Write a more polished research paper in about four thousand words in more appealing coherent and polished academic language using literary jargon and complex vocabulary and sentence structures, including varied punctuation and transition words and Tone must be in active voice (present), informative and authoritative and writing style is coherent, consistent, and organized and frequent terms of critics are used and sentences are logically structured to create a clear and progressive flow of ideas

The commonly held perception in the Western world is that Muslim societies in general are inherently patriarchal, with Muslim women facing oppression. The religion of Islam is often erroneously perceived as a patriarchal system that advocates for the subjugation of women. However, Moroccan feminist and sociologist Fatima Mernissi argues that this interpretation is based on a misunderstanding of the Quran and is actually a product of “cultural” and “historical” circumstances rather than an inherent aspect of Muslim societies or the religion itself. While it is true that some societies may exhibit a pervasive attitude of male superiority and female subservience, (Islam and Patriarchy - and Why It’s Important to Understand, 2015) it is problematic to make broad generalisations or stereotypes about the experiences of Muslim women or their religion. She asserts that “Islam isn’t patriarchal , but patriarchy has been heavily involved in the history of the middle east, and have subsequently seeped into the ways Muslims practice their faith.” (Islam and Patriarchy - and Why It’s Important to Understand) Moreover, it is important to consider the way that this is not just a problem of religion but also of ‘power’ and ‘representation.’ One can see this as an act of violence that is not an aberration but rather an inevitable result of patriarchal systems, where men with religious authority, use it to maintain and justify power over others and this is not limited to Islam but a problem of how all religions can be manipulated in such ways. As Michel Foucault has astutely noted, power is not concentrated in the hands of a select few but rather is pervasive and operates through various institutions, including religion. Thus, it is not simply a question of religious doctrine but rather an intricate web of power relations that must be examined and dismantled to address this phenomenon. The character Firdaus in the text highlights this ideology through an encounter with her uncle’s wife, who reveals that her husband, a “respected sheikh well-versed in the teachings of religion, often beats her.” Firdaus initially finds this difficult to reconcile, but the uncle’s wife clarifies that “men who are well-versed in their religion often use religious precepts as justification for such punishment.” (44) This serves as a representation of Michel Foucault’s idea of “knowledge as power,” where men are utilizing religious knowledge as a means of domination. Through the portrayal of a Firdaus’ journey in Woman at Point Zero, El Saadawi deconstructs the oversimplified and monolithic image of Arab and Muslim societies as strictly patriarchal, instead revealing the complex social and cultural practices that shape the identities and experiences of women in these societies. By delving into the historical and ideological power structures that have contributed to the portrayal of women in these cultures as oppressed, the work offers a more nuanced and comprehensive perspective on the realities of women’s lives in Arab and Muslim societies.