American media tends to portray Muslims in a negative light. Some feel pity for Muslims while others feel outright contempt for them. This statement made by Ann Coulter (2001) following the September 11 terrorist attacks demonstrates contempt for Muslims: "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity" (quoted in Arab American National Museum, 2011 ). Although this particular statement is aimed at all Muslims, there are also many misconceptions directed solely at Muslim women. In this essay, I will discuss the issue of Muslim women and some of the ways their reality contradicts common media portrayals of women in this region. The first common media portrayal of Muslim women that I will dispel is that they have no rights. . In fact, long before Western women realized they lacked rights, Muslim women already had both cultural and spiritual rights (as cited in Arab Women: Potentials and Prospects, n.d.). Indeed, to quote Akbar S. Ahmed (1999), “Islam is the religion of equality” (p. 151). Before Islam, women were controlled by the rules of their individual tribes and some of these tribes granted many rights while others were quite chauvinistic (as cited in Arab Women: Potentials and Prospects, n.d.). The birth of Islam liberated women in chauvinistic societies and, as Nouha al-Hegelan (1980), an Arab immigrant to the United States, said, "gave them the dignity of humanity and the pride of to be a woman” (quoted in Arab Women: Potentials and Perspectives, nd). Rights guaranteed by Islam include the right to initiate divorce, inherit property, express one's opinions regarding family and public life, conduct business, and even own property...... middle of paper ......individuals or certain Muslim groups who practice things that fit Western stereotypes, but although they practice them, their actions do not correspond to the teachings of Islam. There may also be non-Muslim individuals or groups who practice these things, but again, they are not following the teaching of Islam. Works Cited Ahmed, AS (1999). Islam Today: A Brief Introduction to the Muslim World. New York: IB Tauris. Allen, M. (2006). Arabs. New York: Continuum. Arab American National Museum. (2011). Remarks from leaders, academics and experts. Retrieved October 6, 2011 from Reclaiming Identity: Dismantling Arab Stereotypes: http://arabstereotypes.org/popular-perceptions/remarks-leaders-scholars-and-punditsArab Women: Potentials and Prospects. (nd). Retrieved October 6, 2011 from Cornell.edu: http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/arbwomn.htm