying like a little girl. Girls
are also told that they are different from boys and that
they should behave accordingly.
In such societies, women's jobs and responsibilities

Mary: An Exemplary Muslim Woman