The women in Al Andalus

This thesis presents an analysis of the Islamic presence in the Peninsula Iberica through a comparison of the ancient society called al-Andalus (711bc-1492bc) and the contemporary Spain, filled with Islamic immigrants, with a particular reference over the Muslim women and their lifestyle. This work is also aimed at discovering the Islamic roots of Spain, going back to its origins and to the history of the people that contributed to the creation of this nation. In order to do my research, I used books and articles from different authors taken from the internet. The first chapter is devoted to a cultural and historical description of the al-Andalus era, and it is focused on all the aspects that characterized this society: the architecture, the way of life in the major cities, the food and the beauty products and the main aspects of the Islamic religion. In the second chapter, it is explained how marriage and family were a fundamental part in the life of Islamic women of al-Andalus, while in the third chapter I present women jobs and activities, stressing the fact that al-Andalus was a quite liberal society, especially in comparison with others from the medieval era. In the last chapter, I shift the focus of the analysis on the present Spain, a nation that often forget or even reject their Islamic roots. I analyze several stereotyped images about the supposed discrimination of Arabic-Muslim women which are widespread in the Occidental culture. Firstly, I identify some topics about the supposed discrimination of Muslim women in general, which are also attributed to Spanish press, then I argue that other factors are more relevant for gender discrimination in Maghreb countries, which are actually important causes of female emigration to Spain. Secondly, I focused on the description of the lifestyle of Islamic women in Spain, and I handle the controversial issue regarding the use of hijab.