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Understanding the Muslim woman

Abstract:

There is an increasing number of Muslims now residing in New Zealand - at least 5,000. As midwives we are going to come into contact with more and more Muslim women giving birth and therefore we need to understand their needs during pregnancy and birthing. It is also important to understand the many misconceptions that Muslim women are often subjected to. Some stereotypes are: that most Muslims are immigrants of low socioeconomic status; and that the women are suppressed and powerless victims of their marriages and societies. Much of our misunderstanding arises from media coverage of extremist behavious of some Muslims, mostly from the Middle East area. A distinction also needs to be made between religion and custom. In order to clarify these differences it is necessary to examine the basis of the Islamic religion.

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cultural differences, Islam, Muslim