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Again I repeat the points in the first part that only an internal movement can change the value of those women and then. Only after cultural perspectives and values begin to change will any legal remedy make an impact. For example, Iranian women have organized to promote equality between women and men, the development of women''s awareness of their rights, and the improvement of economic conditions for women. Organizations of Palestinian women were also formed for the purpose of fighting for the Palestinian state and assisting the Palestinian Liberation Organization. Later, other organizations were formed by college- educated women to promote the creation of better professional opportunities for women. As reforms are forthcoming, these organizations must focus on enhancing the equality of women in the public sphere.
In other countries, despite the absence of women''s organizations, cultural customs are not completely accepted within all realms of the society. For instance, while women in certain regions of La Cote d'' Ivoire continue the practice of genital circumcision, women in other parts of that country do not perpetuate the practice or feel that they are required to do so. Thus, it appears that some change may take place through those women who have not lost their cultural identity because of their rejection of the genital operations. Perhaps these women will educate their fellow citizens and offer an alternative way of life through example.
It has been suggested that internal women''s movements follow a general pattern. Women should first organize to identify the conditions which they see as unfavorable. Then they must set goals and means for changing those conditions. One example is all-female schools, which go beyond teaching women to function in the family and towards empowering women to compete as equals in society. Through the schools and organizations, the agenda should include confronting women with the cultural myths which maintain their inferior positions. For example, through education, Muslim women may learn that Islam was not intended to subjugate women. They may be made aware that certain practices, which have recently sparked fundamentalist support in the form of violence, are actually the result of a misleading interpretation of Islamic doctrine.
A prime example is the Islamic teaching which has been interpreted to require that women wear the traditional hijab. Hijab, which means "curtain," means to place a barrier between two men. In the Koran, on the night of his marriage to Zaynab, the Prophet became impatient to be intimate with his new bride and he ended the wedding celebration. A few guests remained despite efforts to disperse the party and the Prophet became irritated. Muhammed then proclaimed that he had a revelation which declared that he needed his privacy; Muhammad advised his guests against overstaying their welcome. According to the story, as the Prophet had this revelation, he then pulled down a curtain between himself and the one man left in the bridal chamber. This curtain descended to provide the Prophet the privacy he needed to be intimate with his new bride.
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