ABSTRACT
AlthoughIslamisoftencriticizedforthelowstatusithasassignedto women,acentralthemeofthisstudyisthatitwasprimarilytheinterpretationsofjurists,localtraditionsandsocialtrendswhichcausedthe statusofMuslimwomentofall.Itisassumedthatthelawasrevealedto theProphetinfactraisedwomen'sstatusconsiderably.Inthecenturies thatfollowed,theselawswerereinterpretedtothedetrimentof women.Intheearlytwentiethcentury,whentheIslamicreformmovementarose,oneofthemajorissuesputforthbytheleadersofthis movementwastheneedtoimprovethestatusofwomeninMuslim society.Thus,overthepastfiftyyears,Muslimwomeninmostparts oftheMiddleEasthavebeenexperiencingpositivechangeintheir socialroleandstatus.However,becauseoftheisolationoftheArabian GulfregionfromtheWesternworld,aswellasfrommanyofitsEastern neighbors,womenandmencontinuedtolivebymanyoftheirown traditionsuntilrecenttimes.Primarilybecauseofthisisolation,modificationsintheroleandstatusofbothmenandwomenintheGulfhave developedveryslowlyandverydifferentlyfromthoseofpeoplein otherpartsoftheIslamicworld.However,withthediscoveryofoil, theinhabitantsoftheArabianGulfwereabletoemergefromtheir seclusion,andpositivesocialandeconomicchangehasbeenrealizedby all.
