After reading Gunn's article on Shaping Islamic Identity, it is clear that Islam has gone through many flourishing periods and many periods of decline. When Islam entered Central Asia in approximately the 17th century, it spread among the people and left a great impression on culture. During the Soviet Rule, many Islamic institutions were destroyed and burned down. Following this violent discourse, the Islamic culture suffered a series of lows. The Islamic culture began to decline among the people and almost became extinct. However, many of the matured people who were involved in the Islamic culture did not lose their Islamic heritage. It is known that Central Asia is divided into five states. The five different states suggest that the crux of the matter among Central Asians is trying to find an identity among a mix of different people. It is true that most people base their ethnic identity to their religious identity. The post- Soviet period deals with many stray individuals trying to find who they are as a person among this backdrop of chaos.
Prior to any knowledge of the Islamic faith, when I heard "Islam" I always used to think of women whom are covered up by many layers of clothing. It is the common stereotype that Islamic women are controlled by their spouse and are under strict order and regulation. I used to believe that those women were stripped of their identity. Hirschkind's article was very interesting to me because I got to see how accurate or false my previous judgements were. Hirschkind follows the Feminist Majority's Campaign against the abuse of Afghan women. It becomes apparent that we do not know to the full extent how brutally these women are being treated. I believe these women deserve a life of freedom; Freedom from constraints of their superiors, and freedom from violence. Just as Gunn’s article stresses on the importance of finding an identity, I believe Islamic women deserve that chance. Their gender should not implicate their potential to find a unique identity for themselves.
