Middle Eastern women's participation in politics

Middle Eastern women's lack of participation in politics has often been blamed on Islam; however the apathy and constraints of women's empowerment lies in patriarchal traditions along with revolutionary movements, be it independence or liberation from an occupying force. Prophet Muhammad, the first political and revolutionary leader in the Middle East and those that followed him as a revolutionary leader, set the social, political and legal framework of the whole country, especially in women's empowerment. The purpose of this study will be to describe and evaluate the political empowerment and participation, or lack thereof, for Middle Eastern women using a multi-case study design to understand a larger phenomenon through an extensive study of three specific instances: Iran, Kuwait and Turkey. These countries were picked systematically because they are a good representation of their ethnic group and government type and they represent different political, social and cultural paradigms in the region.