Before I started reading Baghdad Without A Map I didn't know much about the conditions for women in the Middle East. I was only briefly familiar with the stereotypical restrictions on clothing and religion which women faced. As I continued to read there were several comments made that I found concerning. They made women seem as a "thing" just as they were pre-women's suffrage in America. This view on women in America started to change as early as the nineteenth century. It baffles me that these views are still held by some. This unfair treatment of women stood out to me as early as the Prologue “Love at First Sight”. The women that came to the door seemed so hesitant and nervous, as if she thought she was doing something wrong. It seemed as if she was scared for an unknown reason. The description on the women’s clothing seemed so limiting. They all wore masks and shrouds that fell to their feet concealing every inch of them. It struck me so odd when the one women said “I love you” to a man she had never met after he has shown her some expected kindness.
After some research I learned that Middle Eastern countries have just made a very important step forward. Most countries have ratified or looked into the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Although this all seems an attempt to move forward, these positive steps are being diluted because several countries have put reservations and made many decelerations contrary to the Convention. These reservations are not allowing women to lead lives free of violence and discrimination. Countries are justifying these restrictions by claiming that they conflict with the national legislature and Islamic Law.
I believe that the conditions for women in the Middle East have not improved over time because, as stated in the text, “men outnumber women in Dubai by three to one”. Women are the minority throughout the Middle East. The laws, restrictions, and views on women are also so strict to begin with that it seems it would be difficult to stand up and disagree. Women are looked down upon so drastically it is said that Middle Eastern men cherish their animals more than their wives. Here is an example I found showing how unrealistic laws regarding women are. This is a piece stated by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution.

"A man can marry a girl younger than nine years of age, even if the girl is still a baby being breastfed. A man, however is prohibited from having intercourse with a girl younger than nine, other sexual act such as forplay, rubbing, kissing and sodomy is allowed. A man having intercourse with a girl younger than nine years of age has not comitted a crime, but only an infraction, if the girl is not permanently damaged. If the girl, however, is permanently damaged, the man must provide for her all her life. But this girl will not count as one of the man's four permanent wives. He also is not permitted to marry the girl's sister." (http://www.middle-east-info.org/gateway/womenchildabuse/index.htm)

DPD