Turbans, 9/11 terrorists, and men with multiple veiled wives; The common American view of people practicing the Islamic religion is based on stereotypes and the assumption that all Muslims observe radical procedures. Recent interest in this ancient faith has arisen as extremists have flooded the news with bombings, threats of intimidation, and more. As in many cases, no news is good news, and increased media attention has focused public attention on what appear to be sectarian societies with outlandish and uncivilized ideals. Report after report has documented oppressed women in the Middle East blaming their religion for their lower status in society. Images depicting a decidedly masculine culture have been broadcast on televisions around the world, labeling Islam as the source of this inequality. Although an outsider's view of gender differences in the Islamic faith differs from the ideas presented in their sacred text, the Quran and the culture of the region in which it is practiced also greatly affect its followers. After witnessing the alleged mistreatment of women in the aforementioned events, societies, one wonders why they suffer such injustice. It seems that the answer to this question is revealed in the fact that these women do not see themselves as oppressed, but rather see women in the Western world as victims (Beyond Stereotypes). In his article "Good Muslim, Bad Muslim," Tariq Ramadan, professor of contemporary Islamic studies at the University of Oxford, explains that a major difference between Americans and those who follow the Islamic religion is that, fundamentally, Islam makes no distinction between religion and politics (24-25). Ms. Shamrah Sher notes middle of paper...... 2014.Coleman, Isobel. “Women, Islam and the new Iraq”. Foreign Affairs 85.1 (2006): 24-38. Business Source Premier. Internet. April 30, 2014. Fadel, Mohammad. “Gender and sexuality”. Pathéos Library. Np, and Web. April 29, 2014. Kazemi, Farhad. “Gender, Islam and politics”. Social Research 67.2 (2000): 453-474. BusinessSource Premier. Internet. April 30, 2014. Levine, James P. and Chitra Raghavan. Self-determination and women's rights in Muslim societies. Waltham, Mass: Brandeis University Press, 2012. Electronic Book Collection (EBSCOhost). Internet. May 5, 2014. “Sharia and women.” Implementation of gender quotas: Spotlight on Sudan. Coalition of Muslim Women, nd Web. April 29, 2014. Sher, Samrah. “Muslim women are not oppressed.” Niche of truth. Np, and Web. April 26, 2014. “Women in Islam: beyond stereotypes. » Islamic Way. World Assembly of Muslim Youth, ndWeb. May 05 2014.