Page 98 - Mary: An Exemplary Muslim Woman

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morality. Therefore, the differences between their character and that of
their society's women in general remain limited to their refusal to con-

form to society's expectations. All women who do not emulate the
Muslim woman's character defined in the Qur'an will still have to con-
tend with their own character type, which will remain inconsistent and
erroneous.
When we examine the general features of women living in unbe-
lieving societies, we see that all of them have a common character type

to such an extent that society perceives them as all being the same. One
of the most common views is that women do not have the same strong
and persistent personality as men. Most women, as well as men, concede
this fact and therefore never consider themselves capable of protecting or
defending anyone. Since they consider themselves inferior or less capa-
ble than men, they usually look for someone to take care of them,
whether financially or otherwise, in order to protect themselves from