ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the beginnings of an investigation into the relationships between women, family, religion, and state in several Middle Eastern societies for which little literature exists linking these issues - Lebanon and Iraq. The literature on women, family, and the state, however, often does consider Islam. That is, scholars are more likely to treat Islam as a system apart from Middle Eastern states in discussions of women and family than they are likely to treat the state as a system apart from Islam. Iraq is a heterogeneous country with a population of about 13 million. While the majority of Iraqis are Muslim, divided equally between Sunnis and Shi'ites, about 25 percent of the population is non-Arab, including Sunni Kurds, Sunni Turcomans, Christian Armenians, Assyrians and Indians. While small in territory and population, Lebanon has been historically one of the most heterogeneous of the Middle Eastern states.
