Essay on The Harem †A Rare a Privilege of the Rich

The Harem – A Rare a Privilege of the Rich Harems conjure up images of belly dancers moving through smoke in exotic settings. Religious justification of subjugating women to be servants and sexual slaves is a common misnomer as are the images of belly dancers. Descriptions of harems by writers and society may be misleading for they hold the forbidden fruit, women cut off from society existing for man’s sexual pleasure. In actuality, harems were a privilege of those who could afford them and while not outlawed by religion, not required either. The common conception of a harem that is true is the seclusion of women. The Sultan’s harem in Ottoman society during the latter part of the eighteenth century shows how†¦show more content†¦The duties of these two offices were split with the Lady Intendant overseeing discipline and the Treasurer overseeing the economics of the Harem. The last two categories were Pupils and servants. Pupils were slave-girls in training for the higher positions, which they cou ld only rise to if a position became vacant. Servants on the other hand were not trained to rise to any station.5[5] This extensive harem with its own governing was possible due to high economic position. A harem was not a religious invention as it only occurred if there was enough money to support it. Harems did not exist in Muslim countries until it was financially feasible, which occurred around the time of ‘Umar, the Second Caliph, when economic conditions in Arabia changed as Arab conquests expanded. Conquests of Syria, Iraq and other parts of Western Asia brought with them land and wealth. A wealthy class emerged out of these conquests with new societal impacts. Siddiqi describes the development the wealthy class brought: The appearance of feudalism, the effect of social contacts with the people of the conquered countries and the coming into being of a leisured class devoted to the pursuit of physical pleasures contributed to lower the general standard of sex morality among the Muslims. The kings and monarchs in the Muslim countries and along with them the courtiers and aristocrats developed the institution ofShow MoreRelated Dreams of Trespass: Defining the Frontier Essay3719 Words   |  15 PagesDreams of Trespass: Defining the Frontier In Fatima Mernissi’s widely acclaimed book Dreams of Trespass, the storyline weaves around the tale of a young girls’ life in a traditional Moroccan harem that is as much enchanting as it is disparaging. As we follow the young girl from day to day and experience all the little trivialities of her life, we notice that she is quite a precocious little child. She is constantly questioning, in fact, her mother and aunts constantly tell her that she shouldRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesNever pick up a recently killed rattlesnake. Its nerve reflexes enable it to bite for some time after death. c. In a country with a billion people, even if youre a one-in-a-million type guy, there are still a thousand just like you. d. Though rare on Earth, plasmas are the most common form of matter in the universe, even more common than gases. ────16 Discount Indicators It is very common for passages containing arguments also to contain claims that are neither premises nor conclusionsRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesand precious minerals in the highlands of the hemisphere, and of African slaves and cash crops in its tropical islands and coastal lowlands. Peru and Mexico were the jewels of the Spanish imperial crown. Saint-Domingue and Barbados were two of the rich- WORLD MIGRATION IN THE LONG TWENTIETH CENTURY †¢ 27 est spots on the planet, worth much more to their French and British colonial masters than the vast expanses of Louisiana, Anglo North America, and Quebec. But as the industrial revolution